Volcano profile
6 active and potentially active volcanoes in Ecuador — eruption history, elevation, VEI and population exposure.
Volcanoes
6
in database
Active
6
Erupted since 2000
6
Highest VEI
VEI 4
Highest peak
5,911m
Cotopaxi
People within 30km
0.9M
Yes — 6 active
Ecuador has 6 catalogued volcanoes, 6 currently classified active, with about 0.9 million people living within 30 km of one. The volcano our model rates most likely to erupt in the next year is Cotopaxi (~22.5%).
Statistical estimates from the QuakeGlobe eruption-forecast model, not predictions. Always follow official volcano-observatory advisories.
South America • Stratovolcano
Elevation
5,911m
Last Eruption
2023
Pop. 30km
500K
Pop. 100km
3.5M
📍 -0.6830°, -78.4380°
South America • Stratovolcano
Elevation
5,023m
Last Eruption
2016
Pop. 30km
300K
Pop. 100km
2.0M
📍 -1.4670°, -78.4420°
South America • Stratovolcano
Elevation
5,230m
Last Eruption
2024
Pop. 30km
100K
Pop. 100km
1.0M
📍 -2.0050°, -78.3410°
South America • Stratovolcano
Elevation
3,562m
Last Eruption
2024
Pop. 30km
50K
Pop. 100km
500K
📍 -0.0770°, -77.6560°
South America • Shield volcano
Elevation
1,707m
Last Eruption
2022
Pop. 30km
N/A
Pop. 100km
2K
📍 0.0200°, -91.3500°
South America • Shield volcano
Elevation
1,476m
Last Eruption
2024
Pop. 30km
N/A
Pop. 100km
2K
📍 -0.3700°, -91.5500°
View all 194 volcanoes in our database
FAQ
Ecuador has 6 catalogued volcanoes in the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program dataset, 6 currently classified as active, and 6 have erupted since 2000. About 0.9 million people live within 30 km of one.
Our eruption-forecast model rates Cotopaxi the most likely to erupt in the next 12 months in Ecuador, at roughly 22.5% (about one eruption every 4 years on average). This is a statistical estimate, not a prediction — follow official volcano-observatory advisories.
By population exposure — the number of people within 30 km weighted by eruption probability — the most dangerous volcano in Ecuador is Cotopaxi, with about 500,000 people within 30 km and a modeled 22.5% one-year eruption probability.
The most recent eruption in our dataset for Ecuador was at Sangay in 2024.