| Military branches | Eritrean Defense Forces: Eritrean Ground Forces, Eritrean Navy, Eritrean Air Force (includes Air Defense Force) (2021) |
| Military service age and obligation | 18-40 years of age for male and female voluntary and compulsory military service (18-27 for female conscription); 18-month conscript service obligation, which includes 6 months of military training and one-year of military or other national service (military service is most common); note - in practice, military service reportedly is often extended indefinitely (2020) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 5.1% of GDP (2017 est.) 5.1% of GDP (2016 est.) 5.2% of GDP (2015 est.) 5.1% of GDP (2014 est.) 5% of GDP (2013 est.) |
| Military and security service personnel strengths | limited available information; estimated 150,000-200,000 personnel, including about 2,000 in the naval and air forces (2021) |
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the Eritrean Defense Forces inventory is comprised primarily of older Russian and Soviet-era systems; Eritrea was under a UN arms embargo from 2009 to 2018; from the 1990s to 2008, Russia was the leading supplier of arms to Eritrea, followed by Belarus; in 2019, Eritrea expressed interest in purchasing Russian arms, including missile boats, helicopters, and small arms; in January 2020, Russia announced it would provide two helicopters by the end of the year (2020) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
