Egypt and Eritrea
Egypt and Eritrea combine historical ties with consultations on Red Sea and Horn of Africa security. Fisheries research and education provide civilian avenues of cooperation.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-08 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-08History and institutional framework
The profile recalls the Eritrean Liberation Front's office in Cairo in 1960 and the opening of an Egyptian embassy following Eritrea's independence in 1993.
What merchandise trade shows
In 2025, goods trade between Egypt and Eritrea totalled 7.5 million current USD.
Documented trade sectors
Within the selected chapters, mineral fuels and oils stands out in shipments from Egypt to Eritrea, at 3.1 million USD in 2025.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 7.53 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade / EGY |
| Goods: Egypt to Eritrea | 7.53 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade / EGY |
| Goods: Eritrea to Egypt | 0.00247 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade / EGY |
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: Egypt to Eritrea | 0.0147 % | 2025 · UN Comtrade / EGY |
| Export share: Eritrea to Egypt | ||
| Investment stock: Egypt in Eritrea | ||
| Investment stock: Eritrea in Egypt |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / EGY · Goods; full year; EGY reporter. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF according to the reporter's coverage. No addition of mirror reports.
- Goods: Egypt to Eritrea
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / EGY · Goods; full year; EGY reporter. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF according to the reporter's coverage. No addition of mirror reports.
- Goods: Eritrea to Egypt
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / EGY · Goods; full year; EGY reporter. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF according to the reporter's coverage. No addition of mirror reports.
- Export share: Egypt to Eritrea
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / EGY · Goods share: EGY exports to the partner / the same reporter's exports to the world, same year.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
| Indicator | Egypt | Eritrea |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 365.25 billion USD2025 · WB | |
| GDP per capita | 3,085.81 USD2025 · WB | |
| GDP growth | 4.39 %2025 · WB | |
| Policy interest rate | ||
| Inflation · annual average | 14.07 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 14.5 %Urban headline CPI · 2026-08 · year-on-year · CBE / CAPMASUrban coverage; not national CPI | |
| Unemployment | 6.78 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 5.98 %ILO est.2025 · WB |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -6.6 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 86.8 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | -3.82 %2025 · WB | |
| Population | 118,365,9952025 · WB | 3,607,0032025 · WB |
| Area | 1,001,450 km²2023 · WB | 121,766 km²2023 · WB |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDEgypt: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personEgypt: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)Egypt: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)Egypt: 2025 · Annual average change in the CPI (%) · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedEgypt: 2026-08 · CAPMAS urban headline CPI; year-on-year change · CBE / CAPMAS · Published: 2026-09-10 · Explicit urban coverage, distinct from other countries' national CPI; core inflation is not used. Official statement verified in the search index; the CBE server blocks direct access. · Alternative official source; verified 2026-10-07
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionEgypt: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate, % of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.Eritrea: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate; percentage of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)Egypt: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO estimate, not a monthly observation. Retains the country's fiscal year where it differs from the calendar year.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)Egypt: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO estimate, not a monthly observation. Retains the country's fiscal year where it differs from the calendar year.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPEgypt: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Population
- PeopleEgypt: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.Eritrea: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceEgypt: 2023 · World Bank / FAO · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.Eritrea: 2023 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
Egypt to Eritrea
Eritrea to Egypt
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
| Vehicles and components | 0.000201 M USD2025 · Source |
Connections between people
On 10 October 2024, al Sisi visited Asmara and participated in a tripartite summit with the presidents of Eritrea and Somalia. In February 2025, the Egyptian oceanography institute received an Eritrean delegation to discuss training and research in fisheries and aquaculture. Al Azhar maintains another educational channel. [1]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from Egypt living in Eritrea | ||
| Residents from Eritrea living in Egypt | ||
| Study and training: Egypt in Eritrea | ||
| Study and training: Eritrea in Egypt | ||
| Academic stays: Egypt in Eritrea | ||
| Academic stays: Eritrea in Egypt | ||
| Travel: Egypt to Eritrea | ||
| Travel: Eritrea to Egypt |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
History and institutional framework
The profile recalls the Eritrean Liberation Front's office in Cairo in 1960 and the opening of an Egyptian embassy following Eritrea's independence in 1993. On 10 October 2024, al Sisi visited Asmara and participated in a tripartite summit with the presidents of Eritrea and Somalia. [1]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Review: 2026-10-08
Cooperation and bilateral issues
The declaration addressed sovereignty, Somali institutions, and the security of the Red Sea and Bab el Mandeb. In February 2025, the Egyptian oceanography institute received an Eritrean delegation to discuss training and research in fisheries and aquaculture. Al Azhar maintains another educational channel. [1]
What merchandise trade shows
In 2025, merchandise trade between the two countries (Egypt and Eritrea) totalled 7.5 million current USD. Shipments from the first to the second were 7.5 million; those in the opposite direction, 0.00247 million. The difference between the two flows was 7.5 million, in favour of Egypt. This is a goods balance, not the total balance of the economic relationship: it excludes services, income and transfers. Both directions come from a single customs reporter to avoid adding mirror records. [2]
The partner's share of exports
Sales from Egypt to the partner represented 0.0147% of its worldwide goods exports in 2025. The share compares the same reporter, year and coverage. It measures export concentration, not the percentage of GDP dependent on this relationship. A partner may be important in a specific sector even if its share of total goods trade is small. [2]
Documented trade sectors
Within the selected chapters, mineral fuels and oils stands out in shipments from Egypt to Eritrea, at 3.1 million USD in 2025. Within the selected chapters, vehicles and components stands out in shipments from Eritrea to Egypt, at 0.000201 million USD in 2025. The table compares eight selected chapters with the same coverage as the trade total. It is not a complete list or proof that the first item in this selection is the leading product across the entire relationship. A chapter groups numerous goods: machinery and components, for example, do not describe a single business transaction. [3]
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Institutional sources and periods accompany each figure. Annual trade, investment positions, residents and visits are distinct measures. Empty cells do not mean zero. Statements of intent are not presented as project implementation or treaties in force.
- Bilateral relations — EGY-ERI
Egypt's State Information Service (SIS) · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Annual TOTAL X/M; 2025; reporter 818; partners 0,784,8,12,24,31,112,56,84,204,100,120,132,148,152,174,191,192,262,180,226,232,233,748,246,266,270,268,288,348,372,400,404,414,417,418,428,430,434,442,462,466,478,480,499,516,524,528,562,591,600,604,634,642,688,690,694,702,703,144,752,834,764,626,768,788,858,860,704,894,716,50,108,170,624,450,504,508,566,512,616,178,756,760,887
UN Comtrade / EGY · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record
UN Comtrade; reporters EGY · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
Additional sources on products and human connections
- UN Comtrade; reporters EGY
2026-10-08 · Accessed: 2026-10-08 · Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record.