World Sites & Apps
Africa · #153 · 2025–2026

Eritrea: internet and everyday apps

Eritrea has about 1 million people online — a penetration rate of 27.8% and rank #153 worldwide. This page walks through the local digital scene, the app categories people lean on, and 10 apps worth knowing.

Internet users 1 million Penetration 27.8% World rank #153 Updated 2026-11-12
Language አማርኛالعربيةEnglish
TL;DR
  • Eritrea has roughly 1 million internet users (1,000,000 people) — about 27.8% of the population and rank #153 globally.
  • The apps people open most: WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, Facebook. They cover Messaging, Social, Video, News, Shopping, Payments and more.
  • The one to know first: WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

Eritrea in numbers

2025–2026
Internet users
1 million1,000,000 · #153
Penetration
27.8%#201
Population
3.6 million3,600,000 · #132
GDP
$3B#188
GDP growth
+3.0%#122
GDP per person
$722#209
Land area
117.6k km²#100
Capital
Asmara
Region
Africa
Official languages
Tigrinya, Arabic

How Eritrea goes online

Asmara is one of the hardest places in Africa to get online. The state operator EriTel controls the network, mobile coverage is limited outside the main towns, and prices for a connection are high enough that many people simply do without. Public internet points carry a lot of the traffic, and a queue for a terminal is normal. Facebook and WhatsApp exist, but access is not something anyone takes for granted, and most conversation still happens face to face or on the phone.

Around 27.8%. With a population of about 3.6 million and 1 million online, roughly 2.6 million people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

All 10 apps below are grouped by category.

What people actually use

10 Most-used apps

Messaging

3 Most-used apps →
WhatsApp Messaging · Meta · 2009 Messenger Messaging · Meta · 2011 Telegram Messaging · Telegram FZ-LLC · 2013

Social

2 Most-used apps →
Facebook Social · Meta · 2004 Instagram Social · Meta · 2010

Video

1 Most-used apps →
YouTube Video · Google · 2005

News

1 Most-used apps →
Al Jazeera News · Al Jazeera Media Network · 2003

Shopping

2 Most-used apps →
AliExpress Shopping · Alibaba Group · 2010 Temu Shopping · PDD Holdings · 2022

Payments

1 Most-used apps →
Western Union Payments · Western Union · 1851

Websites people in Eritrea actually use

10

The 10 sites locals open most often — news, shopping, search, banking and government services. Every link goes to the official site.

News2Banking2Telecom1Transport1Food1Mail1TV & media1Education1
ShabaitNewsshabait.comShabait is the state site — the only official version of the news here. AsmarinoNewsasmarino.comFor the other side of the story, Eritreans abroad read Asmarino. Bank of EritreaBankingbankoferitrea.comThe central bank and currency authority. Commercial Bank of EritreaBankingcbe.com.erThe largest commercial bank. EriTelTelecomeritel.com.erEritrea's state telecommunications provider — landlines, internet subscriptions and the tariffs set for homes and offices. Eritrean AirlinesTransporteritreanairlines.comThe national airline — scheduled flights from Asmara to Cairo, Khartoum, Jeddah and Dubai. Asmara BreweryFoodasmarabrewery.comThe state brewery behind Asmara’s lager. Eritrea PostMaileritreapost.comThe national postal service. Eri-TVTV & mediaeritrea-tv.comThe state television service. University of AsmaraEducationuoa.edu.erThe country’s main university.

2808 websites →

Frequently asked questions

6 Q&A
How many people in Eritrea are online?

About 1 million (1,000,000 people). That works out to roughly 27.8% of the population, which puts Eritrea at #153 in the world for total internet users. Figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026, which draws on ITU and national statistics.

Which apps do people in Eritrea use most?

Mostly WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, Facebook — they cover Messaging, Social, Video, News, Shopping, Payments. The full list, grouped by category, is further down this page.

What is the leading Messaging app in Eritrea?

WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram dominate this space. The best-known is WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

How high is internet penetration in Eritrea?

Around 27.8%. With a population of about 3.6 million and 1 million online, roughly 2.6 million people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

Where do these app facts come from?

Usage figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026 (Kepios, based on ITU and national statistics); app details come from each product’s official site. Updated 2026-11-12.

Which websites are most popular in Eritrea?

The everyday ones are Shabait, Asmarino, EriTel, plus the other 10 sites listed above. They cover news, shopping, search, banking and official paperwork, and every link points to the official site.

Sources

Updated 2026-11-12
Cite this pageWorld Sites & Apps. “Eritrea: internet and everyday apps”. 2026. https://abcvv.com/c/er-en.html