A small village in Eritrea

Eritrea Economy

Eritrea's economy in numbers:

Nominal GDP of USD 2.2 billion in 2021.

GDP per capita of USD 567 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

Average real GDP growth of 4% over the last decade.

Share of the region's population
Share of the region's GDP

Economic structure:

GDP by economic sector
GDP by type of expenditure

Economic growth:

The economy recorded average annual growth of 4.0% in the decade to 2021. To read more about GDP growth in Eritrea, go to our dedicated page.

Fiscal policy:

Eritrea's fiscal deficit averaged 2.7% of GDP in the decade to 2019. Find out more on our dedicated page.

Inflation:

Inflation averaged 6.1% in the decade to 2019. Go to our Eritrea inflation page for extra insight.

Exchange Rate:

From end-2012 to end-2022 the nakfa  strengthened by 2% vs the U.S. dollar. For more info on the nakfa , click here.
Projections out to 2033.

22 indicators covered including both annual and quarterly frequencies.

Consensus Forecasts based on a panel of 4 expert analysts.

Want to get insight on the economic outlook for Eritrea in the coming years? FocusEconomics collects projections out to 2033 on 22 economic indicators for Eritrea from a panel of 4 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts, and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. This means you avoid the risk of relying on out of date, biased or outlier forecasts. Our Consensus Forecasts can be visualized in whichever way best suits your needs, including via interactive online dashboards , direct data delivery and executive-style reports which combine analysts' projections with timely written analysis from our in-house team of economists on the latest developments in the Eritrea economy. To download a sample report on the Eritrea's economy, click here . To get in touch with our team for more information, fill in the form at the bottom of this page .

Eritrea Economic Data

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Population (million) 3.5 3.5 - - -
GDP (USD bn) 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.4
GDP per Capita (USD) 581 567 - - -
GDP (LCU bn) 30.2 29.9 31.8 33.3 35.9
Economic Growth (Nominal GDP, ann. var. %) 5.3 -1.2 6.6 4.7 7.7
Economic Growth (GDP, ann. var. %) 13.0 3.8 -0.5 2.9 2.6
Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) 6.7 4.5 - - -
Public Debt (% of GDP) 267 260 - - -
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, eop) -29.3 5.6 - - -
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, aop) -14.4 1.3 - - -
Exchange Rate (ERN per USD, eop) 15.08 15.08 15.08 15.08 15.08
Exchange Rate (LCU per USD, aop) 15.08 15.08 15.08 15.08 15.08
Current Account Balance (USD bn) 0.3 0.3 - - -
Current Account Balance (% of GDP) 15.5 13.0 - - -
Merchandise Trade Balance (USD bn) -0.4 0.0 0.0 -0.1 -0.1
Merchandise Exports (USD bn) 0.7 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.6
Merchandise Imports (USD bn) 1.1 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.7
Merchandise Exports (ann. var. %) 14.8 -20.8 -15.7 7.8 19.9
Merchandise Imports (ann. var. %) 3.8 -46.9 -14.5 21.7 23.5
Foreign Direct Investment (USD bn) 396 452 410 460 459
International Reserves (USD bn) 0.2 0.2 - - -
International Reserves (months of imports) 1.8 4.1 - - -
External Debt (USD bn) 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.7
External Debt (% of GDP) 39.4 38.9 37.4 34.4 30.0

Free Sample Report

Interested in Eritrea economic reports, analysis and data? FocusEconomics provides data, forecasts and analysis for hundreds of countries and commodities. Request your free sample report now.

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