STATISTICS: ERITREA

Eritrea Official name: State of Eritrea. Form of government: transitional regime with one interim legislative body (Transitional National Assembly {1}). Head of state and government: President. Capital: Asmara. Official language: none. Official religion: none. Monetary unit: Nafka{2} = 100 cents; valuation (Dec. 31, 1997) 1 U.S.$ = Br 7.28; 1 = Br 12.39. Demography Population (1998): 3,842,000. Density (1998): persons per sq mi 82.1, persons per sq km 31.7. Urban-rural (1992): urban 16.3%; rural 83.7%. Sex distribution (1997): male 50.00%; female 50.00%. Age breakdown (1997): under 15, 42.8%; 15-29, 29.3%; 30-44, 13.6%; 45-59, 9.1%; 60-74, 4.2%; 75 and over, 1.0%. Population projection: (2000) 4,142,000; (2010) 5,737,000. Doubling time: 28 years. Linguistic composition (1976): Tigrinya 49.0%; Tigr 31.7%; Afar 4.3%; Hedareb 3.9%; Bilen 3.1%; Saho 3.0%; Kunama 2.7%; Nara 2.1%; Rashaida 0.3%. Religious affiliation (1995): Muslim 69.3%; Christian 30.7% (almost all Eritrean Orthodox). Major cities (1992): Asmara 400,000; Asseb 50,000; Keren 40,000; Massawa 40,000; Mendefera 14,833{3}. Vital statistics Birth rate per 1,000 population (1995-2000): 39.8 (world avg. 25.0). Death rate per 1,000 population (1995-2000): 14.7 (world avg. 9.3). Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1995-2000): 25.1 (world avg. 15.7). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1995-2000): 5.3. Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1992): 6.8. Divorce rate per 1,000 population: n.a. Life expectancy at birth (1995-2000): male 49.1 years; female 52.1 years. Major causes of death per 100,000 population: n.a.; morbidity (principal causes of illness) arises mainly in malaria and other infectious diseases, parasitic infections, malnutrition, diarrheal diseases, and dysenteries. National economy Budget (1995). Revenue: Br 1,345,200,000 (taxes 53.2%, of which direct taxes 25.3%, import duties 16.7%, indirect taxes 11.2%; nontax revenue 46.8%). Expenditures: Br 2,657,100,000 (current expenditure 80.2%, of which materials 32.0%, wages and salaries 24.3%; capital 19.8%). Public debt (external, outstanding; 1996); U.S.$45,900,000. Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1996): cereals 124,000, roots and tubers 110,000, sorghum 80,000, millet 35,000, barley 35,000, pulses 33,000, vegetables and melons 30,000, wheat 12,000, corn (maize) 10,000, sesame seeds 7,000, dry beans 4,000, chickpeas 4,000; livestock (number of live animals) 1,530,000 sheep, 1,400,000 goats, 1,320,000 cattle, 69,000 camels; fish catch (1995) 3,773, of which artisanal fisheries 746. Mining and quarrying (1995): salt 305,120; marble and granite are quarried, as are sand and aggregate (gravel) for construction; deposits of copper, zinc, mica, gold, iron, manganese, nickel, and lead exist but remain unexploited. Manufacturing (gross value in Br '000; 1995): beverages 163,400; food products 122,000; chemical products 101,900; leather products and shoes 57,900; textile products 54,300; metal products 47,000; nonmetallic products 31,300; paper and printing products 19,100; tobacco and matches 13,400. Construction: reconstruction, after some 30 years of civil war, is a principal concern of the government. Energy production: energy resources include hydroelectricity, fossil fuels, geothermal power, coal, biogas, solar power, and wind; commercial electricity production for 1986-87 was 148,664,000 kW-hr. Household income and expenditure. Average household size (1984) 4.5; average annual income per household: n.a.; sources of income: n.a.; expenditure: n.a. Persons economically active: n.a. Gross national product (at current market prices; 1996): U.S.$807,000,000 (U.S.$220 per capita). Tourism (1993): 12 major hotels. Land use (1994): forested 7.3%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 5.1%; meadows and pastures 69.0%; other (predominantly barren land) 18.6%. Foreign trade Imports (1995): Br 2,608,500,000 (machinery and transport equipment 45.2%, manufactured goods 19.1%, food products 17.1%, chemical products 6.0%, raw materials 2.5%, petroleum and petroleum products 1.9%, animal and vegetable oils 1.2%). Major import sources: Saudi Arabia 19.6%{4}; Italy 17.5%; United Arab Emirates 9.2%; Germany 5.9%; United States 5.9%; Ethiopia 5.5%; United Kingdom 3.8%; The Sudan 3.0%. Exports (1995): Br 529,500,000 (raw materials 29.8%, food products 26.2%, manufactured goods 19.3%, beverages and tobacco 3.8%, machinery and transport equipment 3.8%, chemical products 2.5%). Major export destinations: Ethiopia 63.3%; The Sudan 16.4%; Yemen 4.9%; Saudi Arabia 3.7%; Italy 2.2%: Germany 0.5%. Transport Transport. Railroads (1997): a 190-mi (306-km) rail line that formerly connected Massawa and Agordat is currently under reconstruction. A 24-mi (38-km) section between Amatere and Demas townships was reopened on Jan. 4, 1997. Roads (1995): total length 2,442 mi, 3,930 km (paved 21%). Vehicles (1995): automobiles 5,350, trucks and buses, n.a. Merchant marine: vessels (100 gross tons and over) n.a. Air transport (1993){5}: passenger arrivals 47,645{6}, passenger departures 42,548{6}; short ton cargo handled 25,907{7}, metric ton cargo handled 28,557{7}; airports (1997) with scheduled flights 2. Education and health Literacy (1993): total population literate c. 20%. Health (1993): physicians 69 (1 per 36,000 persons); hospital beds (1986-87): 2,449 (1 per 1,100 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (1995-2000) 98.0. Food (1993): daily per capita caloric intake 1,750 (vegetable and animal products, n.a.): 93% of FAO recommended minimum requirement. Military Total active duty personnel (1997): estimated strength of Eritrean armed forces (predominantly former guerrillas) is some 45,000 to be reduced to 35,000. {1} New constitution adopted on May 23, 1997; future scheduled election date for permanent legislature not set in September 1998. {2} The Nakfa was introduced in July 1997 as the new national currency; the Ethiopian birr (Br) will eventually be phased out. {3} 1989. {4} Saudi Arabia is a transshipment point; not all goods included here are of Saudi Arabian origin. {5} Asmara airport only. {6} January to June only. {7} 1987-88.