Ecuador is a multicultural and multiethnic nation, with the majority of its population is descended from a mixture of both European and Amerindian ancestry. The other 10% of Ecuador's population originate east of the Atlantic Ocean, predominantly from Spain, Italy, Lebanon, France and Germany. Around the Esmeraldas and Chota regions, the African influence would be strong among the small population of Afro-Ecuadorians that account for no more than 10%. Close to 80% of Ecuadorians are Roman Catholic, although the indigenous population blend Christian beliefs with ancient indigenous customs. The racial makeup of Ecuador is 70% mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white), 7% Amerindian, 12% White, and 11% Black.

Ecuador can be split up into four geographically distinct areas; the Costa (coast), the Sierra (highlands), El Oriente (the east; which includes the Amazonic region) and the Galápagos Islands.

There is tension and general dislike between the residents of the highlands Quito and the coast Guayaquil the two largest cities of the country. Centralism in these two cities, also creates animus from neighboring provinces. The at times extreme cultural differences between the Coast and the Mountainous Regions can be traced back to pre-hispanic times as the Sierra had a strong Incan presence whereas the Coast was sparsely populated by non-Incan populations such as the Valdivia, Moche, etc. Post colonization the regionalism was accentuated and perpetuated, with the Coast having more Pan-European and African influences and the Sierra having strictly Indigenous influences. The animosity between the two regions has effectively bifurcated the country into two distinct ethnic consciousness and national identities. The enmity between the regions has often detained national economic progress as development in one region or the other is viewed with chagrin.

Ecuador was inhabited with numerous civilizations which constructed the ethnic cultural background of Ecuador years before the Inca Empire. Many civilizations rose throughout Ecuador, such as the Chorre and the Valdivia, the latter of which spans its existence before any civilization in the Americas. The most notable groups that existed in Ecuador before, and during the Inca conquest were the Quitus (near present-day Quito), the Cañari (in present-day Cuenca), and the Las Vegas Culture (near Guayaquil). Each civilization developed its own distinguished architecture, pottery, and religious beliefs, while others developed archaeologically disputed systems of writing (an achievement the Incas did not achieve). After years of fierce resistance, the Cañari succumbed to the Inca expansion, and were assimilated loosely under the Inca Empire. To communicate with each other the Inca developed stone-paved highways spanning thousands of miles used by messengers. These messengers passed each other records of the empire's status, which are sometimes thought to have been encoded in a system of knots called quipu. After conquering Ecuador, Huayna Capac imposed upon the tribes the use of the Quechua (or Kichwa) language, lingua franca of the Inca and still widely spoken in Ecuador.

Beginning in the 16th century, Spanish governors ruled Ecuador for nearly 300 years, first from the viceroyalty of Lima, then later from the viceroyalty of Gran Colombia. The Spanish introduced Roman Catholicism, colonial architecture, and the Spanish language.

Each region is divided according to its own unique geography, creating a sense of individual regional pride. The most notable regional competition or fierce enmity is between Guayaquileños, Coastal Ecuadorians and Quiteños, Highland Ecuadorians. This sense of regionalism has created incredibly barriers between countrymen. Due to strong regionalism, the national economy has suffered, as either region and its peoples hesitate to do anything that might result in the expansion of the other's economy, even if it would mean slowing the national economy. During wartime, regionalism was considerably abated, but there are reports of individuals betraying their country, due to their desire to see the other region lose; for example, allegations that someone had given information to enemy troops during Tawantinzuma.

Ecuadorians place great importance on family, both nuclear and extended. Unlike in much of the modern west, Ecuadorians live in multi-generational homes with the elderly and young children living under the same household. Godparents or "padrinos" have an important role in Ecuador, where they are often expected to provide both financial and psychological support to their godchildren.

Families are formed in at least one of the following two ways: Civil Marriage (which is the legal form of formalizing a bond between a man and woman, which all married couples are required to undergo) and the Free Union (where a man and woman decide to form a family, without undergoing any official ceremony). The Ecuadorian Constitution accords the members of a Free Union family, the same rights and duties as any other legally constituted family.