No such thing as a low-energy rich country — where’s Ecuador on that plot?

A widely shared scatterplot (originally drawing on IEA / World Bank data) shows a clear pattern: richer countries consume more electricity per person. The graphic’s big claim — “No such thing as a low-energy rich country” — is a useful shorthand, but what does it mean for a middle-income country like Ecuador? In short: Ecuador sits above the 1,000 kWh per-person line but well below the electricity intensity of high-income countries — so it’s neither a “low-energy rich country” nor a high-energy rich country. Below you can see where Ecuador would be placed on the scatterplot.

Visually: Ecuador would sit in the middle-right band of the chart — not inside the big red oval (which highlights the claim that you don’t find rich countries with low electricity use), but somewhat below countries like Mexico or Brazil on the electricity axis (those tend to have similar GDP per capita but often slightly higher kWh/person). (Our World in Data)

Implications

1. More money → more electricity
   Richer countries usually use more electricity per person. That’s the clear pattern in the chart.

2. Where Ecuador sits
   Ecuador is a middle-income country. It uses more electricity than very poor countries, but much less than rich countries.

3. Ecuador depends on hydropower — that’s risky
   Most of Ecuador’s electricity comes from dams. When there’s a drought or less rain, those dams produce less power. That can cause shortages, higher costs, or the need to burn expensive fuel to make up the gap.

4. You can grow smarter, but it needs work
   Countries can grow richer without using as much extra electricity by being more efficient (using less energy for the same things) and by adding different clean sources (solar, wind, batteries). But doing that while keeping the lights on takes planning and investment.

Ecuador is not a “low-energy rich” country — it uses a moderate amount of electricity, but its heavy reliance on hydropower makes that supply fragile. If the country wants stable, long-lasting prosperity it must diversify its energy mix, invest in efficiency and storage, and plan now for droughts and climate risks — otherwise moderate consumption today could mean costly shortages tomorrow.

“Energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, increased social equity and an environment that allows the world to thrive.” — Ban Ki-moon.