Eritrea: cities by population
Eritrea has a population of 3,682,669 (UN estimate, 2026), with Asmara as its capital. The 16 largest of its 16 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+64%
since 2000 (2,247,031)
+55%
projected by 2050 (5,696,062)
30
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Eritrea
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asmara | Maekel | 563,930 |
| 2 | Keren | Anseba | 74,800 |
| 3 | Himora | Gash-Barka | 46,100 |
| 4 | Massawa | Northern Red Sea | 23,100 |
| 5 | Assab | Southern Red Sea | 21,300 |
| 6 | Mendefera | Debub | 17,781 |
| 7 | Barentu | Gash-Barka | 15,891 |
| 8 | Adi Keyh | Debub | 13,061 |
| 9 | Edd | Southern Red Sea | 11,259 |
| 10 | Dek’emhāre | Debub | 10,959 |
| 11 | Ak’ordat | Gash-Barka | 8,857 |
| 12 | Dbarwa | Debub | 4,902 |
| 13 | Āreza | Debub | 4,774 |
| 14 | Dehalak’ Kebīr | Northern Red Sea | 2,500 |
| 15 | Badme | Gash-Barka | 1,563 |
| 16 | Quandeba | Maekel | 1,000 |
Twenty years earlier: Eritrea in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 4,125,942.
Common questions
What is the population of Eritrea?
Eritrea has a population of 3,682,669, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 5,696,062 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Eritrea?
Asmara.