A former Italian colony, Eritrea was occupied by the British in 1941 and later awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence. Tension continues to exist between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and the country is struggling to rebuild its infrastructure and economy after decades of fighting. The country's official languages are Tugrinya, Tigre, Arabic and English.

Leader: President Isaias Afewerki
Capital city: Asmara

Economic profile

Monetary unit: Nakfa
GDP per capita: $600 (2010) (CIA)
GDP composition by sector:
Agriculture: 11.8% (2010) (CIA)
Industry: 20.4% (2010) (CIA)
Services: 67.7%(2010) (CIA)
GDP growth rate: 2.2% (2010) (CIA)
Budget:
Government revenue, excluding grants: $463.4-million (2010) (CIA)
Government expenditure: $738-million (2010) (CIA)
Consumer price inflation: 20% (2010) (CIA)
Industries: Food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles, light manufacturing, salt, and cement
Exports of goods and services: $25-million (2010) (CIA)
Imports of goods and services: $738-million (2010) (CIA)
Export commodities: Livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, and small manufactures
Import commodities: Machinery, petroleum products, food, and manufactured goods
Trade balance: $-212-million (2010) (CIA)
Reserves: $104-million (2010) (CIA)
Total investment: 10.3% of GDP (2008) (IMF)
Market capitalisation of listed companies: Figures not available

Social profile

Population: 5.07-million (2011) (World Bank)
Population growth: 2.9% (2011) (World Bank)
Life expectancy at birth: 69.9 years (2011) (World Bank)
Adult literacy: 67% (2009) (World Bank)
School enrolment primary: 48% (2009) (World Bank)
School enrolment secondary: 32% (2009) (World Bank)
School enrolment tertiary: 2% (2008) (World Bank)
Unemployment: Figures not available
Number of people living with HIV/Aids: 25 000 (2007) (Unicef)