Eritrea - ER - ERI - ERI - Africa

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé 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/

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)

15 00 N, 39 00 E

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.)

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 in 2011

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

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 (2024)

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.

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

copper ore, zinc ore, gold, garments, liquor (2023)

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

China 67%, UAE 26%, Philippines 5%, Italy 1%, Croatia 1% (2023)

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

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)

sorghum, milk, barley, vegetables, root vegetables, cereals, pulses, wheat, beef, maize (2023)

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

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

revenues: $633 million (2018 est.)

expenditures: $549 million (2018 est.)

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

trucks, sorghum, construction vehicles, wheat flours, other foods (2023)

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

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)

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

nakfa (ERN) per US dollar -

Exchange rates:
15.075 (2024 est.)
15.075 (2023 est.)
15.075 (2022 est.)
15.075 (2021 est.)
15.075 (2020 est.)

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: the president is both chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly

a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) divides the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower 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 for the blood shed in the fight for freedom, and blue for the sea's bounty; the shape of the red triangle mimics the shape of the country

note: one of four national flags that reflect the shape of the country in the flag design; the others are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, and Vanuatu

24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)

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

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

total: 1,840 km

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

agricultural land: 62.7% (2022 est.)

arable land: 5.7% (2022 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)

permanent pasture: 57% (2022 est.)

forest: 8.7% (2022 est.)

other: 28.6% (2022 est.)

mixed system of civil, customary, and Islamic religious law

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

territorial sea: 12 nm

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

Independence Day, 24 May (1991)

noun: Eritrean(s)

adjective: Eritrean

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

strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes

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

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

total: 306 km (2018)

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

18 years of age; universal

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

presidential republic

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 name Erythra Thalassa, meaning "Red Sea," the body of water that borders the country

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

Africa

210 sq km (2012)

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé 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/

percent of population: 20% (2023 est.)

.er

$5.813 billion (2017 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/

7.32 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

total: 8 years (2015 est.)

male: 9 years (2015 est.)

female: 7 years (2015 est.)

urban population: 43.3% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 3.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 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)

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.)

title: "Ertra, Ertra, Ertra" (Eritrea, Eritrea, Eritrea)

lyrics/music: SOLOMON Tsehaye Beraki/Isaac Abraham MEHAREZGI and ARON Tekle Tesfatsion

history: adopted 1993, after gaining independence from Ethiopia

1.073 million ASMARA (capital) (2023)

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

1 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

camel

21.3 years (2010 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29

NA

total dependency ratio: 65.8 (2024 est.)

youth dependency ratio: 59.1 (2024 est.)

elderly dependency ratio: 6.7 (2024 est.)

potential support ratio: 15 (2024 est.)

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

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

electrification - total population: 55.4% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas: 75.5%

electrification - rural areas: 36%

E3

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.)

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

Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran, Sunni Muslim

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

China 32%, UAE 27%, Turkey 9%, USA 7%, Italy 5% (2023)

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

highest point: Soira 3,018 m

lowest point: near Kulul within the Danakil Depression -75 m

mean elevation: 853 m

0.09 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

4.2% of GDP (2021)

2.4% of national budget (2022 est.)

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.)

available information varies widely; estimated 150,000-200,000 active Defense Forces (2025)

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

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)

municipal: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial: 1 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural: 550 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

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

total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales: Asmara: A Modernist African City

fossil fuels: 89.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

solar: 10.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

wind: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption: 5,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

1.69 (2024 est.)

52.3% (2023 est.)

total ports: 2 (2024)

large: 0

medium: 0

small: 2

very small: 0

ports with oil terminals: 2

key ports: Assab, Mitsiwa Harbor

green, red, blue

1.71 million (2024 est.)

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

total: 9.4% (2024 est.)

male: 8.5% (2024 est.)

female: 10.5% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

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

total: 21.3 years (2024 est.)

male: 20.8 years

female: 21.8 years

$461.376 million (2023 est.)

note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

291 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

$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

3.43 children born/woman (2024 est.)

5.6% (2024 est.)
5.6% (2023 est.)
5.7% (2022 est.)

note: % of labor force seeking employment

total: 6,343,956 (2024 est.)

male: 3,122,433

female: 3,221,523

733,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids: 733,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

total : 117,600 sq km

land: 101,000 sq km

water: 16,600 sq km

11 (2025)

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

total subscriptions: 1.8 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 50 (2021 est.)

$1,600 (2017 est.)
$1,500 (2016 est.)
$1,500 (2015 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars

total: 6,000 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1

total: 7.5% (2020 est.)

male: 14.7% (2020 est.)

female: 0.2% (2020 est.)

5% (2016)

2.977 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

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

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

installed generating capacity: 243,000 kW (2023 est.)

consumption: 388.987 million kWh (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses: 51.528 million kWh (2023 est.)

total: 9 (2023)

by type: general cargo 4, oil tanker 1, other 4

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

total subscriptions: 66,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2022 est.)

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.)

total population: 67.5 years (2024 est.)

male: 64.9 years

female: 70.2 years

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

1.12% (2024 est.)