Eritrea

total: 5,000 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.1 (2020 est.)

government controls broadcast media with private ownership prohibited; 1 state-owned TV station; 2 state-owned radio networks; purchases of satellite dishes and subscriptions to international broadcast media are permitted (2023)

.er

total: 792,000 (2021 est.) percent of population: 22% (2021 est.)

general assessment: Eritrea s telecom sector operates under a state-owned monopoly for fixed and mobile services; as a result of such restrictions on competition, the country has the least developed telecommunications market in Africa; mobile penetration stands at only about 20%, while fixed-line internet use barely registers; this is exacerbated by the very low use of computers, with only about 4% of households having a computer, and most of these being in the capital, Asmara; the 3G network continues to rollout which provides basic internet access to a limited number of Eritreans who can afford the expensive services; investment in telecom infrastructure is still required to improve the quality of services; the government has embarked on a work program to do exactly that, specifically aimed at extending services to remote areas, improving the quality of services, and ensuring that more telecoms infrastructure is supported by solar power to compensate for the poor state of the electricity network (2022) domestic: fixed-line subscribership is less than 2 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular is just over 50 per 100 (2021) international: country code - 291 (2019)

total subscriptions: 66,000 (2021 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions: 1.801 million (2021 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 50 (2021 est.)

sorghum, milk, barley, vegetables, root vegetables, cereals, pulses, millet, wheat, beef (2022) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

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

-$137 million (2017 est.) -$105 million (2016 est.)

$471.009 million (2022 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

largely agrarian economy with a significant mining sector; substantial fiscal surplus due to tight controls; high and vulnerable debts; increased Ethiopian trade and shared port usage decreasing prices; financial and economic data integrity challenges

nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - 15.075 (2023 est.) 15.075 (2022 est.) 15.075 (2021 est.) 15.075 (2020 est.) 15.075 (2019 est.)

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

zinc ore, gold, copper ore, wheat, garments (2022) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

China 52%, UAE 33%, South Korea 9%, Japan 2%, Madagascar 2% (2022) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

$5.813 billion (2017 est.)

household consumption: 80.9% (2017 est.) government consumption: 24.3% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 6.4% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: 0.1% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 10.9% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -22.5% (2017 est.)

agriculture: 11.7% (2017 est.) industry: 29.6% (2017 est.) services: 58.7% (2017 est.)

$1.127 billion (2017 est.) $1.048 billion (2016 est.)

ships, sorghum, wheat, construction vehicles, other foods (2022) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

China 34%, UAE 26%, Turkey 12%, US 7%, India 4% (2022) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

4.3% (2014 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

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

9% (2017 est.) 9% (2016 est.)

1.8 million (2023 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

131.2% of GDP (2017 est.)

$9.702 billion (2017 est.) $8.953 billion (2016 est.) $8.791 billion (2015 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars

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

$1,600 (2017 est.) $1,500 (2016 est.) $1,500 (2015 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars

$191.694 million (2019 est.) $163.034 million (2018 est.) $143.412 million (2017 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

34.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

5.87% (2023 est.) 5.94% (2022 est.) 6.34% (2021 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

total: 10% (2023 est.) male: 8.9% (2023 est.) female: 11.3% (2023 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

671,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 671,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity: 219,000 kW (2022 est.) consumption: 337.42 million kWh (2022 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 50.261 million kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - total population: 55.4% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 75.5% electrification - rural areas: 36%

fossil fuels: 96.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.) solar: 3.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.) wind: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

2.53 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

refined petroleum consumption: 4,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

particulate matter emissions: 22.74 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 0.71 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 4.48 megatons (2020 est.)

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

deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Paris Agreement

agricultural land: 75.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 6.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 68.3% (2018 est.) forest: 15.1% (2018 est.) other: 9.8% (2018 est.)

7.32 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.) industrial: 1 million cubic meters (2017 est.) agricultural: 550 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

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

municipal solid waste generated annually: 726,957 tons (2011 est.)

total : 117,600 sq km land: 101,000 sq km water: 16,600 sq km

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

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

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

highest point: Soira 3,018 m lowest point: near Kulul within the Danakil Depression -75 m mean elevation: 853 m

15 00 N, 39 00 E

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

210 sq km (2012)

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

agricultural land: 75.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 6.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 68.3% (2018 est.) forest: 15.1% (2018 est.) other: 9.8% (2018 est.)

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

Africa

territorial sea: 12 nm

frequent droughts, rare earthquakes and volcanoes; locust swarms volcanism: Dubbi (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

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

density is highest in the center of the country in and around the cities of Asmara (capital) and Keren; smaller settlements exist in the north and south as shown in this population distribution map

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

6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); 'Anseba, Debub (South), Debubawi K'eyyih Bahri (Southern Red Sea), Gash-Barka, Ma'ikel (Central), Semienawi K'eyyih Bahri (Northern Red Sea)

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 means "they [women] made them unite," which according to Tigrinya oral tradition refers to the women of the four clans in the Asmara area who persuaded their menfolk to unite and defeat their common enemy; the name has also been translated as "live in peace"

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

history: ratified by the Constituent Assembly 23 May 1997 (never implemented) amendments: 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

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

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charg d'Affaires Leslie FRERIKSEN (since 18 July 2022) embassy: 179 Alaa Street, Asmara mailing address: 7170 Asmara Place, Washington DC 20521-7170 telephone: [291] (1) 12-00-04 FAX: [291] (1) 12-75-84 email address and website: consularasmara@state.gov https://er.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charg 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 email address and website: embassyeritrea@embassyeritrea.org https://us.embassyeritrea.org/

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 elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term), according to the constitution; the only election held was on 24 May 1993, following independence from Ethiopia (next postponed indefinitely) election results: 1993: ISAIAS Afwerki elected president by the transitional National Assembly; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afwerki (PFDJ) 95%, other 5% note: the president is both chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly

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

presidential republic

24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)

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

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

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

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

description: National Assembly (Hagerawi Baito) (seats - NA; members to be directly elected to serve 5-year terms) elections: NA election results: NA 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 2024, no sitting legislative body exists

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

total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural) selected World Heritage Site locales: Asmara: A Modernist African City

Independence Day, 24 May (1991)

camel; national colors: green, red, blue

People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ (the only party recognized by the government)

18 years of age; universal

Eritrea won independence from Italian colonial control in 1941, but the UN only established it as an autonomous region within the Ethiopian federation in 1952, after a decade of British administrative control. Ethiopia's full annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a violent 30-year conflict for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean fighters defeating government forces. Eritreans overwhelmingly approved independence in a 1993 referendum. ISAIAS Afwerki has been Eritrea's only president since independence; his rule, particularly since 2001, has been characterized by highly autocratic and repressive actions. His government has created a highly militarized society by instituting an unpopular program of mandatory conscription into national service -- divided between military and civilian service -- of indefinite length. A two-and-a-half-year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices in 2000. Ethiopia rejected a subsequent 2007 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) demarcation. More than a decade of a tense no peace, no war stalemate ended in 2018 when the newly elected Ethiopian prime minister accepted the EEBC s 2007 ruling, and the two countries signed declarations of peace and friendship. Eritrean leaders then engaged in intensive diplomacy around the Horn of Africa, bolstering regional peace, security, and cooperation, as well as brokering rapprochements between governments and opposition groups. In 2018, the UN Security Council lifted an arms embargo that had been imposed on Eritrea since 2009, after the UN Somalia-Eritrea Monitoring Group reported they had not found evidence of Eritrean support in recent years for al-Shabaab. The country s rapprochement with Ethiopia led to a resumption of economic ties, but the level of air transport, trade, and tourism have remained roughly the same since late 2020. The Eritrean economy remains agriculture-dependent, and the country is still one of Africa s poorest nations. Eritrea faced new international condemnation and US sanctions in mid-2021 for its participation in the war in Ethiopia s Tigray Regional State, where Eritrean forces were found to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. As most Eritrean troops were departing northern Ethiopia in January 2023, ISAIAS began a series of diplomatic engagements aimed at bolstering Eritrea s foreign partnerships and regional influence. Despite the country's improved relations with its neighbors, ISAIAS has not let up on repression, and conscription and militarization continue.

the military s primary responsibilities are external defense, border security, and providing the regime a vehicle for national cohesion; the Army is the dominant service; it is a large, conscript-based force and estimated to have more than 20 infantry divisions, including some that are mechanized, as well as a division of commandos/special forces 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 widespread human rights abuses (2023)

Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF): Eritrean Ground Forces, Eritrean Navy, Eritrean Air Force (includes Air Defense Force); People's Militia (aka People's Army or Hizbawi Serawit) (2023) note: police are responsible for maintaining internal security, but the government sometimes used 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

available information varies widely; estimated 150,000-200,000 personnel (2024)

the EDF's inventory is comprised primarily of Soviet-era weapons and equipment (2024)

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.)

Eritrea mandates military service for all citizens age 18-40; 18-month conscript service obligation, which 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 55 eligible for recall during mobilization (2023)

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)

total: 0.93 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) beer: 0.42 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) spirits: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) other alcohols: 0.51 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

26.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

NA

NA

4.1% of GDP (2020)

52.3% (2023 est.)

6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Eritrea is a persistently poor country that has made progress in some socioeconomic categories but not in others. Education and human capital formation are national priorities for facilitating economic development and eradicating poverty. To this end, Eritrea has made great strides in improving adult literacy doubling the literacy rate over the last 20 years in large part because of its successful adult education programs. The overall literacy rate was estimated to be more than 75% in 2018; more work needs to be done to raise female literacy and school attendance among nomadic and rural communities. Subsistence farming fails to meet the needs of Eritrea s growing population because of repeated droughts, dwindling arable land, overgrazing, soil erosion, and a shortage of farmers due to conscription and displacement. The government s emphasis on spending on defense over agriculture and its lack of foreign exchange to import food also contribute to food insecurity. Eritrea has been a leading refugee source country since at least the 1960s, when its 30-year war for independence from Ethiopia began. Since gaining independence in 1993, Eritreans have continued migrating to Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Egypt, or Israel because of a lack of basic human rights or political freedom, educational and job opportunities, or to seek asylum because of militarization. Eritrea s large diaspora has been a source of vital remittances, funding its war for independence and providing 30% of the country s GDP annually since it became independent. In the last few years, Eritreans have increasingly been trafficked and held hostage by Bedouins in the Sinai Desert, where they are victims of organ harvesting, rape, extortion, and torture. Some Eritrean trafficking victims are kidnapped after being smuggled to Sudan or Ethiopia, while others are kidnapped from within or around refugee camps or crossing Eritrea s borders. Eritreans composed approximately 90% of the conservatively estimated 25,000-30,000 victims of Sinai trafficking from 2009-2013, according to a 2013 consultancy firm report.

total dependency ratio: 77.9 youth dependency ratio: 70.8 elderly dependency ratio: 7.1 potential support ratio: 14 (2021 est.)

improved: urban: 73.2% of population rural: 53.3% of population total: 57.8% of population unimproved: urban: 26.8% of population rural: 46.7% of population total: 42.2% of population (2015 est.)

NA

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

1.69 (2024 est.)

0.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)

total: 39.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) male: 46.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 32.8 deaths/1,000 live births

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

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

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.6% male: 84.4% female: 68.9% (2018)

1.073 million ASMARA (capital) (2023)

322 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

total: 21.3 years (2024 est.) male: 20.8 years female: 21.8 years

21.3 years (2010 est.) note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29

noun: Eritrean(s) adjective: Eritrean

-8.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

5% (2016)

0.08 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

total: 6,343,956 male: 3,122,433 female: 3,221,523 (2024 est.)

density is highest in the center of the country in and around the cities of Asmara (capital) and Keren; smaller settlements exist in the north and south as shown in this population distribution map

1.12% (2024 est.)

Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran, Sunni Muslim

improved: urban: 44.5% of population rural: 7.3% of population total: 15.7% of population unimproved: urban: 55.5% of population rural: 92.7% of population total: 84.3% of population (2017 est.)

total: 8 years male: 8 years female: 7 years (2015)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total: 7.5% (2020 est.) male: 14.7% (2020 est.) female: 0.2% (2020 est.)

3.43 children born/woman (2024 est.)

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

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/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/eritrea/

10 (2024)

E3

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

number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020) inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1 annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 102,729 (2018)

total ports: 2 (2024) large: 0 medium: 0 small: 2 very small: 0 ports with oil terminals: 2 key ports: Assab, Mitsiwa Harbor

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

total: 16,000 km (2018) paved: 1,600 km (2000) unpaved: 14,400 km (2000)