Eritrea

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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. <br><br>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. <br><br>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.

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

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15 00 N, 39 00 E

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Africa

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slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

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

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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

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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

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

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210 sq km (2012)

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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

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frequent droughts, rare earthquakes and volcanoes; locust swarms <br><br><strong>volcanism:</strong> 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

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strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes

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Tigrinya 50%, Tigre 30%, Saho 4%, Afar 4%, Kunama 4%, Bilen 3%, Hedareb/Beja 2%, Nara 2%, Rashaida 1% (2021 est.)

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<strong>note:</strong> data represent Eritrea's nine recognized ethnic groups

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

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Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran, Sunni Muslim

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1.16% (2025 est.)

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

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

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

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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

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1.073 million ASMARA (capital) (2023)

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21.3 years (2010 est.)

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<strong>note:</strong> data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29

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

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3.35 children born/woman (2025 est.)

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1.65 (2025 est.)

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0.09 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

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

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5% (2016)

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deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing

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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

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22.7 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

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7.315 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

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authoritarian

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

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mixed system of civil, customary, and Islamic religious law

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

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18 years of age; universal

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<strong>note 1: </strong>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.<strong><br><br>note 2:</strong> the president is both chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly

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<strong>note:</strong> 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

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

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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

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24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)

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Independence Day, 24 May (1991)

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<strong>description:</strong> a red isosceles triangle (based on the left side) divides the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower is blue; a gold wreath around a gold olive branch is on the left side of the red triangle<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> 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 country's shape

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

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camel

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green, red, blue

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Eritrea adopted its coat of arms on May 24, 1993, when it won independence from Ethiopia; the camel was used to transport supplies and goods during the war, and it became a symbol of the country&rsquo;s success; the olive wreath represents peace, reconciliation, and harmony; under the camel is name of the country in its three official languages: Tigrinya, English, and Arabic

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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

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<strong>note:</strong> data in 2015 dollars

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<strong>note:</strong> data in 2015 dollars

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$2.535 billion (2024 est.)

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<strong>note:</strong> data in current dollars at official exchange rate

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<strong>note:</strong> annual % change based on consumer prices

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

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<b>note:</b> top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

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

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1.71 million (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

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<b>note:</b> % of labor force seeking employment

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<b>note:</b> % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

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

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<b>note:</b> top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

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

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<b>note:</b> top five export commodities based on value in dollars

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

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<b>note:</b> top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

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

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<b>note:</b> top five import commodities based on value in dollars

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<b>note:</b> holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

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<b>note:</b> present value of external debt in current US dollars

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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)

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.er

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E3

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11 (2025)

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Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF): Eritrean Ground Forces, Eritrean Navy, Eritrean Air Force; People's Militia (aka People's Army or Hizbawi Serawit) (2024)

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<strong>note: </strong>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

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

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the EDF's inventory is comprised primarily of Soviet-era weapons and equipment (2025)

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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)

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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<br><br>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)