Country or area · Eastern Africa · Africa · UN WPP 2024

Eritrea population

Eritrea population now

3,701,348

A projection read at this second, not a count: the UN's totals for 1 January 2026 and 2027, joined by a straight line. 95% range for 31 December 2026: 3.4–4.1 million.

Mid-2023, UN estimate: 3,470,390

Year: 2026; projection · medium
Population, mid-2026: 3.68266 million; 95% range, 31 Dec: 3.4–4.1 million
Median age: 20.5
Aged 65+: 4.3%

Move through time, 1950–2100

2023 | 2024

male female projection · one cell = 1,000 people

How to read this: one row for each age, newborns at the bottom; men on the left, women on the right.

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries

ERI · 1950–2100 · in brief

Eritrea in numbers

In mid-2023 there were 3,470,390 people in Eritrea: the 132nd-largest population of the 236 countries and areas the UN reports, and 0.04% of the world's people. That is 4.3 times its 1950 population of 815 thousand.

In the UN's medium projection it is still growing in 2100, when it reaches 8.4 million. The projection is uncertain: on 1 January 2100 the UN's 95% range runs from 3.7 million to 22.2 million.

Births outnumber deaths in every year from 1950 to 2100, estimates and projection alike.

The median age was 17.5 in 1950 and 19.7 in 2023; the projection has 39.1 in 2100. 4.2% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 18.9% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is still growing in 2100 in the medium projection.

Its place in the world by population: 132nd in 2023, 124th in 2050, 110th in 2100. In the medium projection it overtakes Croatia in 2028, Georgia in 2028 and Slovakia in 2043.

Population, mid-2023: 3,470,390
Rank by population, 2023: 132 of 236
Share of the world, 2023: 0.04%
Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023: +1.79% · +60,943 people
People per km² of land, 2023: 29
Land area, 2023: 121,178 km²
Births, 2023: 99,058
Deaths, 2023: 20,984
Net migration, 2023: −15,284
Children per woman, 2023: 3.71
Median age, 2023: 19.7 years
Life expectancy at birth, 2023: 68.6 years
In a city, 2025: 40 of every 100
Population, mid-1950: 814,866
Projected, mid-2050: 5,696,062
Projected, mid-2100: 8,444,382

ERI · 1950–2100 · total population

Population, 1950–2100

estimates | projections05 m10 m15 m20 m25 m1950197520002025205020752100

estimate projection, up to the bottom of the 95% range 95% range medium projection. Each column is the population on 1 January of one year; the paper rules cut it into equal cells.

Show the numbers: Eritrea, 1950–2100

Eritrea: population on 1 January, births, deaths, fertility and life expectancy, 1950–2100
Year	Kind	Population, 1 Jan	95% range	Births	Deaths	Children per woman	Life expectancy
1950	estimate	809,093		36,213	24,816	6.52	33.3
1951	estimate	820,639		37,106	24,473	6.51	33.6
1952	estimate	833,412		38,110	24,415	6.52	34.0
1953	estimate	847,267		39,119	24,453	6.53	34.4
1954	estimate	862,138		40,009	24,496	6.50	34.8
1955	estimate	877,905		40,941	24,621	6.49	35.2
1956	estimate	894,569		41,944	24,708	6.48	35.6
1957	estimate	912,244		43,122	30,545	6.50	30.4
1958	estimate	925,351		44,152	30,331	6.49	30.9
1959	estimate	939,815		45,400	24,730	6.51	37.0
1960	estimate	961,312		46,418	24,995	6.48	37.4
1961	estimate	983,781		47,561	25,210	6.47	37.9
1962	estimate	1,007,365		48,955	25,477	6.50	38.4
1963	estimate	1,032,210		50,064	25,672	6.48	38.8
1964	estimate	1,057,974		51,310	25,983	6.49	39.2
1965	estimate	1,084,600		52,538	26,253	6.49	39.6
1966	estimate	1,112,071		53,686	28,973	6.50	37.6
1967	estimate	1,137,842		54,844	26,852	6.50	40.1
1968	estimate	1,166,835		55,940	27,163	6.50	40.5
1969	estimate	1,196,639		56,999	27,464	6.50	40.8
1970	estimate	1,227,372		58,414	27,727	6.54	41.2
1971	estimate	1,259,534		59,472	27,983	6.54	41.5
1972	estimate	1,292,774		60,518	29,567	6.54	40.7
1973	estimate	1,325,695		61,706	29,737	6.55	41.1
1974	estimate	1,359,644		63,113	33,001	6.57	39.0
1975	estimate	1,391,732		64,533	33,561	6.59	39.0
1976	estimate	1,424,688		66,005	29,755	6.60	42.6
1977	estimate	1,462,926		67,368	30,072	6.61	43.0
1978	estimate	1,502,204		68,715	30,362	6.61	43.4
1979	estimate	1,542,552		70,237	30,659	6.62	43.8
1980	estimate	1,584,111		71,911	30,518	6.61	44.6
1981	estimate	1,627,484		73,848	30,923	6.62	45.0
1982	estimate	1,672,395		75,955	31,808	6.63	44.9
1983	estimate	1,718,527		78,043	44,623	6.65	37.2
1984	estimate	1,753,794		79,532	44,431	6.62	37.7
1985	estimate	1,789,667		81,039	43,677	6.59	38.6
1986	estimate	1,825,966		82,471	43,001	6.55	39.5
1987	estimate	1,864,362		84,031	31,801	6.52	47.4
1988	estimate	1,912,976		85,936	31,773	6.47	48.1
1989	estimate	1,963,533		87,246	32,947	6.41	47.8
1990	estimate	2,010,501		88,050	31,149	6.34	49.7
1991	estimate	2,054,973		88,435	30,695	6.24	50.5
1992	estimate	1,784,168		76,094	24,652	6.16	52.4
1993	estimate	1,813,328		75,823	24,144	6.07	53.2
1994	estimate	1,898,685		80,662	24,374	6.00	54.0
1995	estimate	1,929,145		79,934	23,779	5.94	54.8
1996	estimate	2,121,389		92,114	25,556	5.84	55.5
1997	estimate	2,135,539		88,707	24,754	5.74	56.2
1998	estimate	2,168,730		87,020	31,689	5.63	50.0
1999	estimate	2,192,107		85,024	39,903	5.52	44.5
2000	estimate	2,233,454		85,318	25,044	5.40	56.3
2001	estimate	2,260,608		84,051	22,872	5.31	58.4
2002	estimate	2,363,549		88,733	23,298	5.23	58.9
2003	estimate	2,422,407		89,516	23,226	5.14	59.5
2004	estimate	2,565,399		96,136	23,989	5.04	60.1
2005	estimate	2,631,168		96,786	23,855	4.93	60.6
2006	estimate	2,691,261		97,810	23,340	4.88	61.5
2007	estimate	2,715,743		95,916	22,815	4.81	62.0
2008	estimate	2,770,702		96,139	22,748	4.74	62.4
2009	estimate	2,861,953		98,804	22,597	4.66	63.2
2010	estimate	2,913,817		98,525	22,427	4.57	63.7
2011	estimate	2,976,556		99,045	22,239	4.49	64.2
2012	estimate	3,020,414		98,430	22,012	4.41	64.7
2013	estimate	3,053,563		97,464	21,902	4.33	65.0
2014	estimate	3,095,158		97,363	21,633	4.27	65.5
2015	estimate	3,095,187		94,888	21,205	4.22	65.9
2016	estimate	3,115,905		94,027	21,026	4.16	66.2
2017	estimate	3,133,491		93,097	20,804	4.11	66.6
2018	estimate	3,167,203		93,212	20,703	4.06	67.0
2019	estimate	3,218,318		94,352	20,779	4.00	67.3
2020	estimate	3,262,070		95,027	21,662	3.93	67.0
2021	estimate	3,320,471		96,545	22,151	3.87	66.9
2022	estimate	3,379,895		97,765	21,543	3.79	67.8
2023	estimate	3,438,999		99,058	20,984	3.71	68.6
2024	estimate	3,501,780		101,539	21,196	3.68	68.9
2025	projection	3,569,426	3.4–3.7 million	103,276	21,428	3.61	69.2
2026	projection	3,644,580	3.4–3.9 million	105,398	21,702	3.55	69.4
2027	projection	3,720,758	3.4–4.1 million	107,199	21,969	3.49	69.6
2028	projection	3,799,990	3.4–4.2 million	108,940	22,226	3.43	69.9
2029	projection	3,880,296	3.4–4.4 million	110,590	22,494	3.38	70.1
2030	projection	3,960,648	3.4–4.6 million	111,974	22,772	3.32	70.3
2031	projection	4,044,696	3.4–4.7 million	113,264	23,045	3.27	70.6
2032	projection	4,125,395	3.4–4.9 million	114,266	23,283	3.23	70.8
2033	projection	4,207,632	3.4–5.1 million	115,029	23,552	3.18	71.0
2034	projection	4,291,379	3.5–5.3 million	115,561	23,828	3.13	71.2
2035	projection	4,378,080	3.5–5.5 million	115,986	24,126	3.09	71.4
2036	projection	4,463,765	3.5–5.6 million	116,208	24,409	3.04	71.6
2037	projection	4,555,749	3.6–5.8 million	116,696	24,753	3.01	71.8
2038	projection	4,648,120	3.6–6.0 million	116,884	25,118	2.97	72.0
2039	projection	4,736,567	3.7–6.2 million	116,937	25,462	2.93	72.2
2040	projection	4,824,384	3.7–6.3 million	116,890	25,833	2.90	72.4
2041	projection	4,912,969	3.8–6.5 million	116,936	26,228	2.87	72.6
2042	projection	4,996,007	3.8–6.7 million	116,606	26,597	2.83	72.8
2043	projection	5,082,595	3.8–6.8 million	116,570	27,000	2.80	73.0
2044	projection	5,165,935	3.8–7.1 million	116,393	27,415	2.77	73.2
2045	projection	5,249,805	3.8–7.2 million	116,413	27,862	2.74	73.3
2046	projection	5,335,731	3.8–7.3 million	116,490	28,319	2.71	73.5
2047	projection	5,416,204	3.8–7.5 million	116,440	28,763	2.68	73.7
2048	projection	5,496,798	3.9–7.7 million	116,523	29,234	2.65	73.9
2049	projection	5,578,286	3.9–7.9 million	116,763	29,721	2.63	74.1
2050	projection	5,656,427	3.9–8.1 million	116,906	30,207	2.60	74.2
2051	projection	5,735,697	3.9–8.2 million	117,270	30,733	2.58	74.4
2052	projection	5,815,781	4.0–8.5 million	117,637	31,263	2.56	74.6
2053	projection	5,900,349	4.0–8.7 million	118,108	31,805	2.53	74.7
2054	projection	5,982,022	4.0–8.9 million	118,720	32,343	2.51	74.9
2055	projection	6,055,610	4.0–9.2 million	118,905	32,874	2.49	75.1
2056	projection	6,134,868	3.9–9.4 million	119,266	33,457	2.47	75.3
2057	projection	6,205,513	3.9–9.5 million	119,295	34,020	2.44	75.4
2058	projection	6,282,390	4.0–9.7 million	119,585	34,631	2.42	75.6
2059	projection	6,360,867	4.0–10.0 million	119,797	35,288	2.40	75.7
2060	projection	6,438,754	4.0–10.3 million	120,051	35,929	2.38	75.9
2061	projection	6,517,968	4.0–10.5 million	120,308	36,589	2.37	76.1
2062	projection	6,595,824	4.0–10.7 million	120,397	37,284	2.35	76.2
2063	projection	6,668,850	4.0–10.9 million	120,239	37,994	2.33	76.4
2064	projection	6,749,699	4.0–11.2 million	120,431	38,765	2.31	76.5
2065	projection	6,818,465	4.0–11.4 million	120,041	39,475	2.29	76.7
2066	projection	6,886,004	4.0–11.8 million	119,504	40,266	2.28	76.9
2067	projection	6,958,787	4.0–12.0 million	119,055	41,114	2.26	77.0
2068	projection	7,026,661	4.1–12.2 million	118,518	41,938	2.24	77.2
2069	projection	7,096,341	4.1–12.4 million	118,194	42,870	2.23	77.3
2070	projection	7,162,022	4.1–12.6 million	117,570	43,811	2.21	77.5
2071	projection	7,226,312	4.1–12.9 million	117,111	44,788	2.20	77.7
2072	projection	7,288,106	4.1–13.4 million	116,622	45,807	2.19	77.8
2073	projection	7,349,583	4.1–13.5 million	116,302	46,858	2.18	78.0
2074	projection	7,412,724	4.1–13.9 million	115,848	47,939	2.16	78.1
2075	projection	7,466,792	4.1–14.1 million	115,352	49,090	2.15	78.3
2076	projection	7,528,238	4.1–14.5 million	114,906	50,285	2.14	78.4
2077	projection	7,583,064	4.2–14.9 million	114,359	51,478	2.13	78.6
2078	projection	7,638,111	4.1–15.2 million	114,023	52,721	2.12	78.7
2079	projection	7,691,388	4.1–15.2 million	113,704	53,949	2.11	78.9
2080	projection	7,740,998	4.1–15.7 million	113,238	55,193	2.09	79.0
2081	projection	7,796,449	4.0–16.0 million	113,017	56,499	2.08	79.2
2082	projection	7,836,077	4.1–16.3 million	112,506	57,729	2.08	79.3
2083	projection	7,880,272	4.0–16.3 million	112,098	58,949	2.06	79.5
2084	projection	7,923,178	4.0–16.4 million	111,773	60,169	2.06	79.7
2085	projection	7,969,835	4.0–16.7 million	111,488	61,422	2.05	79.8
2086	projection	8,015,644	4.0–17.2 million	111,371	62,647	2.04	80.0
2087	projection	8,058,184	4.0–17.3 million	111,198	63,830	2.03	80.1
2088	projection	8,094,482	4.0–18.0 million	110,831	64,972	2.02	80.3
2089	projection	8,131,344	3.9–18.4 million	110,406	66,111	2.02	80.4
2090	projection	8,165,041	3.9–18.5 million	109,876	67,186	2.01	80.6
2091	projection	8,199,662	3.9–18.6 million	109,562	68,239	2.00	80.7
2092	projection	8,229,547	4.0–18.9 million	109,006	69,201	1.99	80.8
2093	projection	8,264,580	3.9–19.4 million	108,685	70,182	1.99	81.0
2094	projection	8,290,043	3.9–19.4 million	108,141	71,056	1.98	81.1
2095	projection	8,315,766	3.8–20.0 million	107,572	71,893	1.98	81.3
2096	projection	8,341,752	3.8–20.4 million	107,084	72,631	1.97	81.4
2097	projection	8,363,685	3.8–20.7 million	106,422	73,384	1.96	81.6
2098	projection	8,385,985	3.8–21.5 million	105,767	74,029	1.96	81.7
2099	projection	8,408,706	3.7–21.9 million	105,263	74,688	1.95	81.8
2100	projection	8,433,227	3.7–22.2 million	104,780	75,307	1.95	82.0

Show the numbers: Eritrea, mid-2026, by single year of age

Eritrea: population by single year of age, mid-2026
Age	Male	Female
0	51,594	50,316
1	50,254	49,070
2	48,933	47,798
3	47,752	46,653
4	46,900	45,855
5	46,012	45,030
6	45,213	44,274
7	44,497	43,616
8	43,904	43,078
9	43,702	42,912
10	43,721	42,951
11	44,068	43,306
12	44,345	43,594
13	44,402	43,673
14	44,568	43,870
15	44,472	43,822
16	44,268	43,668
17	43,598	43,050
18	42,727	42,228
19	42,540	42,072
20	42,118	41,688
21	41,212	40,830
22	39,299	38,968
23	37,227	36,930
24	35,335	35,050
25	33,660	33,374
26	32,609	32,319
27	31,660	31,382
28	31,126	30,849
29	30,868	30,599
30	28,352	28,115
31	25,392	25,190
32	23,652	23,493
33	21,935	21,832
34	20,864	20,834
35	19,863	19,933
36	19,176	19,370
37	18,530	18,821
38	17,929	18,310
39	17,024	17,543
40	15,838	16,436
41	14,802	15,439
42	13,956	14,689
43	13,551	14,391
44	13,546	14,526
45	13,484	14,650
46	13,240	14,605
47	12,911	14,467
48	12,612	14,324
49	12,372	14,186
50	12,022	13,870
51	11,508	13,339
52	11,051	12,865
53	10,722	12,538
54	10,466	12,294
55	10,214	12,061
56	9,866	11,724
57	9,479	11,338
58	9,125	10,980
59	8,697	10,527
60	8,244	10,043
61	7,860	9,634
62	7,482	9,240
63	7,098	8,846
64	6,684	8,414
65	6,262	7,964
66	5,893	7,570
67	5,435	7,064
68	4,868	6,411
69	4,422	5,889
70	4,137	5,563
71	3,887	5,282
72	3,604	4,956
73	3,299	4,590
74	2,988	4,209
75	2,646	3,802
76	2,584	3,636
77	2,520	3,430
78	2,312	3,133
79	2,129	2,902
80	1,859	2,564
81	1,643	2,297
82	1,436	2,038
83	1,197	1,729
84	982	1,448
85	792	1,195
86	629	971
87	489	779
88	373	613
89	274	471
90	196	352
91	136	256
92	92	184
93	59	126
94	36	83
95	20	53
96	10	32
97	4	18
98	1	10
99	0	4
100+	0	2

ERI · 1950–2100 · every age, every year

Eritrea, every age in every year

Each column is a year and each row an age; the denser the ink in a cell, the more people. Everyone born in the same year climbs one 45° diagonal, so famines, baby booms and migration show up as streaks. Select a cell to follow its generation.

ERI · ages 15–64

Who does the work in Eritrea

In Eritrea the number of people aged 15–64 is still growing in 2100, the last year the UN projects. In 2023 there were 1,984,080 of them.

100 aged 15–64

68 children

7 aged 65+

aged 15–64 children under 15 aged 65 and over

How to read this: take 100 people of working age — the orange row — and the two rows under it are the children (teal) and the people of 65 and over (violet) who lived alongside them in 2023.

At no point between 1950 and 2100 do fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people aged 15–64 here.

fewer than 50 dependants per 100 the same, projected 50 or more

How to read this: one stripe a year from 1950 to 2100. A stripe takes colour in a year when fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people of working age, and stays grey otherwise; hatching means the year is projected.

How every country compares

ERI · arrivals minus departures

Who arrives in Eritrea, and who leaves

In 2020–2025 Eritrea loses 14,182 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 20–24, at 2,687 a year more leaving than arriving.

one square = 500 people a year

020406080+

more arrive than leave more leave than arrive

How to read this: age runs left to right, babies to 100. A blue square above the line means arrivals outnumber departures at that age, an orange square below it means the opposite. The figures are the UN's projection for 2020–2025; nobody recorded migration by age before 2020.

Across the counted years, 1950 to 2023, its biggest single-year gain was 136,105 (1995); its biggest loss, 328,546 (1991).

In 2024, 12,512 people living in Eritrea had been born in another country, fewer than 1 of every 100 people there, against fewer than 1 in 1990.

How migration works everywhere

ERI · births by the mother's age · 1950–2100

Who has the babies in Eritrea

Of every 100 babies born in Eritrea in 2023, 14 had a mother under 20, 72 a mother aged 20 to 34 and 14 a mother aged 35 or older. In 1950 it was 15 under 20 and 21 aged 35 or older.

1950
15 · 64 · 21

2023
14 · 72 · 14

2050 · projected
11 · 72 · 17

The mother's age: under 20 20 to 34 35 or older projected

How to read this: one block a year, 100 squares in each, a square for every hundredth baby. The colour is the mother's age group, and the three numbers underneath are those groups in order, youngest first.

Babies born, 2023: 99,058
Average age when women have a baby: 29.2 years; 30.7 in 1950
Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19: 65; 121 in 1950

Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100

Babies born in Eritrea by the mother's age
Mother's age	1950	1975	2000	2023	2050 projected	2100 projected
10–14	308	789	487	291	196	56
15–19	5,204	6,484	9,819	13,663	12,378	5,633
20–24	7,586	12,414	20,692	29,206	31,301	20,772
25–29	8,247	14,532	20,257	25,779	29,591	29,655
30–34	7,123	13,934	16,595	16,759	23,787	28,709
35–39	4,949	10,228	11,201	9,315	14,515	15,803
40–44	2,107	4,902	4,990	3,385	4,598	3,834
45–49	655	1,191	1,215	634	516	302
50–54	34	59	62	26	24	16
All babies	36,213	64,533	85,318	99,058	116,906	104,780

The UN's births for each year, split by the mother's age in the UN's own proportions.

ERI · healthy years · 2021

Years in good health in Eritrea

A baby born in Eritrea in 2021 could expect 63.6 years of life, 55.4 of them in full health (95% range 54.7–56.3). The years in less than full health come to 8.2, below the world's 9.5: shorter lives leave fewer years in which to be ill.

Women

57.2 in full health, 9.0 not: 66.2 years

Men

53.7 in full health, 7.2 not: 60.9 years

a year in full health a year in less than full health

How to read this: each square is a year of life, each row ten years; filled squares are years in full health, rounded to whole years.

Women: 57.2 healthy years of 66.2. Men: 53.7 of 60.9.

ERI · forced from home · end of 2025

Displacement in Eritrea

At the end of 2025, Eritrea was hosting 119 people who had crossed a border into it, fewer than 1 in every 10,000 people living there.

hosted from abroad119
Eritrea nationals abroad673,335

stayed inside their own country crossed a border

How to read this: one square stands for 20,000 people, so the rows can be compared with one another. The last row is people from Eritrea living in another country, wherever they are. An outlined square means fewer people than one square stands for.

In 2025, 54,240 people from Eritrea asked for asylum in another country. Of every 100 people from Eritrea whose claims were decided that year, 88 were given protection. Who asks for asylum, and who is given it

How the world's displacement is counted

ERI · of every 100 people

How people live in Eritrea

Of every 100 people in Eritrea in 2025, 40 lived in a city, 24 in a town or suburb and 36 in the countryside.

cities towns and suburbs rural areas

44.7 of every 100 have no electricity at home (2024). 85.7 of every 100 do not use the internet (2020).

How to read this: everyone here, shrunk to 100 squares, with the colour saying whether that hundredth person lives in a city, a town or the countryside. Every country is measured by the same rule.

How the world's people live

ERI · adults 25 and over · 2020

How far people in Eritrea went in school

Of every 100 adults in Eritrea in 2020, 55 never went to school and 13 finished upper secondary or went further.

55 never went to school 20 some primary 6 finished primary 6 finished lower secondary 9 finished upper secondary 4 studied after school

Among women, 43.4 of every 100 aged 25–29 never went to school, against 81.4 of every 100 aged 60–64; among men, 33.8 against 59.5.

Its people aged 15 to 64 are projected to be most numerous in 2080; the ones who finished upper secondary are still growing in 2100.

How to read this: every adult here as one of 100 squares. The stronger the colour, the further that person went in school (the Wittgenstein Centre, 2020).

How far the world's people went in school

ERI · cities · 2025

Cities in Eritrea

Eritrea had 10 cities in 2025, home to 1.4 million people. The largest, Massawa, holds 10 of every 100 people in Eritrea.

Massawa354,657
Keren256,896
Asmara228,270
Ghinda157,050
Barentu97,952
Teseney95,575
Nefasit70,862
Assab67,712
Dekemhare62,667
Agordat50,971

How to read this: the 10 biggest cities here in 2025, drawn on a single scale so the bars can be compared. Each is a built-up area on the UN's rule rather than a city government's patch.

All the world's cities

Apparatus

Sources and method

Every figure on this page comes from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024: the annual country tables (estimates to 2023, projections with 95% intervals from 2024), and the population by single year of age and sex for the pyramid.

The censuses, surveys and registers behind the UN's estimates for Eritrea are listed, source by source, on the UN's own data sources page.

Sources: UN WPP 2024 · World Bank · UNHCR · country code lists · UN WUP 2025 · Wittgenstein Centre · WHO GHO · flag-icons · Natural Earth. Every source, its licence and how to cite it →

Checked before it was drawn

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries The pyramid for every year was checked against the published total. What that stamp counts, and what every page here has to pass before it can be built: how this site checks its figures.