Country Details

Eritrea

Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan

Environment

Detailed information and insights

Environmental issues

deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing

International environmental agreements

Party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling

Signed, but not ratified

Climate Change-Paris Agreement

Climate

hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands

Land use

Agricultural land

62.7% (2023 est.)

Agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 5.7% (2023 est.)

Agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.)

Agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 56.9% (2023 est.)

Forest

12% (2023 est.)

Other

25.3% (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Urban population

43.3% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

3.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Total emissions

733,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

From petroleum and other liquids

733,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Particulate matter emissions

22.7 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Methane emissions

Energy

15.7 kt (2022-2024 est.)

Agriculture

117.4 kt (2019-2021 est.)

Waste

20.5 kt (2019-2021 est.)

Other

2.8 kt (2019-2021 est.)

Waste and recycling

Municipal solid waste generated annually

727,000 tons (2024 est.)

Percent of municipal solid waste recycled

6.8% (2022 est.)

Total water withdrawal

Municipal

31 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Industrial

1 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Agricultural

550 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Total renewable water resources

7.315 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)