Jan 25 (Reuters) - Ecuador's leftist President Rafael Correa is the clear favorite to win a Feb. 17 election riding strong support from the low-income majority that has benefited from high state spending on welfare and infrastructure. Here are some key facts about Correa and Ecuador: * Correa was born in 1963 to a lower middle-class family in the port city of Guayaquil. He earned an economics degree from the local university before winning scholarships in Belgium and the United States, where he received his doctorate in 2001.