From 2023 to 2024, total spending on Ecuadorean imports fell -4.6% starting with $30.9 billion worth of imported products during 2023.
Ecuador’s official currency is US dollars.
Ecuadorean Major Product Suppliers
The latest available country-specific data shows that 81.0% of products imported from Ecuador was supplied by exporters in: United States of America (27.6% of the Ecuadorean total), mainland China (22.4%), Colombia (7.3%), Brazil (3.5%), Peru (3.3%), Italy (2.9%), South Korea (2.7%), Argentina (2.6%), Spain (2.3%), Canada (2.18%), Mexico (2.11%) and Germany (2.1%).
Applying a continental perspective, about a third (33.1%) of Ecuador’s total imports by value in 2024 were purchased from Asian countries. Another 31.9% worth of imported goods originated from North America, with 21.3% coming from suppliers in fellow Latin American nations excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
Providers in Europe furnished 13.4% worth of total Ecuadorean imports.
Tinier percentages were bought from exporters in Oceania (0.18%) mostly Australia and New Zealand, and Africa (0.14%).
Given Ecuador’s population of 18 million people, its total $29.5 billion in 2024 imports translates to roughly $1,650 in yearly product demand from every person in the northwestern South American nation. That dollar amount lags the average $1,700 per capita one year earlier in 2023.
Ecuador’s Top 10 Imports
The following product groups represent the highest dollar value in Ecuador’s import purchases during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each product category represents in terms of overall imports into Ecuador.
- Mineral fuels including oil: US$7.4 billion (25% of total imports)
- Machinery including computers: $3.1 billion (10.4%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: $2.3 billion (7.7%)
- Vehicles: $2.1 billion (7.1%)
- Food industry waste, animal fodder: $1.4 billion (4.6%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $1.2 billion (4.1%)
- Pharmaceuticals: $1.2 billion (4%)
- Iron, steel: $702.9 million (2.4%)
- Other chemical goods: $649 million (2.2%)
- Cereals: $596.3 million (2%)
Ecuador’s top 10 imports cost more than two-thirds (69.7%) of the overall value of its product purchases from other countries.
Ecuadorean purchases of electrical machinery and equipment (up 10.2%) increased by the greatest percentage from 2023 to 2024.
In second place were imports of miscellaneous chemical goods (up 6.1%).
Ecuador’s imports of plastics, both as materials and items made from plastic, generated a 1.7% increase compared to 2023.
The severest year-over-year decline among leading Ecuadorean imports was the -24.6% drop for vehicles.
Please note that the results listed above are at the 2-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level.
Information presented below is from the more granular 4-digit HTS codes perspective.
Drilling down on the detailed 4-digit HTS codes, Ecuador spent the most on imports of processed petroleum oils (13.4% of Ecuadorean imports), high-temperature distilled coal tar oils (7.7%), cars (3.1%), medication mixes in dosage (2.9%), solid residues including soya bean oilcake (also 2.9%), petroleum gases (2.6%), phone devices including smartphones (2.1%), wheat (1.7%), trucks (1.6%), then miscellaneous animal feed preparations (1.3%).
Ecuador’s Main Fuel Imports
In 2024, Ecuadorean importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of mineral fuels-related products.
- Processed petroleum oils: US$3.9 billion (down -6.1% from 2023)
- Coal tar oils (high temperature distillation): $2.3 billion (down -1.5%)
- Petroleum gases: $777.8 million (up 28%)
- Electrical energy: $334.5 million (up 17.3%)
- Petroleum oil residues: $30.4 million (down -17.1%)
- Petroleum jelly, mineral waxes: $14.1 million (up 5.2%)
- Peat: $4.5 million (up 19.4%)
- Coal, solid fuels made from coal: $3.5 million (down -53.3%)
- Natural bitumen, asphalt, shale: $1.1 million (up 69.2%)
- Asphalt/petroleum bitumen mixes: $342,000 (down -28.6%)
Among these import subcategories, Ecuadorian purchases of natural bitumen, asphalt and shale (up 69.2%), petroleum gases (up 28%) then peat (up 19.4%) grew at the fastest pace from 2023 to 2024.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported mineral fuels-related products among Ecuadorean businesses and consumers.
Ecuador’s Main Machinery Imports
In 2024, Ecuadorean importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of machines including computers.
- Computers, optical readers: US$349.9 million (down -7.4% from 2023)
- Refrigerators, freezers: $228.1 million (down -15.6%)
- Centrifuges, filters and purifiers: $174.7 million (up 25.5%)
- Heavy machinery (bulldozers, excavators, road rollers): $168.1 million (up 0.7%)
- Sort/screen/washing machinery: $154.7 million (up 309%)
- Liquid pumps and elevators: $154 million (up 3.6%)
- Printing machinery: $126.4 million (down -4.8%)
- Piston engine parts: $121.8 million (up 24%)
- Air conditioners: $108.5 million (up 4.2%)
- Air or vacuum pumps: $105.6 million (down -3.5%)
Among these import subcategories, Ecuadorian purchases of sorting, screening or washing machinery (up 309%), centrifuges, filters and purifiers (up 25.5%) then piston engine parts (up 24%) grew at the fastest pace from 2023 to 2024.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported machinery among Ecuadorean businesses and consumers.
Ecuador’s Main Electrical Imports
In 2024, Ecuadorean importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of electronic equipment including consumer electronics.
- Phone devices including smartphones: US$624.7 million (down -11.3% from 2023)
- Electric generating sets, converters: $234.3 million (up 453%)
- TV receivers/monitors/projectors: $171.6 million (up 15.3%)
- Insulated wire/cable: $161.1 million (up 1.7%)
- Electrical converters/power units: $120.8 million (up 10.6%)
- Lower-voltage switches, fuses: $110.9 million (down -3.9%)
- Electric motor parts: $79 million (up 445.1%)
- Electric storage batteries: $74 million (up 59.3%)
- Electric motors, generators: $67.1 million (up 41.2%)
- Electric water heaters, hair dryers: $62.2 million (up 2.9%)
Among these import subcategories, Ecuadorian purchases of electric generating sets and converters (up 453%), electric motor parts (up 445.1%) then electric storage batteries (up 59.3%) grew at the fastest pace from 2023 to 2024.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported electronics among Ecuadorean businesses and consumers.
Ecuador’s Main Vehicles Imports
In 2024, Ecuadorean importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of vehicles.
- Cars: US$921.2 million (down -33.2% from 2023)
- Trucks: $469 million (down -27.9%)
- Automobile parts/accessories: $269.6 million (down -8.5%)
- Motorcycles: $200 million (up 20.2%)
- Tractors: $90.2 million (down -32.1%)
- Public-transport vehicles: $42.9 million (down -30.4%)
- Motorcycle parts/accessories: $31.5 million (up 8.8%)
- Chassis fitted with engine: $27 million (down -5.5%)
- Bicycles, other non-motorized cycles: $15.7 million (up 20.8%)
- Trailers: $14.7 million (down -2.1%)
Among these import subcategories, Ecuadorian purchases of bicycles and other non-motorized cycles (up 20.8%), motorcycles (up 20.2%) then motorcycle parts or accessories (up 8.8%) grew from 2023 to 2024.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported vehicles among Ecuadorean businesses and consumers.
See also Ecuador’s Top Trading Partners, Ecuador’s Top 10 Exports, Colombia’s Top Trading Partners, Chile’s Top Trading Partners and Argentina’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook South America: Ecuador. Accessed on December 12, 2025
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on December 12, 2025
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on December 12, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on December 12, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on December 12, 2025
Wikipedia, Ecuador. Accessed on December 12, 2025
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Ecuador. Accessed on December 12, 2025