Eritrea

authoritarian

name: Asmara geographic coordinates: 15 20 N, 38 56 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the name's origin is unclear; according to Tigrinya oral tradition, the name is part of a phrase meaning "the women made them unite," referring to a group of women who made four clans unite to defeat a common enemy; asmara also means "flowery wood" in the Tigrinya language

chief of state: President ISAIAS Afwerki (since 24 May 1993) head of government: President ISAIAS Afwerki (since 8 June 1993) cabinet: State Council appointed by the president election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term), according to the constitution most recent election date: 24 May 1993, following independence from Ethiopia election results: 1993: ISAIAS Afwerki elected president by the transitional National Assembly; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afwerki (PFDJ) 95%, other 5% expected date of next election: postponed indefinitely note 1: Eritrea s authoritarian regime is controlled entirely by the president, who heads the sole political party, which has ruled the country since 1991; national elections have not taken place since 1991 and the constitution has not been implemented. note 2: the president is both chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly

legislature name: National Assembly (Hagerawi Baito) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 150 (all indirectly elected) scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 4 years most recent election date: 2/1/1994 note: in 1997, after the new constitution was adopted, the government formed a Transitional National Assembly to serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections to form a National Assembly could be held; the constitution stipulates that once past the transition stage, all National Assembly members will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were postponed indefinitely due to the war with Ethiopia; as of 2025, no sitting legislative body exists

highest court(s): High Court (consists of 20 judges and organized into civil, commercial, criminal, labor, administrative, and customary sections) judge selection and term of office: High Court judges appointed by the president subordinate courts: regional/zonal courts; community courts; special courts; sharia courts (for issues dealing with Muslim marriage, inheritance, and family); military courts

history: ratified by the Constituent Assembly 23 May 1997 (never implemented) amendment process: proposed by the president of Eritrea or by assent of at least one half of the National Assembly membership; passage requires at least an initial three-quarters majority vote by the Assembly and, after one year, final passage by at least four-fifths majority vote by the Assembly

ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS (observer), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO

10% of GDP (2019 est.) 10.2% of GDP (2018 est.) 10.3% of GDP (2017 est.) 10.4% of GDP (2016 est.) 10.6% of GDP (2015 est.)

Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF): Eritrean Ground Forces, Eritrean Navy, Eritrean Air Force; People's Militia (aka People's Army or Hizbawi Serawit) (2024) note: police are responsible for maintaining internal security, but the government sometimes uses the armed forces, reserves, demobilized soldiers, or civilian militia to meet domestic as well as external security requirements; the armed forces have authority to arrest and detain civilians

Eritrea mandates military service for all citizens age 18-40; 18-month conscript service obligation, which reportedly includes 4-6 months of military training and 12 months of military or other national service (military service is most common); in practice, military and national service is often extended indefinitely; citizens up to the age of 59 eligible for recall during mobilization (2025)

the military s primary responsibilities are external defense, border security, and providing the regime a vehicle for national cohesion; the conscript-based Army is the dominant service since the country's independence in 1991, the Eritrean military has participated in numerous conflicts, including the Hanish Island Crisis with Yemen (1995), the First Congo War (1996-1997), the Second Sudanese Civil War (1996-1998), the Eritrea-Ethiopia War (1998-2000), the Djiboutian-Eritrean border conflict (2008), and the Tigray conflict in Ethiopia (2020-2022); during the Tigray conflict, the Eritrean Defense Forces were accused of human rights abuses; in recent years, it has provided training support to the military of Somalia (2025)

$2.534 billion (2024 est.) $2.465 billion (2023 est.) $2.398 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2015 dollars

$700 (2024 est.) $700 (2023 est.) $700 (2022 est.) note: data in 2015 dollars

5% (2017 est.) 1.9% (2016 est.) 2.6% (2015 est.)

7.4% (2022 est.) 6.6% (2021 est.) 5.6% (2020 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

132.8% of GDP (2016 est.)

$624.3 million (2017 est.) $485.4 million (2016 est.) $374.898 million (2011 est.)

$494.229 million (2010 est.) $435.275 million (2009 est.)

5.6% (2024 est.) 5.6% (2023 est.) 5.7% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $633 million (2018 est.) expenditures: $549 million (2018 est.)

food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles, light manufacturing, salt, cement

sorghum, milk, barley, vegetables, root vegetables, cereals, pulses, wheat, beef, maize (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 6,416,435 (2025 est.) male: 3,158,281 female: 3,258,154

1.16% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 35.7% (male 1,138,382/female 1,123,925) 15-64 years: 60.3% (male 1,882,547/female 1,944,266) 65 years and over: 4% (2024 est.) (male 101,504/female 153,332)

25.92 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.43 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-7.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 67.5 years (2024 est.) male: 64.9 years female: 70.2 years

urban population: 43.3% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Tigrinya 50%, Tigre 30%, Saho 4%, Afar 4%, Kunama 4%, Bilen 3%, Hedareb/Beja 2%, Nara 2%, Rashaida 1% (2021 est.) note: data represent Eritrea's nine recognized ethnic groups

Tigrinya (official), Arabic (official), English (official), Tigre, Kunama, Afar, other Cushitic languages

Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran, Sunni Muslim

gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish

tier rating: Tier 3 Eritrea does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore Eritrea remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/eritrea/

refugees: 119 (2024 est.)

11 (2025)

total: 306 km (2018) narrow gauge: 306 km (2018) 0.950-m gauge

total: 9 (2023) by type: general cargo 4, oil tanker 1, other 4

total subscriptions: 2.02 million (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 59 (2022 est.)

percent of population: 20% (2023 est.)