Country Factsheet
Ecuador
This factsheet provides an overview of economic inclusion programs in Ecuador. Economic inclusion programs are a bundle of coordinated, multidimensional interventions that support individuals, households, and communities in raising their incomes and building their assets. The data used for this factsheet comes from the Partnership for Economic Inclusion’s Landscape Survey 2023.
Country Facts
Region
Latin America & Caribbean
Population
17.80 million
Income Group
Upper middle income
FCV country (WB FY24 list)
No
Poverty Headcount (share of population below the poverty line)
National Poverty Line
33.00%
Multidimensional Poverty Index
2.09%
$2.15/day (2017 PPP)
6.50%
Programs
Number of economic inclusion programs
9Institutional delivery (lead agency)
- Nongovernment-led
- Government-led
Geographic area
- Rural only
- Urban/peri
- Mix (urban & rural)
Participants
Number of participants
37,083Number of people benefiting
133,499Participants served by government-led programs (%)
97.12%Main Program Objectives
Wage employment
Self-employment
Income diversification
Productivity
Food security
Market access
Women's empowerment
Social inclusion
Social cohesion
Financial inclusion
Social services
Climate resilience
- More than 2/3 of programs
- Between 1/3 and less than 2/3 of programs
- Fewer than 1/3 of programs
Participant Profile
Targeted Poverty Segments
Poor
Extreme poor
Ultra-poor
Those above the poverty line
Doesn't target by poverty level
Targeted Population Groups
Women
Children
Youth
Older people
Persons with disabilities
Displacement-affected
Climate-affected
Marginalized
Conflict-affected
- More than 2/3 of programs
- Between 1/3 and less than 2/3 of programs
- Fewer than 1/3 of programs
CORE PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Transfer
Business capital
Wage employment facilitation
Skills training
Coaching
Financial services facilitation
Market links
Climate resilience support
ECONOMIC INCLUSION PROGRAMS SURVEYED
| Program Name | Year program began | Lead Agencies | Program Description | No. of Current Participants | % Female Participants | Poverty Targeting | Digital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Cohesion and Livelihoods Empowerment (SCALE) for Youth-led Durable Solutions | 2022 | Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) | The SCALE project promotes socioeconomic inclusion of young Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia and Ecuador by addressing employment and well-being barriers, focusing on job skills, entrepreneurship, and self-employment, and providing training, legal assistance, and access to capital to foster community integration. | 110 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Agribusiness Project | 2017 | HIAS | The project aims to promote cohesion between refugees and host communities, and resilience and self-sufficiency through a protection approach, ensuring access to services, rights, and sustainable livelihoods by developing agro-productive initiatives. | 50 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Entrepreneurship School 2.0 | 2021 | HIAS | The program provides customized support to active entrepreneurs, helping them make their businesses more sustainable through support on formalization and value chains. | 70 | 51-75% of participants | Does not target by poverty level | Yes |
| Entrepreneurship School | 2016 | HIAS Ecuador | The program supports entrepreneurs in developing scalable, impactful and sustainable business ideas through trainings. | 272 | 51-75% of participants | Does not target by poverty level | Yes |
| Entrepreneurship School with Gender Lens | 2016 | HIAS Ecuador | The program supports the empowerment and socio-economic standing of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and at-risk women by addressing trauma, promoting autonomy, and fostering emotional and economic empowerment. | 143 | All (100% of participants are female) | Does not target by poverty level | Yes |
| Graduation Model Approach and Socio-Economic Support Program | 2016 | HIAS | The program aims to support vulnerable refugees and migrants through psychosocial support, home visits, wage and self-employment training, financial literacy, soft skills development, and development-oriented cash and voucher assistance. | 300 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Human Talent Consultancy Services | 2016 | HIAS | The program facilitates wage employment for refugees and migrants job seekers by providing training and mentorship and engaging with employers to raise awareness about migration and the benefits of hiring migrants. | 233 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Human Development Credit, supported by World Bank's Social Safety Net Project | 2007 | Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion | The Human Development Credit aims to support the generation of productive entrepreneurship through a lump sum transfer and complementary trainings, technical guidance, and coaching. | 36,015 | 76-99% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
Only programs that have given their consent to share their program data are included in this table
The Partnership for Economic Inclusion (PEI) is a global platform that unites non-governmental organizations, UN agencies, research institutions, funding partners, and the World Bank to support government adoption and scale up of economic inclusion programs that empower vulnerable people to lift themselves out of extreme poverty.
| DNA: Does Not Apply; FY: Fiscal Year; FCV: Fragility, Conflict, and Violence; MPI: Multidimensional Poverty Index; NPL: National Poverty Line; N/A: Not available; WB: World Bank |