Overview of best prospect sectors, major infrastructure projects, significant government procurements and business opportunities.
Last Published: 8/8/2016
  • Ecuador has a strong labor pool, which makes the country a particularly attractive investment opportunity. Minimum compensation levels are set by the Ministry of Labor according to the job and industry and can be adjusted by the National Assembly. The 2016 minimum compensation package is $366 a month, plus social security contributions. 
 
  • The Ecuadorian government is attempting to increase Foreign Direct Investment into sectors including: agribusiness and forestry, tourism, mining, real estate, and fishing and aquaculture. 
 
  • There are significant opportunities within the Ecuadorian market for small-to-medium sized U.S. exporters of a range of products, including plastics machinery, automotive parts and accessories, water resources equipment, orthopedic equipment, telecommunications equipment, and tourism.
 
  • Ecuador’s free-trade zones allow importers to bring in raw materials and machinery duty-free and then export finished or semi-processed goods without paying taxes. Businesses within the free-trade zones have no restrictions on the repatriation of their profits.
 
  • Although Ecuador is the world’s leading exporter of bananas, significant opportunities exist in import markets for other agricultural goods, including cotton, yellow corn, soybean meal, and consumer food products.

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.