Natural resources of Eritrea
Oil, gas, minerals, forests and water in Eritrea: what it produces, how it ranks in the world, who mines it and what it earns. Every figure is from an official source and is updated when the source is.
Resource rents, share of GDP (2011)
27.0 %
Resources, share of goods exports (2025)
96.3 %
Forest, share of land (2024)
12.0 %
Source: World Bank; UN Comtrade; U.S. Energy Information Administration. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Mining and minerals
The U.S. Geological Survey records 13 mineral commodities with published production in Eritrea between 2019 and 2023, from metals and gemstones to industrial minerals and fuels. The table includes processed products such as cement and steel, which USGS reports alongside raw minerals.
Showing 13 of 13
| Copper, mine, concentrates, Cu content | Metals | Not published | 16,008 | 21,725 | 20,224 | 17,098 | 17,595 | Not published |
| Gold, mine, Au content | Metals | kilograms | 4,000 | 4,300 | 4,400 | 4,200 | 4,100 | Not published |
| Silver, mine, Ag content | Metals | kilograms | 44,836 | 65,284 | 68,624 | 49,855 | 48,532 | Not published |
| Zinc, mine, Zn content | Metals | Not published | 121,260 | 121,930 | 129,641 | 120,529 | 116,829 | Not published |
| Cement, hydraulic | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 180,000 | 160,000 | 180,000 | 180,000 | 180,000 | Not published |
| Clay, common clay | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 89,000 | 80,000 | 89,000 | 89,000 | 89,000 | Not published |
| Gypsum | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 26,000 | 24,000 | 26,000 | 26,000 | 26,000 | Not published |
| Lime | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 18,000 | 16,000 | 18,000 | 18,000 | 18,000 | Not published |
| Pumice and related materials, pumice | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 4,600 | 4,100 | 4,600 | 4,600 | 4,600 | Not published |
| Salt, sea salt | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 250,000 | 220,000 | 240,000 | 240,000 | 230,000 | 2019: r; 2020: r; 2021: r; 2022: r |
| Sand and gravel, unspecified | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 3,100,000 | 2,800,000 | 3,100,000 | 3,100,000 | 3,100,000 | Not published |
| Crushed, limestone | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 300,000 | 270,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | Not published |
| Dimension, marble, block | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 10,000 | 9,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | Not published |
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Minerals Yearbook, country tables. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Showing 13 of 13
| Cement | Gedem Cement Works | Gedem | 350,000 | Not published |
| Cement | Eritrea Cement Works | Massawa | 45,000 | Not published |
| Copper, mine | Bisha Mining Share Co. [Zijin Mining Group Company Ltd. 55%, and Eritrean National Mining Corp. (ENAMCO), 45%] | Bisha Mine near Bishia | 18,000 | Not published |
| Gold, mine | Zara Mining Share Co. [China Shanghai Corporation for Foreign and Technological Cooperation (SFECO), 60%, and Eritrean National Mining Corp. (ENAMCO), 40%] | Koka Mine in Anseba Region | 3,200 | kilograms |
| Gold, mine | Bisha Mining Share Co. | Bisha Mine near Bishia | 540 | kilograms |
| Lime | Badme Construction Co. | Plants at Gogne | 7,300 | Not published |
| Lime | Badme Construction Co. | Plant at Barentu | 1,800 | Not published |
| Salt | Assab Salt Works | Assab | 150,000 | Not published |
| Salt | Salina Salt Works | Massawa | 80,000 | Not published |
| Silver, mine | Bisha Mining Share Co. | Bisha Mine near Bishia | 50,000 | kilograms |
| Granite | Margran plc | Gheleb | 13,500 | Not published |
| Marble | Margran plc | Gogne | 7,700 | Not published |
| Zinc, mine | Bisha Mining Share Co. | Bisha Mine near Bishia | 114,000 | Not published |
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Minerals Yearbook 2019, Eritrea. Last checked 24 October 2026.
What natural resources earn
Natural resource rents were 27% of GDP in 2011, with minerals the largest part. That ranks Eritrea 6th of 54 African countries. See all 54.
View the data as a table
| Period | Minerals | Forests |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.0 % | 2.5 % |
| 2011 | 24.6 % | 2.3 % |
| 2012 | Not published | Not published |
| 2013 | Not published | Not published |
| 2014 | Not published | Not published |
| 2015 | Not published | Not published |
| 2016 | Not published | Not published |
| 2017 | Not published | Not published |
| 2018 | Not published | Not published |
| 2019 | Not published | Not published |
| 2020 | Not published | Not published |
| 2021 | Not published | Not published |
| 2022 | Not published | Not published |
| 2023 | Not published | Not published |
| 2024 | Not published | Not published |
| 2025 | Not published | Not published |
| 2026 | Not published | Not published |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Forest, share of land (2024)
12.0 %
Arable land, share of land (2024)
5.7 %
Renewable fresh water per person (2022)
821 m³
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Method and sources
Oil, gas and coal output and coal reserves are from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Oil and gas proved reserves are the EIA figures republished by Our World in Data; oil is converted from cubic metres to barrels at the standard factor. World production, reserves and ranks are from the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries, ranked among the countries USGS names. The full list of commodities and the companies that mine them are from the USGS Minerals Yearbook country tables, which run a few years behind. Rents, land and water are from the World Bank, and export shares from UN Comtrade. Nothing is estimated by us. Figures last checked on 24 October 2026.
USGS country page for Eritrea. EIA international energy data. World Bank resource rents.
Frequently asked questions
What natural resources does Eritrea have?
Eritrea's main natural resources are copper, gold and silver. Metal ores made up 96.1% of its goods exports in 2025. The World Bank puts natural resource rents at 27% of GDP in 2011, mostly from minerals. The U.S. Geological Survey also records production of zinc, gypsum, pumice and related materials, salt, crushed and dimension.
Does Eritrea produce oil?
The U.S. Energy Information Administration records no meaningful crude oil production for Eritrea in 2025.
What is Eritrea's most valuable natural resource?
By export earnings, metal ores: 96.1% of goods exports in 2025, according to UN Comtrade (figures reported by Eritrea's trading partners).
How much do natural resources contribute to Eritrea's economy?
Natural resource rents, the value of resources extracted minus the cost of extracting them, were 27% of GDP in 2011. That ranks Eritrea 6th of 54 African countries.
Which companies mine in Eritrea?
The U.S. Geological Survey's 2019 list of Eritrea's mineral industry names 9 operating companies, including Gedem Cement Works, Eritrea Cement Works, Bisha Mining Share Co. [Zijin Mining Group Company Ltd. 55%, and Eritrean National Mining Corp., Zara Mining Share Co. [China Shanghai Corporation for Foreign and Technological Cooperation and Bisha Mining Share Co.. The full list is on this page.