Environment
Eritrea
Climate
a hot, arid desert region adjacent to the Red Sea; the central highlands experience cooler and more humid conditions (receiving up to 61 centimeters of rainfall each year, with the most significant precipitation occurring from June to September); the western hills and lowlands are classified as semiarid
Land use
other
25.3% (2023 est.)
forest
12% (2023 est.)
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.)
Urbanization
urban population
43.3% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
3.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Methane emissions
other
2.8 kt (2019-2021 est.)
waste
20.5 kt (2019-2021 est.)
energy
15.7 kt (2022-2024 est.)
agriculture
117.4 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.)
Environmental issues
deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing
Total water withdrawal
municipal
31 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
industrial
1 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
agricultural
550 million cubic meters (2022 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.)
Total renewable water resources
7.315 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
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