Eritrea (State of Eritrea)

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

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Eritrea State of Eritrea
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	196th 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	Denmark	27.0
2	Norway	29.9
3	Sweden	31.8
	...
192	Sudan	134.4
193	Equatorial Guinea	135.7
194	Angola	136.4
195	Vatican City	142.5
196	Eritrea	146.0
197	S. Sudan	150.8
198	Western Sahara	151.9
199	Somalia	158.4
	Africa Avg	119.0
	World Avg	88.6
q=199.

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 #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

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 3.79. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - 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 (two new children for each set of parents who die), 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. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₄

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 best₁₅
Pos.		2022₁₅
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
169	Yemen	3.72
170	Rwanda	3.75
171	Sao Tome & Principe	3.75
172	Eritrea	3.79
173	Madagascar	3.79
174	Malawi	3.85
175	Samoa	3.88
176	Sierra Leone	3.88
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better₁₆
Pos.		2016 Per 100₁₆
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
3=	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
10=	Zimbabwe	05.0
12	Nigeria	05.1
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants₁₇
Pos.		2017 %₁₇
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.

Emigrants₁₈
Pos.		2010 %₁₈
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 #eritrea_human_rights #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
193	Turkmenistan	145.8
194	Equatorial Guinea	146.0
195	Sudan	150.2
196	Eritrea	153.3
197	Afghanistan	155.8
198	N. Korea	162.3
	Africa Avg	110.04
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

Eritrea is amongst the very worst places in the world at ensuring any human rights and freedoms, and it has severe cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Eritrea does worse than average in LGBT equality₂₀, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₁ (one of the lowest 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 in its average Freedom in the World rating (one of the worst in Africa). It is second-from-the-bottom in eliminating modern slavery₂₄. And finally, it is the worst in supporting press freedom₂₅. 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 (2025)₂₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₆
1	Tunisia	69.2
2	Mauritius	69.2
3	Seychelles	84.8
	...
9	Egypt	117.0
10	Djibouti	122.6
11	Botswana	129.6
12	Eritrea	130.2
13	Lesotho	131.8
14	Rwanda	134.4
15	Sao Tome & Principe	134.9
16	Ghana	135.9
17	Mauritania	140.8
	Africa Avg	111.13
q=54.

Health (2025)₂₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₆
1	Monaco	14.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Isle of Man	32.1
	...
159	Solomon Islands	125.5
160	Pakistan	127.9
161	Botswana	129.6
162	Eritrea	130.2
163	Haiti	130.5
164	Lesotho	131.8
165	Nauru	133.3
166	Papua New Guinea	133.4
	World Avg	96.74
q=212.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man₂₇. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Angola and Nigeria₂₇.

21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on 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, Europe and The Balkans₂₇, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Melanesia₂₇.

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 for its smoking rate₂₈, its alcohol consumption rate₂₉ and in its immunizations take-up₃₀. But, things still need to improve in Eritrea. Eritrea does worse than average in its average life expectancy₁₂ (still good for Africa), its adolescent birth rate₃₁ (still good for Africa) and in its fertility rate₁₅ (still low for Africa). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% during 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. Eritrea's peak fertility rate was 6.65 in 1983.

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 better₂₉
Pos.		2016 Per Capita₂₉
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
28=	Iran	1.0
28=	Vanuatu	1.0
30	Papua New Guinea	1.2
31=	Eritrea	1.3
31=	Guinea	1.3
31=	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 best₁₅
Pos.		2022₁₅
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
169	Yemen	3.72
170	Rwanda	3.75
171	Sao Tome & Principe	3.75
172	Eritrea	3.79
173	Madagascar	3.79
174	Malawi	3.85
175	Samoa	3.88
176	Sierra Leone	3.88
	Africa Avg	3.97
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking Rates Lower is better₂₈
Pos.		2014₂₈
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 better₃₂
Pos.		2016 %₃₂
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
8=	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 better₃₁
Pos.		2022 Per 1000₃₁
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
147	Dominican Rep.	63.2
148	Nepal	63.4
149	Ghana	63.4
150	Eritrea	63.6
151	Senegal	64.6
152	Guyana	64.6
153	Ethiopia	66.5
154	Swaziland	68.4
	Africa Avg	84.6
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better₃₀
Pos.		2015 Avg %₃₀
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	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 Responsibility Towards The Environment

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

Compared to Africa (2025)₃₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₃
1	Morocco	46.5
2	Burundi	47.8
3	Mali	51.0
	...
45	Sudan	97.8
46	Comoros	99.1
47	Mauritania	101.2
48	Seychelles	103.4
49	Angola	109.5
50	Libya	121.4
51	Zimbabwe	121.5
52	Somalia	131.0
53	Eritrea	146.2
	Africa Avg	80.07
q=53.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)₃₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₃
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
192	N. Korea	132.3
193	Turkmenistan	134.1
194	Nauru	134.4
195	San Marino	134.9
196	Andorra	136.3
197	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	137.5
198	Vatican City	138.3
199	Eritrea	146.2
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

" Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

With respect to its responsibility towards the environment, Eritrea comes last in the world. This rank is calculated from 3 data sets. Eritrea does worse than average in terms of its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₃₄. And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 in its environmental performance₃₅.

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better₃₄
Pos.		Total₃₄
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
174	Zimbabwe	-5.1%
175	Panama	-5.2%
176	Samoa	-5.7%
177	Eritrea	-5.7%
178	Colombia	-5.8%
179	Cameroon	-5.9%
180	Venezuela	-6.0%
181	Honduras	-6.3%
	Africa Avg	-8.7%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better₃₅
Pos.		2018₃₅
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.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
169	Myanmar (Burma)	44%
170	N. Korea	44%
171	Sierra Leone	43%
172	Eritrea	43%
173	Somalia	43%
174	Tonga	43%
175	Kiribati	42%
176	Cook Islands	42%
	Africa Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

7. Eritrea's Modernity and Learning

#corruption #education #eritrea #health #human_development #inequality #life_expectancy #modernity #peace #politics #technology #the_internet

Compared to Africa (2020)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₆
1	S. Africa	56.9
2	Tunisia	70.8
3=	Mauritius	79.6
	...
45	Gambia	155.6
46	Equatorial Guinea	156.7
47	Central African Rep.	160.3
48	Chad	162.1
49	Niger	164.1
50	Guinea	164.6
51	Sierra Leone	167.6
52	S. Sudan	171.7
53	Eritrea	179.4
	Africa Avg	120.19
q=53.

Modernity & Learning (2020)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₆
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
183	Papua New Guinea	158.4
184	Central African Rep.	160.3
185	Chad	162.1
186	Niger	164.1
187	Guinea	164.6
188	Sierra Leone	167.6
189	S. Sudan	171.7
190	Eritrea	179.4
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₃₇. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₃₇. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₃₈.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”
Bill Emmott (2017)₃₉

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₃₇, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₃₇.

For more, see:

" Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education:

Length of Schooling Higher is better₄₀
Pos.		2021 Years₄₀
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 better₄₁
Pos.		2016₄₁
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.

National Culture:

, with only a few signs of improvement.

Corruption Higher is better₄₂
Pos.		2022 Points₄₂
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	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.

Eritrea has a poor long-term record on corruption and in 2014 it fell into the 10th-worst position on the Corruption Perception Index.

Peace Versus Instability:

Global Peace Index Lower is better₄₃
Pos.		2023 Score₄₃
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.

Economic Inequality and Poverty:

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better₄₄
Pos.		2019₄₄
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	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
137=	Bolivia	22.50
	Africa Avg	26.10
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

8. Religion and Beliefs

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

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 below₄₅:

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, Protestant₄₆.

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"₄₇. Since 2002, only four official religious groups have been allowed to exist (Sunni Islam, Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Evangelical (Lutheran)₉_,₄₈ 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 spot₄₇.

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