Ecuador: cities by population
Ecuador has a population of 18,444,506 (UN estimate, 2026), with Quito as its capital. The 50 largest of its 126 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+45%
since 2000 (12,689,206)
+16%
projected by 2050 (21,337,237)
74
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Ecuador
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | Pichincha | 2,781,641 |
| 2 | Guayaquil | Guayas | 2,723,665 |
| 3 | Cuenca | Azuay | 636,996 |
| 4 | Santo Domingo de los Colorados | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | 458,580 |
| 5 | Ambato | Tungurahua Province | 387,309 |
| 6 | Portoviejo | Manabí | 321,800 |
| 7 | Eloy Alfaro | Guayas | 315,724 |
| 8 | Machala | El Oro | 289,141 |
| 9 | Loja | Loja | 274,112 |
| 10 | Manta | Manabí | 264,281 |
| 11 | Riobamba | Chimborazo Province | 264,048 |
| 12 | Ibarra | Imbabura | 221,149 |
| 13 | Esmeraldas | Esmeraldas | 218,727 |
| 14 | Quevedo | Los Ríos | 213,842 |
| 15 | Latacunga | Cotopaxi | 205,624 |
| 16 | Daule | Guayas | 173,684 |
| 17 | Milagro | Guayas | 133,508 |
| 18 | Tulcán | Carchi | 86,498 |
| 19 | Babahoyo | Los Ríos | 76,279 |
| 20 | La Libertad | Guayas | 75,881 |
| 21 | El Empalme | Guayas | 48,754 |
| 22 | Puerto Francisco de Orellana | Orellana Province | 48,144 |
| 23 | Pasaje | El Oro | 44,860 |
| 24 | Chone | Manabí | 44,751 |
| 25 | Salinas | Santa Elena | 43,862 |
| 26 | Santa Elena | Santa Elena | 42,214 |
| 27 | Rosa Zarate | Esmeraldas | 42,121 |
| 28 | Santa Rosa | El Oro | 41,816 |
| 29 | Balzar | Guayas | 40,115 |
| 30 | Huaquillas | El Oro | 39,757 |
| 31 | Ventanas | Los Ríos | 38,168 |
| 32 | Bahía de Caráquez | Manabí | 37,056 |
| 33 | La Troncal | Canar | 36,353 |
| 34 | Jipijapa | Manabí | 35,901 |
| 35 | Azogues | Canar | 34,877 |
| 36 | Naranjito | Guayas | 34,206 |
| 37 | Vinces | Los Ríos | 32,497 |
| 38 | Otavalo | Imbabura | 32,330 |
| 39 | El Triunfo | Guayas | 32,282 |
| 40 | Naranjal | Guayas | 32,045 |
| 41 | Posorja | Guayas | 30,886 |
| 42 | Playas | Guayas | 30,564 |
| 43 | Pomasqui | Pichincha | 28,724 |
| 44 | Yaguachi Nuevo | Guayas | 27,947 |
| 45 | Guabo | El Oro | 26,635 |
| 46 | Cayambe | Pichincha | 26,582 |
| 47 | Arenillas | El Oro | 26,000 |
| 48 | Machachi | Pichincha | 25,742 |
| 49 | Puyo | Pastaza Province | 24,881 |
| 50 | Nueva Loja | Sucumbíos | 24,211 |
Twenty years earlier: Ecuador in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 12,090,804.
Common questions
What is the population of Ecuador?
Ecuador has a population of 18,444,506, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 21,337,237 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Ecuador?
Quito.