# Is Ecuador safe in 2026?

> Ecuador scores 78.8/100 on the live safety index — generally safe. The main pressure on the score comes from crime, natural disasters, political instability. The score has been stable for 10 days. The 24-hour AI forecast calls the trend stable (projected 77.7/100).

**Safety index:** 78.8 / 100 (higher is safer)
**Verdict band:** generally safe
**Active combat confirmed in the last 24h:** no
**Stable for:** 10 days
**Canonical:** https://safemap.ai/country/ecuador
**Generated:** 2026-09-01T04:08:41Z
**License:** CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — reuse with attribution to safemap.ai and the timestamp of the numbers.
**Contact:** contact@safemap.ai

## Threat breakdown

| Category | Current | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Crime | 9.6 | 15 |
| Natural disasters | 1.6 | 5 |
| Political instability | 4.0 | 15 |
| Economy | 2.1 | 8 |
| Military conflict | 3.2 | 30 |
| Ecology | 0.1 | 1 |
| Internet freedom | 0.4 | 7 |
| Public health | 0.2 | 3 |
| Sanctions | 0.0 | 4 |
| Nuclear risk | 0.0 | 12 |

## 30-day trend

Ecuador's score fell by −2.4 over the last 30 days (81.2 → 78.8).

Aug 3 · 81.2 → Sep 1 · 78.8

## Official travel advisory

**Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution.** The U.S. State Department places Ecuador at Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution citing terrorism, kidnapping, unrest and crime. Our live index reads 78.8/100. That advisory was last revised Aug 18, 2026, 14 days ago; the index above is recomputed continuously from current reporting.

Source: U.S. Department of State (https://travel.state.gov/content/tsg_aem/us/en/home/international-travel/travel-advisories/destination.ecu.html), revised Aug 18, 2026. Levels run 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel). This is not travel advice.

## Latest recorded events

- 2026-08-29T08:39:11Z — US, Ecuador forces strike alleged drug smuggling boat — military, severity 2/10 — Deutsche Welle — https://www.dw.com/en/us-ecuador-forces-strike-alleged-drug-smuggling-boat/a-78555711?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-xml-mrss
- 2026-08-21T02:55:05Z — US Treasury sanctions Ecuador-to-US cocaine trafficking network — sanctions, severity 4/10 — Associated Press — https://apnews.com/article/us-treasury-ecuador-mexico-drug-trafficking-choneros-lobos-82270ff419944177276b7d655647739d
- 2026-08-20T21:10:09Z — US conducts military operations against armed groups in northern Ecuador, near Colombia, under the Shield of the Americas: what is known — military, severity 4/10 — El Tiempo — https://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/ee-uu-realiza-operaciones-militares-antidrogas-en-el-norte-de-ecuador-cerca-de-colombia-bajo-el-escudo-de-las-americas-esto-se-sabe-3579787
- 2026-08-11T00:10:37Z — Earthquake in Ecuador today: tremor recorded in Guayas province; epicenter, magnitude and details — disaster, severity 2/10 — El Tiempo — https://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/registran-nuevo-temblor-en-ecuador-en-la-provincia-del-guayas-epicentro-magnitud-y-detalles-3577457
- 2026-08-10T09:37:33Z — Eight bodies found in two graves in a mining area of Pucará, Ecuador; they were hand-tied and showed signs of mutilation — crime, severity 5/10 — El Tiempo — https://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/hallan-ocho-cadaveres-en-dos-fosas-de-una-zona-minera-de-pucara-ecuador-estaban-atados-de-manos-y-presentaban-signos-de-mutilacion-3577224
- 2026-07-28T05:56:46Z — On the front line of Ecuador's drugs war, police fight gangs, guns and corruption — crime, severity 7/10 — BBC News — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdx7n1r54nno?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

## 24-hour forecast

Trend **stable**, projected score 77.7/100, generated 2026-08-31T23:00:58Z.

Severe gang violence, killings and expanding military operations signal continued deterioration.

## Compared with nearby countries

| Country | Score | vs Ecuador |
|---|---|---|
| Ecuador (this country) | 78.8 | — |
| Colombia | 69.6 | −9.2 |
| Peru | 83.6 | +4.7 |
| Panama | 88.4 | +9.6 |
| Costa Rica | 90.3 | +11.5 |
| Venezuela | 54.9 | −23.9 |

## How this number is computed

https://safemap.ai/methodology.md

## Citation

Global Safety Map, safemap.ai — safety index 78.8/100 for Ecuador, as of 2026-09-01T04:08:41Z.

## License

The data is licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

You may reuse, redistribute and build on these numbers, including commercially, provided you attribute Global Safety Map (safemap.ai) and carry the timestamp of the figures you quote. A score without its timestamp is not attributed data — it is a stale number with our name on it.

Citation format: Global Safety Map, safemap.ai — safety index {score}/100 for {country}, as of {date}.

## Contact

Questions, partnerships or data-removal requests: contact@safemap.ai