IESS Active Affiliates Reach 3.6 Million As Contribution Base Expands

Ecuador's social-security system had 3.6 million active affiliates as of May 2026, a 3% year-over-year increase equal to more than 102,000 additional people.

The system concentrates affiliates in five regimes or modalities, including dependent employment, independent affiliation, voluntary affiliation, unpaid domestic-work affiliation, and youth affiliation.

Employer Cost Signal

For dependent employees, employers must affiliate workers from the first day of work and on the full salary amount.

The worker contribution is 9.45% of monthly salary, while the employer contribution is 11.5% of the worker's salary.

For independent and voluntary affiliates, the regular contribution is 17.6% of reported monthly income. The reported income cannot be below Ecuador's USD 482 unified basic salary, creating a minimum monthly contribution of USD 84.80.

What To Watch

The affiliate increase is a formal-labor and contribution-base indicator. Employers should watch whether payroll costs, IESS compliance enforcement, and voluntary affiliation uptake continue expanding the system's active base through the second half of 2026.