Guayas: population, jobs, poverty, health, schools and the economy
Guayas is a province of Ecuador, the largest of 25 by population. INEC projects that Guayas has 4,835,479 people in mid-2026, 26.5% of Ecuador's 18.24 million; the largest of the 24 provinces. The projection is based on the 2022 census.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Guayas: The unemployment rate in Guayas was 2.5% in 2025, below the national rate of 3.6%; 11th highest of the 24 provinces. In 2019 it was 3.1%.
- Health in Guayas: Life expectancy at birth in Guayas is projected at 75.1 years in 2026 (both sexes), the lowest of the 24 provinces; in 2010 it was 74.1 years. The national figure is 77.9 years (population-weighted average of the provinces).
- Education in Guayas: People aged 24 and over in Guayas had 10.5 years of schooling on average in 2025, against 10.4 nationally; 6th highest of the 24 provinces. In 2018 the average was 10.6 years.
- Poverty and living standards in Guayas: 19.8% of people in Guayas lived in income poverty in 2025, below the national rate of 21.8%; 7th lowest of the 23 provinces. In 2018 the rate was 16.3%.
Is the population of Guayas growing?
The population of Guayas was 3,757,390 in 2010 and is projected at 4,643,432 in 2022 and 4,835,479 in 2026. Over 2010 to 2026 it grew 1.6% a year, against 1.3% for the country; 6th fastest of the 24 provinces.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC) · saved copyHow old is the population of Guayas?
People aged 65 and over are 8.1% of the population of Guayas in 2026 and children under 15 are 24.4%, compared with 8.8% and 24.0% nationally. Its share of older people is 11th lowest of the 24 provinces. The average age is 32.6 years.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC) · saved copyWhat is the fertility rate in Guayas?
The total fertility rate in Guayas is projected at 1.98 children per woman in 2026, 9th highest of the 24 provinces, down from 2.80 in 2010. The projected crude birth rate is 14.6 per 1,000 people.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC) · saved copyAre people moving to or from Guayas?
INEC projects net migration for Guayas at +1.6 per 1,000 people in 2026 (more people arriving than leaving), the highest of the 24 provinces. The dependency ratio is 48.3 dependants per 100 people of working age.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC) · saved copyHow provinces are governed in Ecuador
Provinces (24). Prefect (prefecto) directly elected; provincial council made up of the prefect, the mayors of the province and representatives of rural parish heads. Rural roads, irrigation, provincial planning, environmental management.
Every tier of government in Ecuador
Other provinces of Ecuador
- Pichincha 3,316,636
- Manabi 1,731,039
- Los Rios 988,852
- Azuay 839,268
- El Oro 757,938
- Esmeraldas 609,590
- Tungurahua 584,638
- Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas 533,522
- Imbabura 502,275
- Loja 499,729
- Cotopaxi 497,544
- Chimborazo 486,213
- Santa Elena 410,498
- Canar 237,517
- Morona Santiago 213,457
- Bolivar 204,620
- Sucumbios 203,164
- Orellana 199,171
- Carchi 176,748
- Napo 142,465
- Pastaza 122,784
- Zamora Chinchipe 120,221
- Zona No Delimitada 38,000
- Galapagos 30,448
Up a level: Ecuador · government and power in Ecuador · cities
Sources
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC): Registro Estadístico de Defunciones Generales 2024: tabulados y series (mortality by province of residence, 2008-2024), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7cab0c22d7cd…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC): ENEMDU Anual 2025 (Encuesta Nacional de Empleo, Desempleo y Subempleo): tabulados de mercado laboral, educación, vivienda, pobreza y desigualdad por provincia, 2018-2025, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f969666762d3…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC): Registro Estadístico de Nacidos Vivos y Defunciones Fetales 2024: tabulados y series históricas (births by province of residence), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa2d677df1e0…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC): Estimaciones y Proyecciones de Población, revisión 2024 (Censo 2022 base): provincial tables by age and demographic indicators, 1990-2035, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 54951201c6d7…)
- Banco Central del Ecuador: Valor Agregado Bruto per cápita provincial y cantonal 2018-2024(p), Cuentas Nacionales Regionales, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7cc7b914bc8b…)
- Banco Central del Ecuador: Cuentas Provinciales 2024(p): valor agregado bruto por industria, valores corrientes, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bfee6bc272cc…)
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