Eritrea: health and care

How many health facilities does Eritrea have?

Eritrea has more than 300 health facilities and over 3,000 community health agents, according to a Ministry of Health statement published by the Ministry of Information on 20 August 2026. The statement says immunization coverage is above 90%, under-five mortality has fallen by more than 70% since 1990, and more than 85% of the health budget is sourced domestically.

These are rounded figures given in a ministerial statement, not a statistical release, and the statement does not give the year they refer to. The Ministry of Health site (moh.gov.er) could not be reached on 15 October 2026, so no detailed tables could be checked.

Official sources: Ministry of Information: Statement of the Ministry of Health at RESCO, 20 August 2026

What is the life expectancy in Eritrea?

Life expectancy at birth in Eritrea was 68.9 years in 2024, according to World Bank Open Data, which draws on the UN population estimates.

Life expectancy at birth is the number of years a newborn would live if the death rates of that year held throughout their life. It is a modelled figure produced by the UN Population Division rather than a count from death registration. Figures for men and women are published separately in the same database, and the series is revised with each edition of the UN estimates.

Official sources: World Bank: Life expectancy at birth, total (years), Eritrea

What is the maternal mortality rate in Eritrea?

Eritrea's maternal mortality ratio was 291 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, according to the modelled estimate in World Bank Open Data, produced by the UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-agency Group.

The ratio counts deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes during pregnancy or within 42 days of its end. The World Bank notes it is estimated with a regression model using fertility, birth attendance, GDP and the share of maternal deaths among deaths of women aged 15 to 49. The same database puts the number of physicians at 0.09 per 1,000 people in 2022.

Official sources: World Bank: Maternal mortality ratio (modelled estimate), Eritrea · World Bank: Physicians (per 1,000 people), Eritrea

What is the vaccination rate in Eritrea?

Vaccination coverage in Eritrea's Southern Red Sea region was 87%, with coverage of children under one reported at 100%, according to a regional health meeting reported by the Ministry of Information on 19 February 2026. The same report says births in health facilities rose by 10%.

These figures were given at a regional meeting and cover one region, not the whole country. Nationally, a Ministry of Health statement of August 2026 put immunization coverage above 90%. Neither source gives the method used to calculate coverage.

Official sources: Ministry of Information: Commendable utilization of health facilities, 19 February 2026

How common is tuberculosis in Eritrea?

Tuberculosis incidence in Eritrea was 115 cases per 100,000 people in 2024, according to the WHO estimate in World Bank Open Data. At the national World TB Day event in March 2026, reported by the Ministry of Information, the WHO representative said TB deaths fell from 8.5 to 3.4 per 100,000 people in 2024, with case notification at 87% and treatment success at 90%. The Ministry of Health said 10,000 patients had been cured over five years and that 18% of patients were children under 15.

Incidence is a modelled estimate of all new cases, including those never diagnosed. Notification is the share of those estimated cases that were found and reported, so the gap between the two shows how many cases are thought to go undetected.

Official sources: World Bank: tuberculosis incidence, Eritrea · Ministry of Information: World TB Day observed at national level (24 March 2026)

How common is HIV in Eritrea?

HIV prevalence among people aged 15 to 54 in Eritrea is 0.35%, according to remarks at the national World AIDS Day event reported by the Ministry of Information on 1 December 2025. Speakers said mother-to-child transmission is close to zero, antiretroviral medicines are free, and 95% of people on treatment have an undetectable viral load. About 500 adults aged 15 to 49 were newly infected with HIV in 2024, according to the UNAIDS estimate in World Bank Open Data.

Prevalence is the share of people living with HIV at a point in time, while new infections count people infected during one year. An undetectable viral load means treatment has suppressed the virus so far that it cannot be passed on through sex.

Official sources: Ministry of Information: World AIDS Day commemorated at national level (1 December 2025) · World Bank: new HIV infections, Eritrea

How many measles cases does Eritrea have?

Eritrea recorded 27 measles cases in 2025, about 7.5 per million people, according to a feature published by the Ministry of Information on 28 August 2026. It gives 2023 coverage of 93% for the first measles dose and 85% for the second, says two doses of measles-rubella vaccine have been given since 2018, and says the national programme offers 14 vaccines through about 300 health facilities and about 450 outreach sites.

Measles needs about 95% coverage with two doses to stop it spreading, so the second-dose figure is the one to watch. The WHO and UNICEF estimate of first-dose coverage was 93% in 2024, according to World Bank Open Data.

Official sources: Ministry of Information: As measles resurges globally, Eritrea makes quiet progress (28 August 2026) · World Bank: measles immunization, Eritrea

What is the child mortality rate in Eritrea?

34.3 of every 1,000 children born in Eritrea died before their fifth birthday in 2024, according to the UN Inter-agency Group estimate in World Bank Open Data. The neonatal death rate, within the first 28 days of life, was 15.6 per 1,000 live births, according to the neonatal mortality series.

These are modelled estimates built from surveys and censuses, as Eritrea has no complete registration of deaths, and they are revised as new data arrive. In 2024 deaths in the first month made up about 45% of all deaths before age five. The share of births attended by skilled health staff was 34.1% in 2010, the latest year in the World Bank series.

Official sources: World Bank: under-5 mortality, Eritrea · World Bank: neonatal mortality, Eritrea · World Bank: births attended by skilled staff, Eritrea

How common is malaria in Eritrea?

Malaria incidence in Eritrea was 102.4 cases per 1,000 people at risk in 2024, according to the WHO estimate in World Bank Open Data. At the national malaria day event in April 2026, reported by the Ministry of Information, officials said prevalence had declined significantly, without giving a figure.

The rate counts only the population living in areas where malaria is transmitted, not the whole country, so it cannot be applied to the total population. The WHO estimate also adjusts reported cases for people who never reach a health facility.

Official sources: World Bank: malaria incidence, Eritrea · Ministry of Information: World Malaria Control Day observed at national level (26 April 2026)

How much does Eritrea spend on health?

Current health spending in Eritrea was 3.7% of GDP in 2023, according to the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database in World Bank Open Data. Government spending from domestic sources made up 23.1% of that total, according to the World Bank series, and there were 0.09 doctors per 1,000 people in 2022, according to the physicians series.

Current health spending covers all sources: government, households paying out of pocket, and donors. The government share counts only public money from Eritrea's own budget. The Ministry of Health figure that more than 85% of the health budget is domestic measures something else: how the public health budget itself is funded.

Official sources: World Bank: current health expenditure, Eritrea · World Bank: government health expenditure share, Eritrea · World Bank: physicians per 1,000, Eritrea

How many mothers get antenatal care in Eritrea?

Antenatal and postnatal care coverage in Keren sub-zone reached 90%, and vaccination of children under five exceeded 95%, according to the sub-zone's health office as reported by the Ministry of Information on 18 March 2026. The sub-zone is served by five health stations.

These figures cover one sub-zone of the Anseba region and come from a local review meeting, so they cannot be read as national rates. National survey figures on antenatal care in World Bank Open Data date from the 2010 Population and Health Survey, the latest national household survey of its kind published.

Official sources: Ministry of Information: Commendable progress in ensuring maternal and infant health (18 March 2026)

What is the average life expectancy in Eritrea?

The UN Population Division puts life expectancy at birth in Eritrea at 68.9 years in 2024. That is the highest since at least 2005. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 64.3 years, and Eritrea placed 7th highest of 48. Of 193 countries with 2024 data, 138th highest.

How many babies die in Eritrea?

The UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation puts the infant mortality rate in Eritrea at 24.7 per 1,000 in 2024. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2005. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 37.2 per 1,000; Eritrea is 43rd highest of 48. World rank, highest first: 56th of 192.

What is maternal mortality in Eritrea?

The latest figure from the WHO, for 2023, is 291 per 100,000. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2005. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 257 per 100,000; Eritrea is 22nd highest of 48. Worldwide: 24th of 192.

How much does Eritrea spend on health?

3.7% of GDP: that is current health spending in Eritrea for 2023, according to the WHO. No year since 2005 has been lower. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 4.4% of GDP, and Eritrea placed 35th highest of 48. Of 191 countries with 2023 data, 162nd highest.

How much do people in Eritrea pay for health care themselves?

In 2023, out-of-pocket health spending in Eritrea was 48.4%, according to the WHO. Its high point since 2005 was 2016, at 59.0%; its low point was 2008, at 32.6%. It is 13th highest of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 32.4%. World rank, highest first: 36th of 191.

How many doctors does Eritrea have?

In 2022, the number of doctors per 1,000 people in Eritrea was 0.09 per 1,000, according to the WHO. That is the highest since at least 2005. It is 39th highest of 46 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 0.18 per 1,000. Of 125 countries with 2022 data, 118th highest.

What is hospital capacity in Eritrea?

In 2023, hospital beds per 1,000 people in Eritrea was 1.0 per 1,000, according to the WHO. No year since 2005 has been lower. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 1.1 per 1,000; Eritrea is 4th highest of 5. Worldwide: 60th of 73.

What is measles vaccine coverage in Eritrea?

According to WHO and UNICEF, measles vaccination among children aged 12 to 23 months in Eritrea was 93.0% in 2024. The peak was 98.0% in 2012 and the low 90.0% in 2014. It is 6th highest of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 81.0%. Of 191 countries with 2024 data, 74th highest.