World Factbook
Eritrea
Hagere Ertra
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Languages
Tigrinya (official), Arabic (official), English (official), Tigre, Kunama, Afar, other Cushitic languages
Religions
Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran, Sunni Muslim
Sex ratio
at birth
1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.97 male(s)/female
total population
0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.66 male(s)/female
Birth rate
25.92 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
6.43 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
20.8 years
total
21.7 years (2025 est.)
female
21.8 years
Population
male
3,158,281
total
6,416,435 (2025 est.)
female
3,258,154
Nationality
noun
Eritrean(s)
adjective
Eritrean
Tobacco use
male
14.7% (2020 est.)
total
7.5% (2020 est.)
female
0.2% (2020 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
43.3% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
3.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
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)
Ethnic groups
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
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
64.2 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
57.6 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
15.1 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
6.6 (2025 est.)
Physician density
0.09 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
4.2% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
2.4% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-7.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
1 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.35 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
46.6 deaths/1,000 live births
total
39 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
32.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
1.16% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.65 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
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
Life expectancy at birth
male
64.9 years
female
70.2 years
total population
67.5 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
291 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
0.42 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
0.93 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0.51 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
1.073 million ASMARA (capital) (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
5% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
21.3 years (2010 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
9 years (2015 est.)
total
8 years (2015 est.)
female
7 years (2015 est.)