Relations between Switzerland and Ecuador are strong and have been further reinforced by the free trade agreement between Ecuador and EFTA, which entered into force on 1 November 2020.
Bilateral relations Switzerland–Ecuador
Key aspects of diplomatic relations
Switzerland and Ecuador have relatively limited political relations. The most recent ministerial-level meeting took place in September 2017 when Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Amman received Ecuador's Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments and Fisheries Pablo Campana on an official visit to Bern.
Bilateral double taxation, air transport and mutual legal assistance agreements are in place. A free trade agreement between EFTA and Ecuador came into force in 2020.
Economic cooperation
Trade between Switzerland and Ecuador is relatively modest. In 2023 Switzerland imported goods worth CHF 431,6 million from Ecuador. In the same year, Switzerland exported products to the value of CHF 112.1 million to Ecuador, mainly comprising pharmaceutical and chemical products and machinery.
At the end of 2022, direct investment from Switzerland in Ecuador stood at around CHF 313 million and Swiss companies employed 5,456 people in the country.
In 2020, the Ecuadorian–Swiss Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services (SwissCham) was established to promote and strengthen trade relations between the two countries.
Cooperation in education, research and innovation
Researchers and artists who are citizens of Ecuador can apply to the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships. Under a mandate conferred by SERI, the University of St Gallen is currently coordinating research cooperation initiatives between Switzerland and Latin America.
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars, SERI
Swiss nationals in Ecuador
According to statistics on the Swiss abroad, 1,745 Swiss nationals were living in Ecuador at the end of 2023.
History of bilateral relations
Switzerland and Ecuador have a treaty of friendship, settlement and trade dating back to 1888. Switzerland opened a consulate in Quito in 1938, and the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1963.
Between 1969 and 2009, Ecuador was a priority country for Swiss development cooperation. The poverty reduction programmes were wound up at the end of 2010 when Ecuador attained middle-income country status.
