Ecuador — humanitarian situation

Ecuador faces a deteriorating security environment driven by escalating drug-related violence, which has made it one of the most insecure countries in the region WFP. This security crisis is compounding socioeconomic vulnerabilities, with poverty affecting 21.4 percent of the population and extreme poverty at 8.3 percent WFP. The deteriorating conditions have contributed to increased emigration alongside the continued influx of migrants and refugees, creating a complex migration dynamic WFP. Migration monitoring along Ecuador's borders shows varied patterns, with sustained controls at Tulcán reducing mobility, particularly due to increased interprovincial transport costs in July 2026, while the Lago Agrio official border crossing has remained closed since December 2025 IOM. Regional trends indicate a shift from high-volume northbound transit toward more fragmented, multidirectional, and intraregional movements across Latin America and the Caribbean IOM. The operational context continues to be shaped by security, socioeconomic, and community-level challenges that affect access to services and opportunities for inclusion UNHCR. UNHCR maintains close coordination with national and local authorities and partners to support refugees, asylum seekers, and persons of concern, while national authorities have implemented measures to strengthen public safety and institutional responses UNHCR. Internal displacement has been documented in urban areas, with preliminary reporting on forced displacement of families from the socio vivienda community in Guayaquil in 2025 UNHCR. Public health concerns include dengue, with the Americas region reporting 1,470,237 suspected cases through epidemiological week 29 of 2026, representing a 60 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2025 PAHO. Regional measles cases have increased during 2026, prompting calls to strengthen epidemiological surveillance and vaccination activities PAHO. Ecuador faces ongoing environmental challenges, with UNICEF noting that the first half of 2026 saw overlapping climate-related, socioeconomic, and public health emergencies across Latin America and the Caribbean, including floods, landslides, droughts, and disease outbreaks disrupting access to essential services UNICEF.