Life Expectancy in Eritrea (2024): Men 66.8, Women 70.9

Life expectancy in Eritrea since 1960

Women
Men

Since 1960, life expectancy in Eritrea has risen by 31.5 years, from 37.4 to 68.9. Women live 4.1 years longer than men (70.9 vs 66.8).

Expected age at death in Eritrea by age

Life expectancy at birth includes deaths in childhood. Once people reach adulthood they can expect to live longer — here is the average expected age at death for people who have already reached each age:

Current age	Birth	20	40	60	80
Men	66.8	69.7	70.7	74.1	83.8
Women	70.9	73.9	74.8	77.4	85.4

Birth: World Bank. Other ages: our survival model calibrated to Eritrea’s figures (method).

How people die in Eritrea

Chronic diseases: 52.7%
Infections, maternal & nutritional: 37%
Injuries: 10.3%

In 2019, 53% of deaths in Eritrea were caused by chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes (world: 74%). A Eritrea man has a 29% chance and a woman 26% of dying of one of these diseases between the ages of 30 and 70 (world: 21% and 16%). Road traffic accidents kill 37.9 people per 100,000 each year (world: 16.7).

See which causes of death are most likely for you →

Child mortality

Out of every 1,000 babies born in Eritrea, about 34.3 die before their fifth birthday (world: 37.4). This is one of the main reasons life expectancy at birth differs so much between countries.

Eritrea compared with its region

Eritrea is in the World Bank’s Sub-Saharan Africa region, where the average life expectancy is 64.8 years. It ranks #6 of 48 countries there.

#	Country	Overall	Men	Women
2	Cape Verde	76.2	73.1	79.4
3	Mauritius	73.8	70.4	77.4
4	São Tomé and Príncipe	69.9	66.4	73.9
5	Botswana	69.3	66.8	71.9
6	Eritrea	68.9	66.8	70.9
7	Senegal	68.9	67.0	71.0
8	Mauritania	68.7	66.7	70.7
9	Gabon	68.5	66.1	71.2
10	Uganda	68.5	65.5	71.4

See all 217 countries ranked →

Frequently asked questions

What is the life expectancy in Eritrea?

68.9 years in 2024: 66.8 for men and 70.9 for women, according to the World Bank.

Do women live longer than men in Eritrea?

Yes. Women in Eritrea live about 4.1 years longer than men. Worldwide the gap is 4.9 years in favour of women.

How does Eritrea rank for life expectancy?

Eritrea ranks #161 out of 217 countries and territories with data. That is 4.6 years below the world average of 73.5.

What is the average age of death in Eritrea?

Life expectancy at birth (68.9) is pulled down by deaths in childhood. Adults live longer: a 40-year-old man in Eritrea can expect to live to about 70.7, and a 40-year-old woman to about 74.8.

Sources

World Bank, World Development Indicators: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, SP.DYN.LE00.MA.IN, SP.DYN.LE00.FE.IN), under-5 mortality (SH.DYN.MORT), causes of death (SH.DTH.NCOM.ZS, SH.DTH.INJR.ZS), mortality from major chronic diseases (SH.DYN.NCOM.MA.ZS, SH.DYN.NCOM.FE.ZS) and road traffic deaths (SH.STA.TRAF.P5). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Link

Data updated October 25, 2026.