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Sheet 53 of 195 · AfricaERI · 16.0°N 38.1°E

Eritrea

State of Eritrea

Capital
Asmara
Population
3.61 million 2025
Area
117,600 km²
Neighbours
3
Locator map of EritreaERITREAAsmaraSUDANETHIOPIADJIBOUTIYEMENSAUDI ARABIARed Sea0200 km
Eritrea hatched, Asmara marked with a triangle, land neighbours shaded. Orthographic projection centred on 15.2°N 39.8°E; the scale bar is true at the centre.

Eritrea is a country in Eastern Africa bordered by Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan. Its area of 117,600 km² puts it 99th in the world and 37th of 54 in Africa.

Its population was 3.61 million in 2025 (World Bank), the 65th-smallest of the 194 countries with data. That works out at 31 people per km². Most people live outside urban areas: the urban share was 34.5% in 2025.

Life expectancy at birth was 68.9 years in 2024. 14.3% of people used the internet in 2020. The latest World Bank figures for GDP (2011) and GDP per capita (2011) are older than 2018, so they appear in the table with their year but are not ranked or compared here.

Its main landmass lies entirely in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres. North to south it runs about 626 km, between 12.4°N and 18.0°N. Asmara's antipode is in the South Pacific Ocean, about 170 km from French Polynesia, the nearest land.

How it compares Africa: 54 countries

MeasureFigureWorldAfrica
Population3,607,0032025, World Bank130th of 19440th of 54
Area117,600 km²world-countries99th of 19537th of 54
GDPUS$2.1 billion2011, World Bank, current US$; older than 2018, not ranked——
GDP per capitaUS$6892011, World Bank, current US$; older than 2018, not ranked——
Population density31 per km²population 2025, World Bank; area, world-countries150th of 19440th of 54
Life expectancy68.9 years2024, World Bank138th of 19411th of 54
Urban population34.5%2025, World Bank163rd of 19440th of 54
Forest area12.0% of land2024, World Bank146th of 19437th of 54
Population growth+2.00% a year2025, World Bank49th of 19436th of 54
Internet users14.3%2020, World Bank183rd of 18848th of 53
Fertility rate3.68 births per woman2024, World Bank36th of 19433rd of 54
Land neighbours3world-countries; among the 19583rd of 19531st of 54
 Ranks run from the largest value (1st) among the countries with data; equal values share a rank.

Closest in areaMalawi, North Korea and Benin

Closest in populationMongolia, Uruguay and Croatia

Neighbours 3 countries by land, nearest capital first

  • Djibouti617 km
    Asmara to Djibouti, capital to capital
  • Sudan687 km
    Asmara to Khartoum, capital to capital
  • Ethiopia701 km
    Asmara to Addis Ababa, capital to capital

Where on Earth main landmass

Hemispheres
Northern and Eastern
Capital
Asmara
15.33°N 38.93°E
Northernmost latitude
18.01°N
Southernmost latitude
12.38°N
Westernmost longitude
36.43°E
Easternmost longitude
43.12°E
North to south
about 626 km
Antipode of Asmara
15.33°S 141.07°W
in the South Pacific Ocean, about 170 km from the nearest land (French Polynesia)