Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ecuador instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
live 2.8 years longer
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 79.6% more spent on your healthcare
Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ecuador spends $1,238 as of 2023.
have 2.1 times more doctors per person
Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Ecuador has 23.1 as of 2020.
have 13.2% more access to essential health services
Vietnam scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ecuador scores 77 as of 2021.
be 12.1 times more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 28.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 40.6% more money
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Ecuador, the GDP per capita is $7,125 as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ecuador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 5.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vietnam, 4.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Ecuador, however, that number is 21.4% as of 2025.
Life
have 10.4% more children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ecuador, there are 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.7% more on education
Vietnam spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Ecuador spends 3.7% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 65.8% more on healthcare
Vietnam spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ecuador, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 35.0% less coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In Ecuador, that number is 2,237 km.
Safety
be 32.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Vietnam, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ecuador, they kill 23.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 62.6% less strain on fresh water
Vietnam withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ecuador withdraws 7% as of 2022.
find 27.2% less home broadband
Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ecuador has 17.2 as of 2024.
use 35.2% less electricity
Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 55.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ecuador, it causes 23.0 as of 2019.
emit 38.2% less CO2
Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ecuador emits 2.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Vietnam vs. Ecuador
Ecuador: At a glance
How big is Ecuador compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.