Emigration from Ecuador is a relatively recent phenomenon, but has had a large impact on the country's demographics and economy. Eleven percent of Ecuadorians (1.5 million people) live outside Ecuador, primarily in Spain and the United States. Between 400,000 and 500,000 Ecuadorians were estimated to live in the United States in 2003; nearly 500,000 were estimated to live in Spain in 2005. Ecuadorians have also settled in Italy, the Netherlands, France, and Canada. Ecuadorians living abroad remit $1.7 billion to family in Ecuador each year; an estimated one million Ecuadorians rely on these remittances for income. Only petroleum exports are a greater contribution to Ecuador's economy than remittances, which exceed banana exports and income from tourism in value.1
Ecuadorian nationals are residents in more than 60 countries.
Early emigration from Ecuador was triggered by the collapse of Ecuador's Panama hat industry in the 1950s. Emigrants at this time often traveled to New York City, where many had connections with hat importers.1
In the United States, Ecuadorians are most concentrated in and New Jersey; approximately 90,000 Ecuadorians live in , particularly in and .