Demographics of Eritrea
has an estimated population of approximately 5,750,433 in 2019. The population has doubled over the past 30 years, with an accelerating growth rate estimated at close to 3.2% p.a. during 2005-2010.
The nation has nine recognized ethnic groups. According to SIL Ethnologue, Tigriniya make up about 55% of the population; the Tigre people make up about 40% of population, who also speak a Semitic language, constitute around 40% of residents. Most of the rest of the population belong to other Afro-Asiatic-speaking communities of the Cushitic branch. Additionally, there are a number of Nilo-Saharan-speaking ethnic minorities and other smaller groups.
A majority of Eritrea's population adheres to Abrahamic religions. The two most followed religions are Christianity and Islam, which have an almost equal number of followers.
Ethno-linguistic groups
Eritrea's population comprises nine recognized ethnic groups, most of whom speak languages from the Ethiopian Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. The East African Semitic languages spoken in Eritrea are Tigre, Tigrinya, and the newly recognized Dahlik. Other Afro-Asiatic languages belonging to the Cushitic branch are also widely spoken in the country. The latter include Afar, Beja, Blin, and Saho.In addition, languages belonging to the Nilo-Saharan language family are spoken as a mother tongue by the Kunama and Nara Nilotic ethnic minorities that live in the north and northwestern part of the country. The Rashaida speak Arabic, while there are also a number of Italians who speak their native Italian language.
Afro-Asiatic communities
Semitic speakers
Tigrinya
The majority of the Tigrinya inhabit the highlands of Eritrea; however, migration to other parts of the country has occurred. Their language is called Tigrinya. They are the largest ethnic group in the country, constituting about 60% of the population. The predominantly Tigrinya populated urban centers in Eritrea are the capital Asmara, Mendefera, Dekemhare, Adi Keyh, Adi Quala and Senafe, while there is a significant population of Tigrinya in other cities including Keren, and Massawa.They are 96% Christians,, and 5% belonging to various Protestant and other Christian denominations, the majority of which belong to the.
Tigre
The Tigre reside in the western lowlands in Eritrea. Many also migrated to Sudan at the time of the Ethiopian-Eritrean conflict and lived there since. They are a nomadic and pastoralist people, related to the Tigrinya and to the Beja people. They are a predominantly Muslim nomadic people who inhabit the northern, western, and coastal lowlands of Eritrea, where they constitute 30% of local residents. Some also inhabit areas in eastern Sudan. 95% of the Tigre people adhere to the Islamic religion Sunni Islam, but there are a small number of Christians among them as well. Their language is called Tigre.Rashaida
The Rashaida are one of Eritrea's nine recognized ethnic groups. They represent around 2% of the population of Eritrea. The Rashaida reside in the northern coastal lowlands of Eritrea and the northern eastern coasts of Sudan. They are predominantly Muslim and are the only ethnic group in Eritrea to have Arabic as their communal language, specifically the Hejazi dialect. The Rashaida first came to Eritrea in the 19th century from the Arabian Coast.Jeberti
The Jeberti people in Eritrea trace descent from early Muslim adherents. The term Jeberti is also locally sometimes used to generically refer to all Islamic inhabitants of the highlands. The Jeberti in Eritrea speak Arabic and Tigrinya. They account for about 4% of the Tigrinya speakers in the nation.Cushitic speakers
Afar
According to the CIA, the Afar constitute under 5% of the nation's population. They live in the Debubawi Keyih Bahri Region of Eritrea, as well as the Afar Region in Ethiopia, and Djibouti. They speak the Afar language as a mother tongue, and are predominantly Muslim. Afars in Eritrea number about 397,000 individuals, the smallest population out of the countries they reside in. In Djibouti, there are about 780,000 group members, and in Ethiopia, they number approximately 1,300,000.Saho
The Saho represent 4% of Eritrea's population. They principally reside in the Debubawi Keyih Bahri Region and the Northern Red Sea Region of Eritrea. Their language is called Saho. They are predominantly Muslim, although a few Christians known as the Irob live in the Debub Region of Eritrea and the Tigray region of Ethiopia.Bilen
The Bilen in Eritrea represent around 2% of the country's population. They are primarily concentrated in the north-central areas, in and around the city of Keren, and south towards Asmara, the nation's capital. Many of them entered Eritrea from Kush in the 8th century and settled at Merara, after which they went to Lalibela and Lasta. The Bilen then returned to Axum in Ethiopia's Tigray Province, and battled with the natives; in the resulting aftermath, the Bilen returned to their main base at Merara. The Bilen include adherents of both Islam and Christianity. They speak the Bilen as a mother tongue. Christian adherents are mainly urban and have intermingled with the Tigrinya who live in the area. Muslim adherents are mainly rural and have interbred with the adjacent Tigre.Beja
The Beja in Eritrea, or Hedareb, constitute under 5% of local residents. They mainly live along the north-western border with Sudan. Group members are predominantly Muslim and communicate in Hedareb as a first or second language. The Beja also include the Beni-Amer people, who have retained their native Beja language alongside Hedareb.Nilo-Saharan communities
Kunama
According to the CIA, the Kunama constitute around 2% of Eritrea's population. They mainly live in the country's Gash Barka Region, as well as in adjacent parts of Ethiopia's Tigray Region. Many of them reside in the contested border village of Badme. Their language is called Kunama. Although some Kunama still practice traditional beliefs, most are converts to either Christianity or Islam.Nara
The Nara represent under 5% of the nation's population. They principally reside along the south-western border with Sudan and Ethiopia. They are generally Muslim, with a few Christians and some practising their indigenous beliefs. Their language is called Nara.Other communities
Italians
A few monolingual Italian Eritreans remain. As of 2008, they were estimated at 900 people, down from around 38,000 residents at the end of World War II.Religion
People in Eritrea practice various religions. According to the Pew Research Center, 62.9% of the population are Christian, mostly followers of Oriental Orthodoxy, and to a lesser extent, Roman Catholicism, with the second-largest denomination being Muslims. In general, most local residents who adhere to Christianity live in the Maekel and Debub regions, whereas those who follow Islam predominantly inhabit the Anseba, Northern Red Sea, Southern Red Sea and Gash-Barka regions. A few adherents of traditional faiths can also be found, particularly in the lowlands.Population
has an estimated population of approximately 5,750,433 in 2019. The population has doubled over the past 30 years, with an accelerating growth rate estimated at close to 3.2% p.a. during 2005-2010. In the 2010s, worsening conditions have fuelled migration pressure, with Eritreans trying to reach Europe illegally.The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 41.6%, 55.9% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 2.5% was 65 years or older.
| Total population | Population aged 0–14 | Population aged 15–64 | Population aged 65+ | |
| 1950 | 1 141 000 | 45.3 | 51.5 | 3.2 |
| 1955 | 1 264 000 | 44.9 | 52.1 | 3.0 |
| 1960 | 1 424 000 | 44.8 | 52.5 | 2.8 |
| 1965 | 1 619 000 | 44.7 | 52.7 | 2.6 |
| 1970 | 1 847 000 | 45.3 | 52.2 | 2.5 |
| 1975 | 2 115 000 | 45.4 | 52.1 | 2.5 |
| 1980 | 2 469 000 | 47.1 | 49.1 | 3.8 |
| 1985 | 2 806 000 | 47.8 | 49.2 | 3.0 |
| 1990 | 3 158 000 | 46.3 | 51.1 | 2.6 |
| 1995 | 3 213 000 | 47.0 | 50.5 | 2.5 |
| 2000 | 3 668 000 | 44.9 | 52.7 | 2.4 |
| 2005 | 4 486 000 | 42.0 | 55.7 | 2.4 |
| 2010 | 5 254 000 | 41.6 | 55.9 | 2.5 |
UN medium variant population projections as of 2010 expected a radically reduced growth rate of 2.0% during the 2020s and of 1.8% during the 2030s.
This was corrected as too optimistic an outlook in the 2012 edition, which now expected a more pessimistic, but still declining growth rate of 2.7% during the 2020s and of 2.4% during the 2030s.
Vital statistics
Registration of vital events in Eritrea is incomplete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates:Fertility and Births
Total Fertility Rate and Crude Birth Rate :| Year | Total CBR | Total TFR | Urban CBR | Urban TFR | Rural CBR | Rural TFR |
| 1995 | 37,5 | 6,10 | 29,3 | 4,23 | 40,3 | 6,99 |
| 2002 | 32 | 4,8 | 28 | 3,5 | 35 | 5,7 |
Fertility data as of 2002 :
| Zoba | Total fertility rate | Percentage of women age 15-49 currently pregnant | Mean number of children ever born to women age 40-49 |
| Debubawi Keih Bahri | 3.9 | 8.9 | 5.1 |
| Maekel | 3.4 | 7.1 | 4.8 |
| Semenawi Keih Bahri | 4.5 | 8.9 | 5.8 |
| Anseba | 5.6 | 8.8 | 6.3 |
| Gash-Barka | 5.1 | 10.2 | 6.3 |
| Debub | 5.7 | 9.5 | 6.6 |
Life expectancy
Demographic statistics
Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.- One birth every 3 minutes
- One death every 16 minutes
- One net migrant every 55 minutes
- Net gain of one person every 4 minutes
Population
Age structure
[Total fertility rate]
Birth rate
Death rate
[Population growth rate]
Median age
Mother's mean age at first birth
Contraceptive prevalence rate
Net migration rate
[Dependency ratio]s
Urbanization
Sex ratio
at birth:1.03 male/female
under 15 years:
1.01 male/female
15–64 years:
0.98 male/female
65 years and over:
0.93 male/female
total population:
0.99 male/female
Life expectancy at birth
[Nationality]
noun:Eritrean
adjective:
Eritrean