21 THIS IS ECUADOR NOW
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cuador has gained one decade. The Ecuadorian State’s political will, planning, and the decisions show positive results and the country changed from being one of the least developed nations to a Republic of Opportunities. This is a prosperous territory that duplicated its economy from USD 46 billion in 2006 to around 100 billion in 2015, which is reflected in investments made mainly in strategic sectors aimed to the country’s development and, above all, to the people’s quality of life and welfare. The country’s development level reached in the last decade is supported on its 10 transformation axes since 2007: Constitutional, Ethical, Economic, Social Revolution for the Latin American Integration, and Judicial, Environmental, Urban, Knowledge and Culture. The country has also established an efficient tax collection culture generated and is one of the countries with the lowest tax percentage in the region and, through strategic investments, records approximate savings of USD 3.6 billion per year in the sectors of transportation, justice, public acquisitions, hydroelectric industry, etc., which contributes to its economic growth and strengthens its competitiveness. Figures show a clear panorama. From 2007 to 2015, the country has invested around USD 8.9
billion in roads, USD 7.2 billion in hydroelectric stations, USD 8.5 billion in social security, USD 3.8 billion in housing, sanitation, and social infrastructure, USD 2 billion in agricultural and irrigation projects, USD 4.1 billion in works performed by public companies, and more than USD 20 additional billion in local governments, among other important items. Therefore, in spite of external factors like the international oil price drop, the earthquake that destroyed the Ecuadorian Coast, its economic model remains one of Latin America’s most successful models with an average growth of 3.9% recorder between 2007 and 2015, while the regional average is 2.9%. After almost one decade of radical transformations, according to opinion poll Latinobarómetro, today Ecuador has the best Latin American infrastructure; from 2009 to 2015 reduced multidimensional poverty in 16.5; it has drastically reduced negative factors like corruption (as perceived by 52% of the population); and ranks second in Latin America in public administration transparency, among a long list of achievements. ROE
USD 3.6 BILLION IN ANNUAL SAVINGS, APPROXIMATELY THIS REPRESENTS THE CITIZENS AND THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS, AND INVESTMENTS MADE BY THE ECUADORIAN STATE SINCE 2007. AROUND 1.9 MILLION OF ECUADORIANS LEFT POVERTY BETWEEN 2009 AND 2015 (16.5 POINTS LESS), ACCORDING TO MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY DATA FROM THE NATIONAL STATISTICS AND CENSUS INSTITUTE.
3.9% AVERAGE GROWTH PERCENTAGE OF ECUADOR’S GDP BETWEEN 2007 AND 2015, VERSUS 2.9% OF THE REGION’S IN THE SAME PERIOD. ACCORDING TO UNESCO’S STATISTICS INSTITUTE, BY INVESTING 2% OF ITS GDP, ECUADOR IS THE LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRY THAT INVESTS MORE IN HIGHER EDUCATION. THE ECUADORIAN PUBLIC BANK HAS GRANTED USD 5 BILLION HAS GRANTED CREDITS TO PRODUCTION, BETWEEN 2007 AND 2015.
THE FIGURE FOR POOR DISABLED CITIZEN CARE PASSED FROM 5,039 TO 128,652 WHO RECEIVED AN ASSISTANCE PENSION BETWEEN 2006 AND 2015.
BETWEEN 2007 AND 2015, ECUADOR CLIMBED 14 POINTS IN THE GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS INDEX OF THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM, 57 POINTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ROAD QUALITY, 15 POINTS IN INTERNET ACCESS IN SCHOOLS, 47 POSITIONS IN INNOVATION FOR COLLABORATION BETWEEN COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES, AND 27 POINTS IN INNOVATING CAPACITY.
REPUBLIC OF OPPORTUNITIES I THE CENTER OF THE WORLD