Santa Elena Province in Numbers
Santa Elena Province in numbers compares the province's three cantons using the 2022 census and the cantonal development plans (PDOTs).
| Santa Elena | La Libertad | Salinas | Province | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2022) | 186,687 | 112,247 | 86,801 | 385,735 |
| Population (2010) | 144,076 | 95,942 | 68,675 | 308,693 |
| Area | 3,669 km² | about 25 km² | 68–78 km² | about 3,690 km² |
| People per km² | about 51 | about 4,490 | about 1,280 | about 105 |
| Urban share | 29% | 100% | 40% | — |
| Parishes | Urban: Santa Elena, Ballenita. Rural: Atahualpa, Chanduy, Colonche, Manglaralto, San José de Ancón, Simón Bolívar | One urban parish | Urban: four in the cabecera. Rural: José Luis Tamayo, Anconcito | 3 cantons, 8 rural parishes |
| Mayor 2023–2027 | María del Carmen Aquino Merchán | Francisco Tamariz Guerrero | Dennis Córdova | — |
| Homes with electricity (2022) | 93.8% | 97.6% | 97% | — |
| Homes on the sewer (2022) | 32% | about 70% (2015) | 73% | — |
| Fixed internet at home (2022) | — | 55% | 52% | — |
Highlights
- Santa Elena covers 97% of the province's land and has almost half its people — most of them in rural parishes and the comunas of the Ruta del Spondylus.
- La Libertad is the densest canton in Ecuador and the peninsula's commercial centre.
- Salinas is the beach resort, with Ecuador's second fishing town (Santa Rosa) and a fast-growing rural parish, José Luis Tamayo (Muey), which grew 69% between 2010 and 2022.
- On holiday weekends the peninsula receives an estimated 100,000–500,000 extra visitors.
See also
Sources: INEC censuses 2010 and 2022; PDOT cantón Santa Elena 2023–2027; PDOT La Libertad 2024–2030; PDOT Salinas 2023–2027; PDOT Provincia de Santa Elena 2015–2019 and 2019–2023.