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Communications

Broadcast media [time series]

government controls broadcast media with private ownership prohibited; 1 state-owned TV station; state-owned radio operates 2 networks; purchases of satellite dishes and subscriptions to international broadcast media are permitted (2007)

Internet country code [time series]

.er

Internet users [time series]

total: 58,100 | percent of population: 0.91% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 180

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 2, FM NA, shortwave 2 (2000)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: inadequate; most fixed-line telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system; cell phones in increasing use throughout the country | domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership is less than 5 per 100 persons | international: country code - 291 (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines [time series]

total subscriptions: 64,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 154

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

total: 417,400 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 172

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

2 (2006)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, sisal; livestock, goats; fish

Budget [time series]

revenues: $1.145 billion | expenditures: $1.639 billion (2014 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) [time series]

-12.8% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 214

Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]

NA%

Current account balance [time series]

-$35 million (2014 est.) | $12 million (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Debt - external [time series]

$955.6 million (31 December 2014 est.) | $945.2 million (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 165

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

Since formal independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has faced many economic problems, including lack of resources and chronic drought, which have been exacerbated by restrictive economic policies. Eritrea has a command economy under the control of the sole political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). Like the economies of many African nations, a large share of the population - nearly 80% - is engaged in subsistence agriculture, but the sector only produces a small share of the country's total output. Since the conclusion of the Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 2000, the government has expanded use of military and party-owned businesses to complete President ISAIAS's development agenda. The government has strictly controlled the use of foreign currency by limiting access and availability; new regulations in 2013 aimed at relaxing currency controls have had little economic effect. Few large private enterprises exist in Eritrea and most operate in conjunction with government partners, including a number of large international mining ventures that have recently begun production. While reliable statistics on food security are difficult to obtain, erratic rainfall and the percentage of the labor force tied up in national service continue to interfere with agricultural production and economic development. Eritrea's harvests generally cannot meet the food needs of the country without supplemental grain purchases. Copper, potash, and gold production is likely to drive economic growth over the next few years, but military spending will continue to compete with development and investment plans. Eritrea's economic future will depend on market reform, international sanctions, global food prices, and success at addressing social problems such refugee emigration.

Exchange rates [time series]

nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - | 15.375 (2014 est.) | 15.375 (2013 est.) | 15.375 (2012 est.) | 15.375 (2011 est.) | 15.375 (2010 est.)

Exports [time series]

$504.9 million (2014 est.) | $462 million (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 173

Exports - commodities [time series]

gold and other minerals, livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]

$3.858 billion (2014 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]

$7.842 billion (2014 est.) | $7.711 billion (2013 est.) | $7.61 billion (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 163

GDP - composition, by end use [time series]

GDP - composition, by sector of origin [time series]

agriculture: 12.3% | industry: 28.7% | services: 59% (2014 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]

$1,200 (2014 est.) | $1,200 (2013 est.) | $1,200 (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 220

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

1.7% (2014 est.) | 1.3% (2013 est.) | 7% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 162

Gross national saving [time series]

2.4% of GDP (2014 est.) | 4% of GDP (2013 est.) | 5.9% of GDP (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 170

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: NA% | highest 10%: NA%

Imports [time series]

$1.15 billion (2014 est.) | $1.028 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 177

Imports - commodities [time series]

machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

6.5% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 26

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

12.3% (2014 est.) | 12.3% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 216

Labor force [time series]

3.155 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 102

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture: 80% | industry and services: 20% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line [time series]

50% (2004 est.)

Public debt [time series]

125.3% of GDP (2014 est.) | 126% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 8

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]

$247.8 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $218.9 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 159

Stock of broad money [time series]

$4.494 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $3.983 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 134

Stock of domestic credit [time series]

$4.052 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $3.647 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 126

Stock of narrow money [time series]

$2.129 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $1.843 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 127

Taxes and other revenues [time series]

29.7% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 88

Unemployment rate [time series]

8.6% (2013 est.) | 10% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 98

Energy

Carbon dioxide emissions (Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy) [time series]

739,500 Mt (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 173

Crude oil - exports [time series]

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 119

Crude oil - imports [time series]

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 186

Crude oil - production [time series]

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 130

Crude oil - proved reserves [time series]

0 bbl (1 January 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 129

Electricity - consumption [time series]

284 million kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 182

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 135

Electricity - from fossil fuels [time series]

98.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 51

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants [time series]

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 171

Electricity - from nuclear fuels [time series]

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 87

Electricity - from other renewable sources [time series]

1.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 91

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 145

Electricity - installed generating capacity [time series]

140,800 kW (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 167

Electricity - production [time series]

338 million kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 170

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 139

Natural gas - exports [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 93

Natural gas - imports [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 192

Natural gas - production [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 182

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 134

Refined petroleum products - consumption [time series]

3,500 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

Refined petroleum products - exports [time series]

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 175

Refined petroleum products - imports [time series]

3,500 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 170

Refined petroleum products - production [time series]

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 117,600 sq km | land: 101,000 sq km | water: 16,600 sq km | country comparison to the world: 101

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly larger than Pennsylvania

Climate [time series]

hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands

Coastline [time series]

2,234 km (mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km)

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: near Kulul within the Danakil Depression -75 m | highest point: Soira 3,018 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Total water withdrawal (Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)) [time series]

total: 0.58 cu km/yr (5%/0%/95%) | per capita: 121.3 cu m/yr (2004)

Geographic coordinates [time series]

15 00 N, 39 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993

Irrigated land [time series]

215.9 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 1,840 km | border countries (3): Djibouti 125 km, Ethiopia 1,033 km, Sudan 682 km

Land use [time series]

agricultural land: 75.1% | arable land 6.8%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 68.3% | forest: 15.1% | other: 9.8% (2011 est.)

Location [time series]

Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan

Map references [time series]

Africa

Maritime claims [time series]

territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards [time series]

frequent droughts, rare earthquakes and volcanoes; locust swarms | volcanism: Dubbi (elev. 1,625 m), which last erupted in 1861, was the country's only historically active volcano until Nabro (2,218 m) came to life on 12 June 2011

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains

Total renewable water resources [time series]

6.3 cu km (2011)

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); Anseba, Debub (South), Debubawi K'eyih Bahri (Southern Red Sea), Gash Barka, Ma'akel (Central), Semenawi Keyih Bahri (Northern Red Sea)

Capital [time series]

name: Asmara (Asmera) | geographic coordinates: 15 20 N, 38 56 E | time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship [time series]

citizenship by birth: no | citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Eritrea | dual citizenship recognized: no | residency requirement for naturalization: 20 years

Constitution [time series]

adopted 23 May 1997 (not fully implemented); note - in mid-2014, the president announced plans to draft a new constitution (2015)

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: State of Eritrea | conventional short form: Eritrea | local long form: Hagere Ertra | local short form: Ertra | former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia | etymology: the country name derives from the ancient Greek appellation "Erythra Thalassa" meaning Red Sea, which is the major water body bordering the country

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Louis MAZEL (since 10 July 2014) | embassy: 179 Ala Street, Asmara | mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara | telephone: [291] (1) 120004 | FAX: [291] (1) 127584

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires BERHANE Gebrehiwet Solomon (since 15 March 2011) | chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 | telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991 | FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304 | consulate(s) general: San Francisco

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly | head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993) | cabinet: State Council appointed by the president | elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); the only election was held on 8 June 1993, following independence from Ethiopia (next election postponed indefinitely) | election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president by the transitional National Assembly; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki (PFDJ) 95%, other 5%

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle; green stands for the country's agriculture economy, red signifies the blood shed in the fight for freedom, and blue symbolizes the bounty of the sea; the wreath-olive branch symbol is similar to that on the first flag of Eritrea from 1952; the shape of the red triangle broadly mimics the shape of the country | note: one of several flags where a prominent component of the design reflects the shape of the country; other such flags are those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, and Vanuatu

Government type [time series]

authoritarian presidential regime

Independence [time series]

24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)

International law organization participation [time series]

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation [time series]

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

Judicial branch [time series]

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

Legal system [time series]

mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic religious law

Legislative branch [time series]

description: unicameral National Assembly or Hagerawi Baito (150 seats; 75 members indirectly elected by the ruling party and 75 directly elected by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms) | elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member Constituent Assembly, which had been established in 1997 to discuss and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections to form a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the National Assembly 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

National anthem(s) (National anthem) [time series]

name: "Ertra, Ertra, Ertra" (Eritrea, Eritrea, Eritrea) | lyrics/music: SOLOMON Tsehaye Beraki/Isaac Abraham MEHAREZGI and ARON Tekle Tesfatsion | note: adopted 1993; upon independence from Ethiopia

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 24 May (1991)

National symbol(s) [time series]

camel; national colors: green, red, blue

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ [ISAIAS Afworki] (the only party recognized by the government) | note: a National Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January 2001, but the full National Assembly never debated or voted on it

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Eritrean Kunama or DMLEK | Eritrean Democratic Alliance or EDA | Eritrean Islamic Party for Justice and Development or EIPJD (includes the Eritrean Islamic Jihad (EIJ), Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement (EIJM), Eritrean Islamic Salvation, and the Eritrean Islamic Foundation) | Eritrean National Congress for Democratic Change or ENCDC | Eritrean National Salvation Front or ENSF | Eritrean People's Democratic Party or EPDP | Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization or RSADO

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

After independence from Italian colonial control in 1941 and 10 years of British administrative control, the UN established Eritrea as an autonomous region within the Ethiopian federation in 1952. Ethiopia's full annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a violent 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating government forces. Eritreans overwhelmingly approved independence in a 1993 referendum. ISAIAS Afworki has been Eritrea's only president since independence; his rule, particularly since 2001, has been highly autocratic and repressive. His government has created a highly militarized society by pursuing an unpopular program of mandatory conscription into national service, sometimes of indefinite length. A two-and-a-half-year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices in December 2000. A UN peacekeeping operation was established that monitored a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone. The Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) created in April 2003 was tasked "to delimit and demarcate the colonial treaty border based on pertinent colonial treaties (1900, 1902, and 1908) and applicable international law." The EEBC on 30 November 2007 remotely demarcated the border, assigning the town of Badme to Eritrea, despite Ethiopia's maintaining forces there from the time of the 1998-2000 war. Eritrea insisted that the UN terminate its peacekeeping mission on 31 July 2008. Eritrea has accepted the EEBC's "virtual demarcation" decision and repeatedly called on Ethiopia to remove its troops. Ethiopia has not accepted the demarcation decision, and neither party has entered into meaningful dialogue to resolve the impasse. Eritrea is subject to several UN Security Council Resolutions (from 2009, 2011, and 2012) imposing various military and economic sanctions, in view of evidence that it has supported armed opposition groups in the region.

Military

Manpower available for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 1,350,446 | females age 16-49: 1,362,575 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 896,096 | females age 16-49: 953,757 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually [time series]

male: 66,829 | female: 66,731 (2010 est.)

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Eritrean Armed Forces: Eritrean Ground Forces, Eritrean Navy, Eritrean Air Force (includes Air Defense Force) (2011)

Military service age and obligation [time series]

18-40 years of age for male and female voluntary and compulsory military service; 16-month conscript service obligation (2012)

People and Society

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 40.25% (male 1,320,752/female 1,306,357) | 15-24 years: 20.43% (male 665,900/female 667,509) | 25-54 years: 31.86% (male 1,031,391/female 1,048,303) | 55-64 years: 3.73% (male 104,004/female 139,637) | 65 years and over: 3.74% (male 104,513/female 139,323) (2015 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

30 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 41

Children under the age of 5 years underweight [time series]

38.8% (2010) | country comparison to the world: 7

Death rate [time series]

7.52 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 113

Dependency ratios [time series]

total dependency ratio: 83.2% | youth dependency ratio: 78.4% | elderly dependency ratio: 4.8% | potential support ratio: 20.7% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source [time series]

Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]

2.1% of GDP (2006) | country comparison to the world: 165

Ethnic groups [time series]

nine recognized ethnic groups: Tigrinya 55%, Tigre 30%, Saho 4%, Kunama 2%, Rashaida 2%, Bilen 2%, other (Afar, Beni Amir, Nera) 5% (2010 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

0.68% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

700 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 78

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

16,100 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 86

Health expenditure (Health expenditures) [time series]

3% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 184

Hospital bed density [time series]

0.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 37.53 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 42.59 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 32.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 63.81 years | male: 61.65 years | female: 66.03 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 184

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 73.8% | male: 82.4% | female: 65.5% (2015 est.)

Major infectious diseases [time series]

degree of risk: high | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever | vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever (2013)

Major urban areas - population [time series]

ASMARA (capital) 804,000 (2015)

Maternal mortality ratio (Maternal mortality rate) [time series]

501 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 46

Median age [time series]

total: 19.3 years | male: 19 years | female: 19.7 years (2015 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Eritrean(s) | adjective: Eritrean

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 98

Obesity - adult prevalence rate [time series]

3.4% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 188

Population [time series]

6,527,689 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 107

Population growth rate [time series]

2.25% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 36

Religions [time series]

Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant

Sanitation facility access [time series]

Sex ratio [time series]

Total fertility rate [time series]

4.02 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 37

Urbanization [time series]

urban population: 22.6% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 5.11% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002 Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting eastern Sudanese rebel groups; in 2008, Eritrean troops moved across the border on Ras Doumera peninsula and occupied Doumera Island with undefined sovereignty in the Red Sea

Trafficking in persons [time series]

current situation: Eritrea is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor domestically and, to a lesser extent, sex and labor trafficking abroad; the country’s national service program is often abused to keep conscripts indefinitely and to force them to perform labor outside the scope of their duties; each year large numbers of migrants, often fleeing national service, depart Eritrea in search of work in Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti, and Yemen, where some are likely to become victims of forced labor; Eritrean children working in various economic sectors, including domestic service, workshops, and agriculture may be subjected to forced labor; some Eritrean refugees in Sudanese camps are held for ransom in the Sinai Peninsula, where they are forced to work and are abused | tier rating: Tier 3 – Eritrea does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the Eritrean Government does not operate with transparency and reported no data in 2013 regarding its efforts to combat human trafficking; no investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of any traffickers were reported, and few efforts were made to identify or to refer any victims to protective services; authorities largely lacked an understanding of human trafficking, conflating it with all forms of transnational migration; the government continued to warn its citizens of the dangers of human trafficking; Eritrea is not a party to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2014)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

13 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 151

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 4 | over 3,047 m: 2 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 9 | over 3,047 m: 1 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 | 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2013)

Heliports [time series]

1 (2013)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 4 | by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2010) | country comparison to the world: 129

Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]

major seaport(s): Assab, Massawa

Railways [time series]

total: 306 km | narrow gauge: 306 km 0.950-m gauge (2014) | country comparison to the world: 120

Roadways [time series]

total: 4,010 km | paved: 874 km | unpaved: 3,136 km (2000) | country comparison to the world: 159