Facts and Figures

Eritrea is located on the Horn of Africa along the Red Sea, between Sudan to the north-west and Ethiopia to the south. Eritrea also shares a short border with Djibouti in the far south.

The total land area of Eritrea is 125,000 square kilometres and the population is estimated to to be just over 4 million. 

The economy, government and people of Eritrea have been devastated by 30 years of civil conflict with Ethiopia and a severe drought.  More than half of the population lives below the poverty line, with the highest rates of poverty in rural areas and small towns.

In 1950 following decades of colonial rule by Italy and then Britain, the United Nations recommended that Eritrea become an autonomous unit ‘with its own legislative, executive and judicial powers in the field of domestic affairs' but ‘federated with Ethiopia under the sovereignty of the Ethiopian crown'. 

Decades of violence ensued and annexation of Eritrea by Ethiopia occurred in 1962. Eritrea finally gained independence in 1993. Between 1998 and 2000 border disputes with Ethiopia led to military conflict. The war resulted in the displacement of more than one million Eritreans and the loss of important agricultural land and livestock.

Despite international arbitration to end the war in 2000, the dispute over the border remains unresolved and continues to impact on the Eritrean economy as scarce resources and labour are directed to the military.

Agriculture is the main economic activity of Eritrea employing between 70-80% of the population. Despite this, agriculture's contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has fallen in recent years.

In addition to falling agricultural output, a previously strong industrial sector has been decimated by war. The main contributor to GDP today is foreign investment and worker remittances (where Eritreans working overseas send a proportion of their wage home).

Administratively, Eritrea is divided into six zobas (regions) and the capital, Asmara, is located in the central highlands. 

Sources: Eritrean Ministry of Health, Human Development Report 2006, UNDP

Population: 4.2 million
Life expectancy: 54.3 years
Infant mortality rate: 52 per 1,000 births
Percentage of population which is undernourished: 73%
Number of doctors: 5 per 100,000 people

The long-term internal conflict, severe drought and poverty have all taken a tragic toll on the health of the Eritrean people. More than one million people who were displaced by conflict, have gradually returned to their homes but have limited access to basic health and social services. 

Eritrea has one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world with more than half of the population affected. Around 82 out of 1,000 children die before the age of five, largely due to malnutrition, acute respiratory infections and diseases related to diarrhoea.

Malnutrition and poor health services have contributed to the high maternal mortality ratio:
in 2004, 1000 women, per 100,000, were affected. In some of the worst-hit rural communities of Eritrea, which are also affected by war and drought, maternal mortality is particularly high.

The main diseases affecting the population of Eritrea are malaria, diarrhoea, acute respiratory
infections, malnutrition, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

Despite Eritrea's progress, there is still a severe shortage of facilities and existing primary health
centres are overloaded by the affects of drought and the large numbers of displaced people. The public health system, on all levels, is under-resourced with shortages of skilled health personnel and essential medicines.

The Eritrean Government has recognised the need for more services, particularly basic health services, and is focusing its resources on rural areas. 

Sources: Eritrean Ministry of Health, Human Development Report 2006, UNDP

Number of blind people: 40,000 or 1% of the population
Main causes of blindness: Cataract, trachoma, uncorrected refractive error, glaucoma and Vitamin A deficiency
Number of people with cataract blindness: 1% annual incidence rate
Number of cataract operations performed annually: 2,658 
Number of ophthalmologists: 8, including 4 expatriates 
Reasons for low cataract surgical rate and backlog: Shortage of eye health personnel and consumables

Sources: Eritrean Ministry of Health, Human Development Report 2006, UNDP