Core document forming part of the reports of States parties

Ecuador *

Addendum

Updating of information contained in the common core document of Ecuador (HRI/CORE/ECU/2009)

[15 February 2012]

A.Introduction

1.This document updates the information provided in chapter IA of Ecuador’s common core document (HRI/CORE/ECU/2009).

B.Demographic, economic, social and cultural characteristics

Population census (HRI/CORE/ECU/2009, para. 10)

2.The national census referred to in the common core document dated from 2001 and covered the decade 1990–2001. According to the most recent population census (based on the seventh population census and the sixth housing census conducted in 2010) Ecuador has a total population of 14,483,499. The ethnic composition of the population is: 71.9 per cent mestizo; 7.4 per cent Montubio; 7.2 per cent Afro-Ecuadoria; and 7 per cent indigenous. The population grew at an annual rate of 1.95 per cent in the period between the 2001 and 2010 censuses. The urban population accounts for 63 per cent of the total and the rural population 37 per cent.

Statistics on births and deaths (para. 23)

3.The statistics in the common core document dated from 2007. Current data, pertaining to 2010, are provided in the following tables:

Table 1

Actual and registered births, 2009 – 2010

	2009	2010
Total births registered in the year	361 345	351 530
Births registered the first year	215 906	219 162
Births registered the second year	82 431	-
Population estimate	14 005 449	14 204 900
Percentage of births registered in the year	59.8	62.3
Crude birth rate	21.3	15.4

Source : National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC) (www.inec.gov.ec) and the National Secretariat for Planning and Development (SENPLADES) (blogpnd.senplades.gob.ec).

Table 2

Overall deaths by age group and sex, 2010

Age groups	Under 12 months	1 – 4 years	5 – 14 years	15 – 49 years	50 – 64 years	65 and older	Age unknown	Total
Men	1 735	623	683	9 281	5 484	17 028	61	34 895
%	5.0	1.8	2.0	26.6	15.7	48.8	0.2	100.0
Women	1 469	506	466	3 952	3 917	16 448	28	26 786
%	5.5	1.9	1.7	14.8	14.6	61.4	0.1	100.0
Total	3 204	1 129	1 149	13 233	9 401	33 476	89	61 681
%	5.2	1.8	1.9	21.5	15.2	54.3	0.1	100.0

Source: INEC and SENPLADES.

Housing (para. 26)

4.With regard to housing, the Living Conditions Survey was conducted in 2007. The data for December 2010 is shown in the table below.

5.The survey has two sampling formats: one for the national quarterly survey for urban areas, which comprises 573 census sectors made up of 12 housing units per sector, giving a total of 6,873 housing units; and another for the national annual census for both urban and rural areas, comprising 1,814 sectors and amounting to 21,768 housing units. It should be mentioned that the Andean Community’s recommended definition of urban areas is used, whereby population centres with 2,000 or more inhabitants are urban and those with less than 2,000 inhabitants or in remote areas are rural.

Table 3

Geographical distribution of sampl ing by province

Provinces	Sectors (December 2010)	Hous ing units
Azuay	96	1 152
Bolívar	80	960
Cañar	80	960
Carchi	80	960
Cotopaxi	80	960
Chimborazo	80	960
El Oro	137	1 644
Esmeraldas	120	1 440
Guayas	177	2 124
Imbabura	80	960
Loja	80	960
Los Ríos	120	1 440
Manabi	120	1 440
Pichincha	139	1 668
Tunguragua	103	1 236
Amazonía	80	960
Santo Domingo	80	960
Santa Elena	80	960
Non-delimited zones	2	24
Total	1 814	21 768

Source: INEC and SENPLADES.

Poverty indicators (paras. 28 to 31)

6.The information in the common core document was taken from the 2005–2006 Living Conditions Survey. The following tables provide updated information.

Table 4

National poverty indicators in urban and rural areas (percentages)

Quarter	Incidence of poverty	Standard error	Lower limit	Upper limit
June 2010	33.01	0.69	31.66	34.39
December 2010	32.76	0.59	31.61	33.94

Source: INEC and SENPLADES.

Table 5

Poverty in urban areas (percentages)

Quarter	Incidence of poverty	Standard error	Lower limit	Upper limit
March 2010	22.60	0.92	20.85	24.45
June 2010	22.91	0.79	21.39	24.50
September 2010	22.71	0.81	21.16	24.34
December 2010	22.45	0.70	21.10	23.86

Source: INEC and SENPLADES.

Table 6

Poverty in rural areas (percentages)

Quarter	Incidence of poverty	Standard error	Lower limit	Upper limit
June 2010	52.89	1.09	50.75	55.02
December 2010	52.96	1.01	50.96	54.94

Source: INEC and SENPLADES.

Unemployment, employment and wages (paras. 39 to 41)

7.According to surveys conducted by INEC, as at March 2010, unemployment affected 9.1 per cent of the economically active population in Ecuador – 0.5 per cent more than the previous year. Breaking down the unemployment rate by gender shows that female unemployment (11.6 per cent) was much higher than male unemployment (7.2 per cent). In addition, 51.3 per cent of the economically active population were underemployed, compared with 37.6 per cent in full-time employment. These two indicators did however decrease between March 2009 and March 2010.

8.Of the total population in employment (full-time and underemployed), a larger percentage still worked in the informal sector (43.4 per cent) than in the formal sector (39.4 per cent). The two most common branches of activity were retail (26.6 per cent) and industry (13.9 per cent). The following cities posted a full-time employment rate above the national average (37.6 per cent): Cuenca (50.1 per cent), Quito (49.2 per cent), Ambato (44.7 per cent) and Guayaquil (38.4 per cent). Machala (37 per cent) was the only city with a full-time employment rate below the national average, and it had the highest underemployment rate (53.4 per cent). The unemployment rate in Guayaquil (12.3 per cent) was higher than in any other city and above the national average.

9.Since 1 January 2010, the general legal minimum wage is considered to be US$ 240, which is 10.09 per cent higher than the minimum wage for the previous year and 20 per cent higher in the case of domestic workers. If categories XIII and XIV of supplementary pay are taken into consideration, the average nominal minimum wage is US$ 279.85.

10.With regard to labour policies, in April 2010 the Sectoral Production Council launched the Agenda for Production Change through the Ministry for the Coordination of Production, Employment and Competitiveness. The Agenda highlights objectives, policies, strategies, programmes and projects in terms of both production and labour. It also establishes 14 priority areas in the country’s productive development, which are included in the Production Development Strategy and the Plan for Good Living. State authorities expect that domestic production will improve and that, as programmes and projects are implemented, the unemployment rate is likely to fall over the next few quarters of the year and the number of people in full employment should therefore increase.