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ERITREA
Population

Population

Eritrea is home to almost 6 million people (2017). The population density is quite low at about 50 inhabitants per square kilometre.

The natural population growth rate is 0.85%. (2017)
Birth rate per 1000 inhabitants is 29.6 (2017)
Death rate per 1000 inhabitants is 7.2(2017)
Life expectancy is 65.2 years. (men 62.7 and women 67.8 years (2017)

The population can be divided into nine ethnic groups of which the two largest are the Tigrinyas and the Tigres. The Tigrinyas make up about 55% of the population, the Tigres 30%. These two groups are strongly interrelated, mainly because the language of both has evolved from the ancient Ethiopian language 'Ge'ez'. The Tigrinya are mainly Christians and live in the high parts of Eritrea. The Tigres are Muslims and live in the western lowlands. The smaller ethnic groups are the Afar, Bilen, Hadareb, Kunama, Nara (or Baria), the Rashida and the Saho.

Language

Many different languages are spoken in Eritrea, including Tigrinya, Arabic, Tigre, Bilien, Afar, Hedareb, Kunama, Nara, Rashaida and Saho.

Religion

In Eritrea there are approximately as many followers of the (Coptic) Christian faith as there are followers of Islam. A small part of the population adheres to local natural religions.


Sources

Elmar Landeninformatie

CIA - World Factbook

BBC - Country Profiles

Last updated September 2024
Copyright: Team The World of Info