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Eritrea
A narrow country stretching along the Red Sea coast in the Horn of Africa, Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year liberation war. The capital Asmara, perched at 2,300 meters on the highland plateau, features remarkably well-preserved Italian colonial Art Deco architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Eritrea maintains mandatory national service of indefinite duration.
Major cities: Asmara, Keren, Massawa, Assab
2024
3.5M
UN
2050
5.7M
UN
2100
8.4M
UN
~2200
7.0M
GPU
~2500
3.0M
GPU
Population3.5M
Fertility (TFR)3.68
Life expectancy68.9
Median age18.7
Infant mortality25.5 per 1,000
Pop. density29/km²
Urbanization35%
Youth share (0-14)39%
Land area121,178 km²
LanguageAfar
ReligionChristian
HDI0.503 (#178)
RegionAfrica
Latest available year is shown in parentheses where the source series varies across indicators. Governance metrics use World Bank percentile ranks; battle deaths and military spending are context variables, not direct fertility drivers.
UN WPP 2024 — verified data through 2100
| Year | Population | TFR | Life Exp. | CBR | CDR | Net Migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 815K | 6.52 | 33.3 | 44.4 | 30.5 | +0K | 1.4% |
| 1955 | 886K | 6.49 | 35.2 | 46.2 | 27.8 | +0K | 1.8% |
| 1960 | 973K | 6.48 | 37.4 | 47.7 | 25.7 | +1K | 2.2% |
| 1965 | 1.10M | 6.49 | 39.6 | 47.8 | 23.9 | +1K | 2.4% |
| 1970 | 1.24M | 6.54 | 41.2 | 47.0 | 22.3 | +1K | 2.5% |
| 1975 | 1.41M | 6.59 | 39.0 | 45.8 | 23.8 | +2K | 2.2% |
| 1980 | 1.61M | 6.61 | 44.6 | 44.8 | 19.0 | +2K | 2.6% |
| 1985 | 1.81M | 6.59 | 38.6 | 44.8 | 24.2 | -1K | 2.1% |
| 1990 | 2.03M | 6.34 | 49.7 | 43.3 | 15.3 | -12K | 2.8% |
| 1995 | 2.03M | 5.94 | 54.8 | 39.5 | 11.7 | +136K | 2.8% |
| 2000 | 2.25M | 5.40 | 56.3 | 38.0 | 11.1 | -33K | 2.7% |
| 2005 | 2.66M | 4.93 | 60.6 | 36.4 | 9.0 | -13K | 2.7% |
| 2010 | 2.95M | 4.57 | 63.7 | 33.5 | 7.6 | -13K | 2.6% |
| 2015 | 3.11M | 4.22 | 65.9 | 30.6 | 6.8 | -53K | 2.4% |
| 2020 | 3.29M | 3.93 | 67.0 | 28.9 | 6.6 | -15K | 2.2% |
| 2024Now | 3.54M | 3.68 | 68.9 | 28.7 | 6.0 | -13K | 2.3% |
| 2025 | 3.61M | 3.61 | 69.2 | 28.6 | 5.9 | -7K | 2.3% |
| 2030 | 4.00M | 3.32 | 70.3 | 28.0 | 5.7 | -5K | 2.2% |
| 2035 | 4.42M | 3.09 | 71.4 | 26.2 | 5.5 | -6K | 2.1% |
| 2040 | 4.87M | 2.90 | 72.4 | 24.0 | 5.3 | -2K | 1.9% |
| 2045 | 5.29M | 2.74 | 73.3 | 22.0 | 5.3 | -3K | 1.7% |
| 2050 | 5.70M | 2.60 | 74.2 | 20.5 | 5.3 | -7K | 1.5% |
| 2055 | 6.10M | 2.49 | 75.1 | 19.5 | 5.4 | -7K | 1.4% |
| 2060 | 6.48M | 2.38 | 75.9 | 18.5 | 5.5 | -5K | 1.3% |
| 2065 | 6.85M | 2.29 | 76.7 | 17.5 | 5.8 | -13K | 1.2% |
| 2070 | 7.19M | 2.21 | 77.5 | 16.3 | 6.1 | -9K | 1.0% |
| 2075 | 7.50M | 2.15 | 78.3 | 15.4 | 6.5 | -5K | 0.9% |
| 2080 | 7.77M | 2.09 | 79.0 | 14.6 | 7.1 | -3K | 0.7% |
| 2085 | 7.99M | 2.05 | 79.8 | 13.9 | 7.7 | -4K | 0.6% |
| 2090 | 8.18M | 2.01 | 80.6 | 13.4 | 8.2 | -8K | 0.5% |
| 2095 | 8.33M | 1.98 | 81.3 | 12.9 | 8.6 | -10K | 0.4% |
| 2100 | 8.44M | 1.95 | 82.0 | 12.4 | 8.9 | -7K | 0.3% |