What Languages Are Spoken In Ecuador? (Find Out!)

The primary language in Ecuador is Spanish, spoken by the vast majority of the population at least as a second language if not as their first. However, many other indigenous languages persist in the country, with Quichua being the most common—you also have Shuar, Achuar, Chachi, Awa-Cuaiquer and Zaparo.

Ecuador is a richly varied nation ethnically and linguistically speaking.

There are many diverse groups of people speaking many different languages in the country’s population of close to 15 million people.

Though Spanish is by a long way the dominant language, huge numbers of people live in Ecuador that speak many other languages as their first.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

How many languages are spoken in Ecuador?

There are seven languages in Ecuador with over 1,000 speakers, and several more besides.

Spanish is by far the most common language of the country, but more on figures later.

Ecuador has 3 official languages: Spanish, Quichua or Kichwa, and Shuar for international and intercultural relations.

Indigenous languages are considered to be official in those regions in which they are spoken.

In total, there are 24 languages spoken to some extent in Ecuador.

Quichua is the most common indigenous language, and the next most common individual language is Shuar.

After that, the languages are spoken by increasingly small groups of people: Achuar, Chachi, Awa-Cuaiquer, and Zaparo.

Beyond these languages, you have still more, though they are only spoken by very small numbers of people—however, as a whole, they make up a larger part of the population than any other single language.

These languages include Cofán, Colorado, the Emberá languages, Secoya, Siona, Tetete, Waorani, and Media Lengua.

In other words, there are many, many languages spoken all over Ecuador, with huge numbers of people speaking more than one of these languages.

You also have large numbers of speakers of foreign languages like English for a variety of reasons, such as international business and trade.

Naturally, Ecuador’s linguistic history was more or less completely interrupted by the arrival of Spanish colonizers.

The indigenous languages that survive today, as numerous and diverse as they may be, still represent only a small fraction of what would at one time have been spoken.

There are no doubt many other Ecuadorian indigenous languages that have been entirely erased from record or memory.

It’s certainly important to keep this in mind when understanding the linguistic landscape of modern Ecuador, and even many of the indigenous languages that do survive only did so through the diligent efforts of revivers and preservers.

So, what are the three main languages of Ecuador?

What are the three main languages in Ecuador?

The three main languages of Ecuador are Spanish, Quichua, and Shuar.

Of the country’s roughly 15 million people, around 14 million speak Spanish—around 93% of the population.

Whether as a first or second language, the vast majority of people in Ecuador speak Spanish.

It is the country’s number one official language, and the one spoken in cities.

However, many Ecuadorians also speak Quichua—around 600,000 people as a first language, or about 4% of the population.

Many more speak it as a second language. In South America generally, this is one of the most widespread indigenous languages that has survived.

Signage in Ecuador is often in Spanish and Quichua, and it is taught in schools.

The next most common language is Shuar, a language spoken by the Shuar people of Morona Santiago and Pastaza, in the Ecuadorian Amazon basin.

Shuar is often the language used for intercultural relations between different indigenous groups and even internationally.

There are around 63,000 speakers today, so you can see that there is a considerable difference between it and Quichua, the next most common indigenous language.

After Shuar, individual languages are all spoken by less than 10,000 individuals.

What about English?

Is English widely spoken in Ecuador?

English is indeed widely spoken in Ecuador, often being the language of business, international relations, and politics.

It is not, however, widely spoken fluently by the average person.

Most speak Quichua as a second language already, or Spanish if Quichua is their first.

Thus, most people don’t really have room for learning English as well, and it’s not as important for getting on within Ecuador.

That said, you will often find signage in English and given that Ecuador has a thriving tourist industry, English is often used for this since it is one of the most commonly shared international second languages.

But was Ecuador a British colony?

Was Ecuador a British colony?

As you might have guessed, Ecuador was a Spanish, and not a British, colony.

The vast majority of South America was colonized by the Spanish and the Portuguese, which is why almost the entire continent speaks Spanish or Portuguese.

The country gained its independence in 1820, though it was still part of what was called Gran Colombia at the time.

It finally achieved full sovereignty in 1830.

Colonizers played a huge role in disrupting Ecuador’s linguistic history, but they were Spanish colonizers and not British.

So, while Spanish will get you by in most of Ecuador, linguistic identity is enormously important to indigenous groups in Ecuador.

Many languages survive in the region today, but perhaps many more were stamped out and erased from history by pillaging colonizers.

The history and identities of these groups live on in the many enormously diverse cultures and peoples of Ecuador.

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Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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