Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Eritrea

One in every 1,295 babies in the world is born here: about 103,590 a year, 0.2 a minute.

Population: 3,607,003
Births a year: 103,590
Life expectancy: 68.9
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 34.3

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
70.9
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
66.8
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
24.7
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
34.3
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
291
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
0.4
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
≈ 10
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
1.1
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
37.9
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
15.6
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
3.68
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
41
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
51
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
44
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
3
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
≈ 31.9
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
≈ $3,742
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
≈ 39
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
≈ 39
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
6
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
55
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
73
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
48
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
35
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
55
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
52
World: 91
Internet users (%)
14
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
≈ 4.39
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0.03
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
15.38
World: 0.34

≈ Estimated from the region

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 37.5 → 2026: 69 → 2050: 74.2

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 221 → 2026: 32 → 2050: 13

World

Children per woman

1960: 6.5 → 2026: 3.6 → 2050: 2.6

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 10 → 2026: 35 → 2050: 41

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Eritrea comes up about once in every 1,295 lives.

Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

All 178 countries →

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.