Country page · Sub-Saharan Africa
If you were born in Eritrea
1 in 1,295 babies · 0.08% of births · about 103,590 a year
Right now, about 0.08% of the world's babies are born in Eritrea — 1 in 1,295, or roughly 103,590 a year and 284 a day. Life expectancy there is 68.9 years.
How the 1 in 1,295 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Eritrea has about 103,590 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.08% — 1 in 1,295. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Eritrea, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 70.9 · men 66.8 | 68.9 years | 122nd highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 34.3 / 1,000 | 3.4% | 119th lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 24.7 / 1,000 | 2.5% | 117th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 291 | 147th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 3.68 | 138th lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 8.0 years | 154th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 3.2% | 159th highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $1,742 | 165th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | — | — |
| People living in cities | 34.5% | 148th highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 55.5% | 156th lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 14.3% | 166th highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 15.6 | 139th lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 48.4% | 135th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 0.40% | 70th highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | — | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Eritrea compared with Sub-Saharan Africa
Life expectancy in Eritrea is 68.9 years, against a Sub-Saharan Africa average of 0.0. The under-5 death rate is 3.4%, versus 0.0% across the region. Income per person is $1,742, against $0 regionally; expected schooling is 8.0 years against 0.0. 34.5% of people live in cities, against 0.0% in the region.
| Indicator | Eritrea | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 68.9 years old | — | 73.3 years old |
| Under-5 deaths | 3.4% | — | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $1,742 | — | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 8.0 years | — | 13.0 years |
| People in cities | 34.5% | — | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 68.9 years on average, with roughly 34.3 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 8.0 years of school, and income per person is around $1,742. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Eritrea
The game draws Eritrea in about 1 of every 1,295 births. From there the life runs year by year: 68.9 years of life expectancy on average, a 3.4% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $1,742 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Gambia — 1 in 1,592
- Chance of being born in Namibia — 1 in 1,675
- Chance of being born in Liberia — 1 in 765
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
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Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated Oct 24, 2026.