Eritrea (State of Eritrea)

http://www.humantruth.info/eritrea.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Eritrea State of Eritrea
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	175th best
Capital	Asmara
Land Area	101 000km²₁
Location	Africa
Population	3.5m₂
Life Expectancy	66.54yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$1 729 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	ER, ERI, 232₅
Internet Domain	.er₆
Currency	Nakfa (ERN)₇
Telephone	+291₈

1. Overview

#eritrea #ethiopia

"Eritrea remains a one-man dictatorship under President Isaias Afewerki, now in his 26th year in power. It has no legislature, no independent civil society organizations or media outlets, and no independent judiciary"₉.

“The UN established Eritrea as an autonomous region within the Ethiopian federation in 1952. Ethiopia's full annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a violent 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating government forces. Eritreans overwhelmingly approved independence in a 1993 referendum. ISAIAS Afworki has been Eritrea's only president since independence; his rule, particularly since 2001, has been highly autocratic and repressive. His government has created a highly militarized society by pursuing an unpopular program of mandatory conscription into national service, sometimes of indefinite length. A two-and-a-half-year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices in December 2000. The Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) created in April 2003 was tasked "to delimit and demarcate the colonial treaty border based on pertinent colonial treaties (1900, 1902, and 1908) and applicable international law." Eritrea for several years hosted a UN peacekeeping operation that monitored a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone. The EEBC on 30 November 2007 remotely demarcated the border, assigning the town of Badme to Eritrea, despite Ethiopia's maintaining forces there from the time of the 1998-2000 war. An increasingly hostile Eritrea insisted that the UN terminate its peacekeeping mission on 31 July 2008. Eritrea has accepted the EEBC's "virtual demarcation" decision and repeatedly called on Ethiopia to remove its troops. Ethiopia has not accepted the demarcation decision, and neither party has entered into meaningful dialogue to resolve the impasse. Eritrea is subject to several UN Security Council Resolutions (from 2009, 2011, and 2012) imposing various military and economic sanctions, in view of evidence that it has supported armed opposition groups in the region.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₁₀

“Eritrea, a mere sliver on the Horn of Africa, boasts a wealth of culture, history and natural beauty for travellers to experience. Historically intriguing, culturally compelling and scenically magical, Eritrea is one of the most secretive countries in Africa. For those who have a hankering for off-the-beaten-track places, it offers challenges and excitement aplenty, with a unique blend of natural and cultural highlights. The country wows visitors with its awesome scenery, from the quintessentially Abyssinian landscapes - escarpments, plateaus and soaring peaks - to the deserted beaches of the Red Sea coast.Culturally, Eritrea is a melting pot. It might be a tiddler of a country by Africa´s standards, but it hosts a kaleidoscopic range of ethnic groups who have contributed to a cultural fabric that ranges from rock-cut monasteries and Ottoman-era harbour towns, to the evening passeggiata on Asmara´s main thoroughfare.
Despite its human and natural riches, Eritrea endures the tough political and economic landscape and travellers are severely restricted. Nonetheless, this country remains one of the most inspiring destinations in Africa.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₁

“Largely because of the oppressive nature of the Isaias rule and the prolonged national service, about 12 percent of Eritrea´s population has fled the country. In2016 alone, 52,000 escaped, according to the latest United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report.”
"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₉

2. Eritrea National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Value₁₂
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
173	Madagascar	0.501
174	Gambia	0.500
175	Ethiopia	0.498
176	Eritrea	0.492
177	Guinea-Bissau	0.483
178	Liberia	0.481
179	Congo, DR	0.479
180	Afghanistan	0.478
	Africa Avg	0.56
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₂
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
177	Burkina Faso	$2 118
178	Guinea-Bissau	$1 908
179	Afghanistan	$1 824
180	Eritrea	$1 729
181	Sierra Leone	$1 622
182	Madagascar	$1 484
183	Malawi	$1 466
184	Chad	$1 364
	Africa Avg	$5 339
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₃
1	Norway	25.2
2	Denmark	26.1
3	Taiwan	26.6
	...
172	N. Korea	95.0
173	Tuvalu	95.2
174	S. Sudan	95.5
175	Eritrea	96.0
176	Pakistan	96.3
177	Guinea-Bissau	96.9
178	Zimbabwe	97.3
179	Congo, (Brazzaville)	97.5
	Africa Avg	89.0
	World Avg	70.6
q=195.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Eritrea's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population

Population:

Eritrea's population is predicted to rise to 8.394 million by 2030. These millions of extra people will all need space to live, food to eat, energy to consume, and will increase the burden on the planet's resources. This country has a fertility rate of 4.28. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Population₂
Pos.		2018 Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
129	Kuwait	4.1m
130	Moldova	4.1m
131	Georgia	4.0m
132	Eritrea	3.5m
133	Uruguay	3.4m
134	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3.3m
135	Mongolia	3.2m
136	Armenia	3.0m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₂
Pos.		2021 Years₁₂
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
137	India	67.2
138	Fiji	67.1
139	Senegal	67.1
140	Eritrea	66.5
141	Tanzania	66.2
142	Pakistan	66.1
143	Rwanda	66.1
144	Palau	66.0
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₁₄
Pos.		2013₁₄
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
143	Solomon Islands	4.08
144	Burundi	4.10
145	Ivory Coast	4.27
146	Eritrea	4.28
147	Palestine	4.31
148	Cameroon	4.33
149	Mauritania	4.40
150	Congo, (Brazzaville)	4.46
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better₁₅
Pos.		2016 Per 100₁₅
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
4	Burkina Faso	04.7
5	Sierra Leone	04.8
6	Zambia	04.8
7	Eritrea	04.9
8	Gambia	04.9
9	Angola	05.0
10	Afghanistan	05.0
11	Zimbabwe	05.0
12	Nigeria	05.1
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants₁₆
Pos.		2017 %₁₆
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
178	Afghanistan	0.4%
179	Haiti	0.4%
180	Brazil	0.4%
181	Eritrea	0.3%
182	Somalia	0.3%
183	Lesotho	0.3%
184	Peru	0.3%
185	Colombia	0.3%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants₁₇
Pos.		2010 %₁₇
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
30	El Salvador	20.5%
31	Micronesia	19.7%
32	Belarus	18.4%
33	Eritrea	18.0%
34	Croatia	17.1%
35	Liechtenstein	17.1%
36	Cyprus	17.0%
37	Marshall Islands	16.6%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #eritrea #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₁₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₈
1	Sweden	9.2
2	Norway	14.7
3	Denmark	14.7
	...
183	Palestine	138.0
184	Vanuatu	138.2
185	Kiribati	138.4
186	Eritrea	139.8
187	Afghanistan	140.8
188	Djibouti	140.9
	Africa Avg	108.4
	World Avg	87.7
q=199.

Eritrea is amongst the worst places in the world at ensuring human rights and freedom, and it has severe cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Eritrea does better than average when it comes to speed of uptake of HR treaties₁₉. But that's it. Eritrea has problems. It does worse than average in terms of LGBT equality₂₀, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₁ (amongst the worst in Africa) and in freethought₂₂ (one of the worst in Africa). It sits amongst the bottom 20 in terms of commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₃. And finally, it is the worst in supporting press freedom₂₄. In 2001, "the government closed all independent newspapers and arrested their editors and leading journalists. None were brought to trial. They remain in solitary detention. There are reliable reports that about half of them had died"₉. "Eritreans are subject to arbitrary imprisonment. Arrest and harsh punishment including torture, are at the whim of security force commanders without trial or appeal"₉.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Eritrea

5. Eritrea's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #Eritrea #health #life_expectancy #longevity #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #vaccines

Compared to Africa (2020)₂₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₅
1	Mauritius	64.5
2	Morocco	73.1
3	Eritrea	77.0
4	Tunisia	80.1
5	Algeria	87.3
6	Burundi	87.4
7	Libya	90.5
8	Sudan	91.2
9	Rwanda	91.9
10	Ethiopia	93.3
11	Sao Tome & Principe	93.6
12	Djibouti	95.7
13	Cape Verde	97.3
	Africa Avg	108.2
q=54.

Health (2020)₂₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₅
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Hong Kong	18.3
3	Maldives	41.0
	...
35	UAE	75.8
36	Iceland	76.9
37	Netherlands	77.0
38	Eritrea	77.0
39	Bahrain	77.3
40	Greece	77.4
41	Belgium	77.9
42	Armenia	78.4
	World Avg	93.5
q=196.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Hong Kong and The Maldives₂₆. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, S. Sudan and Palau₂₆.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and The Mediterranean₂₆, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa₂₆.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Health:

Eritrea does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Eritrea does better than average in its smoking rate₂₇, its alcohol consumption rate₂₈ and in its immunizations take-up₂₉. But, things still need to improve in Eritrea. Eritrea does worse than average in terms of its adolescent birth rate₃₀ (still good for Africa), its average life expectancy₁₂ (still good for Africa) and in its fertility rate₁₄. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the past 40 years. Life expectancy in Eritrea in 1990 was 49.8yrs, lower than the global average of 64.6, and in 1999 it had the 3rd worst in the world. But it improved greatly, by +17.5yrs, in the 30 years from then, well over double the global average improvement of +7.9yrs.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₂
Pos.		2021 Years₁₂
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
137	India	67.2
138	Fiji	67.1
139	Senegal	67.1
140	Eritrea	66.5
141	Tanzania	66.2
142	Pakistan	66.1
143	Rwanda	66.1
144	Palau	66.0
	Africa Avg	62.79
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better₂₈
Pos.		2016 Per Capita₂₈
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
28	Iran	1.0
29	Vanuatu	1.0
30	Papua New Guinea	1.2
31	Eritrea	1.3
32	Guinea	1.3
33	Mali	1.3
34	Solomon Islands	1.4
35	Tonga	1.5
	Africa Avg	4.8
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₁₄
Pos.		2013₁₄
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
143	Solomon Islands	4.08
144	Burundi	4.10
145	Ivory Coast	4.27
146	Eritrea	4.28
147	Palestine	4.31
148	Cameroon	4.33
149	Mauritania	4.40
150	Congo, (Brazzaville)	4.46
	Africa Avg	4.31
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates Lower is better₂₇
Pos.		2014₂₇
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
22	Niger	105
23	Sao Tome & Principe	111
24	India	111
25	Eritrea	114
26	Haiti	114
27	Peru	116
28	Somalia	117
29	Ghana	121
	Africa Avg	340
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Overweight Adults Lower is better₃₁
Pos.		2016 %₃₁
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
4	Ethiopia	20.9
5	Nepal	21.0
6	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	21.6
7	Cambodia	21.7
8	Niger	22.0
9	Eritrea	22.0
10	Burundi	22.2
11	Uganda	22.4
12	Afghanistan	23.0
	Africa Avg	33.3
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better₃₀
Pos.		2015 Per 1000₃₀
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
112	Cambodia	51.6
113	Egypt	51.9
114	St Lucia	53.9
115	Eritrea	54.3
116	Papua New Guinea	54.8
117	Uruguay	56.1
118	Costa Rica	56.5
119	Seychelles	57.4
	Africa Avg	87.5
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better₂₉
Pos.		2015 Avg %₂₉
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
70	Belize	95.1
71	Algeria	95.0
72	Tuvalu	94.9
73	Eritrea	94.7
74	Singapore	94.6
75	UK	94.6
76	Solomon Islands	94.5
77	Norway	94.3
	Africa Avg	81.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Eritrea's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #technology #the_internet

Compared to Africa (2020)₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₂
1	S. Africa	52.8
2	Egypt	70.4
3	Tunisia	73.4
	...
45	Central African Rep.	146.3
46	Equatorial Guinea	149.3
47	Chad	150.6
48	Niger	151.0
49	Guinea	157.5
50	Comoros	160.5
51	S. Sudan	164.0
52	Sierra Leone	167.8
53	Eritrea	193.5
	Africa Avg	120.7
q=53.

Modernity & Learning (2020)₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₂
1	Finland	8.4
2	Taiwan	10.0
3	Switzerland	15.1
	...
198	Niger	151.0
199	Solomon Islands	152.7
200	Haiti	153.8
201	Guinea	157.5
202	Comoros	160.5
203	S. Sudan	164.0
204	Sierra Leone	167.8
205	Eritrea	193.5
	World Avg	83.2
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Length of Schooling Higher is better₃₃
Pos.		2021 Years₃₃
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
183	Yemen	9.1
184	Senegal	9.0
185	Pakistan	8.7
186	Eritrea	8.1
187	Central African Rep.	8.0
188	Chad	8.0
189	Sudan	7.9
190	Djibouti	7.4
	Africa Avg	11.0
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users Higher is better₃₄
Pos.		2016₃₄
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
194	Myanmar (Burma)	3%
195	Sierra Leone	2%
196	Niger	2%
197	Guinea	2%
198	Somalia	2%
199	Burundi	2%
200	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	1%
201	Eritrea	1%
	Africa Avg	18.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

7. National Culture

#corruption #politics

Eritrea has a consistently awful long-term record on corruption, with only a few signs of improvement.

Corruption Higher is better₃₅
Pos.		2022 Points₃₅
1	Denmark	90.0
2	Finland	87.0
3	New Zealand	87.0
	...
160	Honduras	23.0
161	Iraq	23.0
162	Sudan	22.0
163	Eritrea	22.0
164	Congo, (Brazzaville)	21.0
165	Guinea-Bissau	21.0
166	Congo, DR	20.0
167	Nicaragua	19.0
	Africa Avg	32.31
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

8. Peace Versus Instability

#2010s #human_development #peace #politics

Global Peace Index Lower is better₃₆
Pos.		2023 Score₃₆
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
130	S. Africa	2.41
131	USA	2.45
132	Brazil	2.46
133	Eritrea	2.51
134	Palestine	2.54
135	Lebanon	2.58
136	Mexico	2.60
137	Libya	2.61
	Africa Avg	2.29
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 Higher is better₃₇
Pos.		2015 %₃₇
1	Iceland	+205.6
2	Bahrain	+144.4
3	Uruguay	+131.3
	...
128	Solomon Islands	-06.0
129	Mauritius	-06.1
130	Kenya	-06.6
131	Eritrea	-06.8
132	St Lucia	-06.9
133	Portugal	-07.5
134	Zambia	-07.9
135	Brunei	-08.0
	Africa Avg	-08.0
	World Avg	+02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance Higher is better₃₈
Pos.		2018₃₈
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
162	Swaziland	40.3
163	Djibouti	40.0
164	Papua New Guinea	39.4
165	Eritrea	39.3
166	Mauritania	39.2
167	Benin	38.2
168	Afghanistan	37.7
169	Pakistan	37.5
	Africa Avg	46.4
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Convention on Biological Diversity Earlier is better
Pos.		0 Signed
1	China	1993 Dec 29
2	Guinea	1993 Dec 29
3	Cook Islands	1993 Dec 29
	...
143	Niue	1996 May 28
144	Madagascar	1996 Jun 02
145	Tanzania	1996 Jun 06
146	Eritrea	1996 Jun 19
147	Ireland	1996 Jun 20
148	Bulgaria	1996 Jul 16
149	Rwanda	1996 Aug 27
150	St Vincent & Grenadines	1996 Sep 01
	Africa Avg	1899 Dec 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#health #inequality #life_expectancy

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better₃₉
Pos.		2019₃₉
1	Iceland	2.40
2	Singapore	2.50
3	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
131	India	19.70
132	Madagascar	21.10
133	Senegal	21.20
134	Eritrea	21.40
135	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	21.70
136	Namibia	22.10
137	Kenya	22.50
138	Bolivia	22.50
	Africa Avg	26.10
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #eritrea #hinduism #islam #judaism

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₄₀:

Christian	62.9%
Muslim	36.6%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.4%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	0.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant₄₁.

Freedom of Religion and Belief: The government does not respect its peoples' right to freedom of religion and belief. In recent years there has been an "increase in serious government violations of religious freedom, including mass arrests, torture and death for members of minority belief groups"₄₂. Since 2002, only four official religious groups have been allowed to exist (Sunni Islam, Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Evangelical (Lutheran)₉_,₄₃ and the government controls them closely. Failure to be a member of one of them is enough to be denied government services, and sometimes even arrested on the spot₄₂.

Links:

There isn't much information in the database for Eritrea, most likely because it is either a part of another country (i.e., a territory or possession) and therefore most international statistics are counted for the country as a whole, or, this is such an exotic place that little data exists about it.