Summary
- Exports
- $574million
- Imports
- $346million
- Trade balance
- +$228million
Products
What it exports
Zinc ore (48.4%) and copper ore (45%) together make up 93.3% of its exports.
What it imports
Sorghum (10.1%) and sorting and crushing machines (7.7%) together make up 17.7% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (87)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 26 · Ores and slag | $549 million | $37 |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $11 million | $1 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $6 million | $9 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $4 million | $167 thousand |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $2 million | $81 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $660 thousand | $2 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $345 thousand | $34 million |
| 01 · Live animals | $190 thousand | $528 thousand |
| 39 · Plastics | $188 thousand | $9 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $134 thousand | $7 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $103 thousand | $18 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $99 thousand | $19 thousand |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $68 thousand | $3 million |
| 07 · Vegetables | $66 thousand | $7 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $53 thousand | $2 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $42 thousand | $236 thousand |
| 74 · Copper | $42 thousand | $224 thousand |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $35 thousand | $3 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $30 thousand | $1 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $28 thousand | $41 thousand |
| 87 · Vehicles | $27 thousand | $16 million |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $27 thousand | $11 thousand |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $22 thousand | $0 |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $19 thousand | $1 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $17 thousand | $15 |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $14 thousand | $143 thousand |
| 64 · Footwear | $13 thousand | $381 thousand |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $12 thousand | $3 million |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $11 thousand | $36 thousand |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $8 thousand | $79 thousand |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $8 thousand | $5 thousand |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $7 thousand | $1 million |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $7 thousand | $367 thousand |
| 75 · Nickel | $7 thousand | $0 |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $6 thousand | $2 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $5 thousand | $11 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $5 thousand | $471 thousand |
| 76 · Aluminum | $4 thousand | $3 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $3 thousand | $1 million |
| 40 · Rubber | $3 thousand | $14 million |
| 70 · Glass | $2 thousand | $1 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $2 thousand | $99 thousand |
| 69 · Ceramics | $2 thousand | $2 million |
| 65 · Hats | $2 thousand | $40 thousand |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $1 thousand | $6 thousand |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $1 thousand | $1 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $1 thousand | $66 thousand |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $1 thousand | $37 thousand |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $764 | $317 thousand |
| 21 · Food preparations | $698 | $1 million |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $692 | $93 thousand |
| 44 · Wood | $666 | $862 thousand |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $602 | $1 million |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $350 | $5 thousand |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $345 | $2 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $247 | $24 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $162 | $5 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $155 | $64 thousand |
| 81 · Other base metals | $134 | $8 thousand |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $112 | $113 thousand |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $104 | $0 |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $94 | $188 thousand |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $44 | $881 thousand |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $41 | $525 thousand |
| 52 · Cotton | $39 | $766 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $10 | $14 thousand |
| 10 · Cereals | $0 | $36 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $0 | $11 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $0 | $8 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $0 | $6 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $0 | $3 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $0 | $2 million |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $0 | $2 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $0 | $2 million |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $0 | $1 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $0 | $696 thousand |
| 79 · Zinc | $0 | $119 thousand |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $0 | $81 thousand |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $0 | $74 thousand |
| 05 · Other animal products | $0 | $38 thousand |
| 80 · Tin | $0 | $34 thousand |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $0 | $24 thousand |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $0 | $11 thousand |
| 78 · Lead | $0 | $4 thousand |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $0 | $550 |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $0 | $190 |
| 24 · Tobacco | $0 | $166 |
Trading partners
China is its main destination (78.7% of exports) and source (46.2% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 452 | 78.7% | Sea |
| South Korea | 97.8 | 17.1% | Sea |
| Ireland | 6.3 | 1.1% | Air |
| France | 4 | 0.7% | Sea |
| Italy | 4 | 0.69% | Sea |
| Croatia | 3.2 | 0.56% | Air |
| Bermuda | 1.1 | 0.19% | Air |
| Poland | 1 | 0.18% | Air |
| United States | 0.73 | 0.13% | — |
| Spain | 0.65 | 0.11% | — |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 160 | 46.2% | Sea |
| Turkey | 39.7 | 11.5% | Sea |
| United States | 36.1 | 10.4% | Sea |
| Italy | 26.1 | 7.6% | Sea |
| Saudi Arabia | 13.2 | 3.8% | Sea |
| India | 12 | 3.5% | Sea |
| South Africa | 8.9 | 2.6% | Sea |
| Belgium | 5.7 | 1.7% | Sea |
| United Kingdom | 5.2 | 1.5% | Sea |
| Egypt | 4.7 | 1.4% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Eritrea accounted for 0% of world exports, compared with 0% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 52-fold since 1995
USD millions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 574
- Imports 346
- Balance +228
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $11 million | $128 million | -$117 million |
| 1996 | $28 million | $167 million | -$139 million |
| 1997 | $50 million | $203 million | -$153 million |
| 1998 | $30 million | $257 million | -$227 million |
| 1999 | $12 million | $168 million | -$156 million |
| 2000 | $14 million | $126 million | -$112 million |
| 2001 | $12 million | $176 million | -$164 million |
| 2002 | $11 million | $205 million | -$194 million |
| 2003 | $22 million | $592 million | -$570 million |
| 2004 | $11 million | $256 million | -$245 million |
| 2005 | $27 million | $311 million | -$284 million |
| 2006 | $19 million | $212 million | -$193 million |
| 2007 | $73 million | $335 million | -$261 million |
| 2008 | $28 million | $259 million | -$231 million |
| 2009 | $27 million | $303 million | -$276 million |
| 2010 | $16 million | $425 million | -$410 million |
| 2011 | $338 million | $484 million | -$146 million |
| 2012 | $592 million | $555 million | $37 million |
| 2013 | $326 million | $539 million | -$213 million |
| 2014 | $582 million | $433 million | $149 million |
| 2015 | $456 million | $401 million | $55 million |
| 2016 | $382 million | $351 million | $31 million |
| 2017 | $434 million | $400 million | $34 million |
| 2018 | $510 million | $412 million | $98 million |
| 2019 | $495 million | $387 million | $108 million |
| 2020 | $647 million | $314 million | $333 million |
| 2021 | $672 million | $330 million | $341 million |
| 2022 | $854 million | $447 million | $407 million |
| 2023 | $572 million | $439 million | $133 million |
| 2024 | $574 million | $346 million | $228 million |
World rank
Eritrea rose from 196th to 165th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 196th in 1995
- 165th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 196th |
| 1996 | 188th |
| 1997 | 182nd |
| 1998 | 188th |
| 1999 | 199th |
| 2000 | 204th |
| 2001 | 205th |
| 2002 | 208th |
| 2003 | 201st |
| 2004 | 208th |
| 2005 | 200th |
| 2006 | 207th |
| 2007 | 196th |
| 2008 | 206th |
| 2009 | 202nd |
| 2010 | 208th |
| 2011 | 180th |
| 2012 | 172nd |
| 2013 | 180th |
| 2014 | 175th |
| 2015 | 174th |
| 2016 | 176th |
| 2017 | 171st |
| 2018 | 168th |
| 2019 | 169th |
| 2020 | 165th |
| 2021 | 166th |
| 2022 | 164th |
| 2023 | 168th |
| 2024 | 165th |
What it sells
Ores and slag became its top export group: from 0% to 96%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 0%
- Live animals 0%
- Electrical and electronic equipment 0%
- Beverages and spirits 0%
- Mechanical machinery 0%
- Gums and plant extracts 1%
- Pharmaceuticals 1%
- Woven clothing 2%
- Ores and slag 96%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Ores and slag | 0% | 95.7% |
| Woven clothing | 0.12% | 1.8% |
| Pharmaceuticals | 0% | 1.1% |
| Gums and plant extracts | 7.9% | 0.62% |
| Mechanical machinery | 9.1% | 0.35% |
| Beverages and spirits | 0.93% | 0.12% |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 3.7% | 0.06% |
| Live animals | 3% | 0.03% |
| Other | 75.3% | 0.2% |
Who it trades with
China went from 2% to 66% of Eritrea's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- China 66%
- South Korea 11%
- Turkey 4%
- United States 4%
- Italy 3%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| China | 1.6% | 66.5% |
| South Korea | 8.3% | 10.9% |
| Turkey | 0% | 4.3% |
| United States | 11.8% | 4% |
| Italy | 20.4% | 3.3% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeLargest economic production hubs (gridded GDP, 2024)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.