Promote:
Export from Eritrea
A short guide for companies selling from Eritrea: the export figures, the agreements and their limits, the main steps and who can help, each with its source.
1. What Eritrea sells, and who buys it
Goods exports
US$816.1 million
Merchandise exports were US$816.1 million in 2025, summed from the import reports of 75 partner countries.
Source: UN Comtrade, partners' imports from Eritrea by destination, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Largest export lineEstimate
Copper, zinc and gold account for more than 95 percent of Eritrea’s export earnings, per the World Bank.
Source: World Bank, Macro Poverty Outlook Eritrea, October 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Top goods exports
2025
- 1. Copper ores and concentrates (HS 2603)US$559.3 million
- 2. Zinc ores and concentrates (HS 2608)US$225.1 million
- 3. Women's suits, dresses and skirts (HS 6204)US$8.25 million
- 4. Engine parts (HS 8409)US$4.54 million
- 5. Men's shirts (HS 6205)US$3.62 million
- 6. Women's slips, nightwear and underwear (HS 6208)US$1.37 million
- 7. Passenger cars (HS 8703)US$1.25 million
- 8. Natural gums and resins (HS 1301)US$1.13 million
Show 12 more products
- 9. Men's underwear and nightwear (HS 6207)US$775,555
- 10. Other live animals (HS 0106)US$636,150
- 11. Women's blouses and shirts (HS 6206)US$631,688
- 12. Copper tubes and pipes (HS 7411)US$609,902
- 13. Jewelry (HS 7113)US$576,778
- 14. Loudspeakers and microphones (HS 8518)US$554,392
- 15. Semi-finished iron and steel (HS 7207)US$474,947
- 16. Live sheep and goats (HS 0104)US$455,600
- 17. Special-purpose machines (HS 8479)US$370,471
- 18. Soil and crop machinery (HS 8432)US$348,232
- 19. Filters and centrifuges (HS 8421)US$324,180
- 20. Plastic sheets and film (HS 3920)US$265,031
- Reported by the buying countries as imports, valued by each importing country (CIF or FOB, as each reports it), not at export. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Copper and zinc concentrates are 96.1 percent of the 2025 value and appear in 2024 too; gold, a main export per the World Bank, is absent from partners’ reports. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Partners’ 2024 reports are not comparable with 2025: 86 countries reported for 2024 and 75 for 2025, so no prior-year change is shown. Source (opens in a new tab)
Source: UN Comtrade, partners' imports from Eritrea by product, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Where the goods go
2025, share of goods exports
- China95%
- South Korea1.2%
- Czechia1%
- Croatia0.7%
- Italy0.7%
- Bermuda0.6%
- France0.2%
- Saudi Arabia0.1%
- Reported by the buying countries as imports, valued by each importing country (CIF or FOB, as each reports it), not at export. Source (opens in a new tab)
- China’s report is 95.0 percent of the 2025 total; the United Arab Emirates reported US$137.1 million for 2023 but has not reported 2024 or 2025. Source (opens in a new tab)
Source: UN Comtrade, partners' imports from Eritrea by destination, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
- Only 4 product lines are meaningful in 2025, at 0.5 percent of exports and US$50,000 or more each; the list shows the top 30 lines for completeness. Source (opens in a new tab)
2. What to look into next
Our reading
Extractive lines (copper ores and concentrates and zinc ores and concentrates) make up about 96% of Eritrea’s goods exports, so the totals mostly describe that trade. For another product, look at demand for your own line, market by market.
Sources: UN Comtrade, partners' imports from Eritrea by product, 2025 (opens in a new tab); UN Comtrade, partners' imports from Eritrea by destination, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Based on: Top goods exports and goods exports
The research marks women's suits, dresses and skirts, men's shirts and women's slips, nightwear and underwear as lines a small or mid-sized company could be in. If yours is one, check which markets buy that line, not only Eritrea’s top destinations overall.
Source: UN Comtrade, partners' imports from Eritrea by product, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Based on: Top goods exports
China takes 95% of Eritrea’s goods exports. If you sell there, its import rules and buyer channels come first; either way, compare at least one other market before you commit.
Source: UN Comtrade, partners' imports from Eritrea by destination, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Based on: Where the goods go
Promote:Global’s reading of the figures above, not a source’s statement, and not advice.
3. Trade agreements
What each arrangement can mean for a seller, and its limits. A preference is conditional: check the rules of origin before you quote.
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
Duty-free access under the agreement is not open to Eritrean goods, because Eritrea is not among the states listed as having ratified it.
The Secretariat’s September 2026 status page lists 50 ratifying states without Eritrea and shows no Eritrean tariff schedule.
Source: AfCFTA Secretariat, tariff offers status, September 2026 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
Eritrea no longer takes part in this Horn of Africa regional platform for trade and cross-border cooperation.
The United Nations report says Eritrea formally withdrew in December 2025, citing concerns about the organization’s effectiveness.
Source: United Nations in Eritrea, Annual Results Report 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
AGOA
AGOA, the United States’ trade preference program for eligible African countries, does not cover goods from Eritrea in 2026.
As of June 30, 2026, USTR lists Eritrea among countries not designated for 2026; Public Law 119-103 extends the program to 2028.
Source: USTR, AGOA 2026 eligibility notice, Federal Register, June 30, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of June 30, 2026
European Union Everything But Arms
Goods from Eritrea can enter the European Union under the least-developed-country scheme if they meet the origin rules.
Regulation (EU) 2026/1395 lists Eritrea under Everything But Arms from January 1, 2027; the current list under Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 was not opened, so confirm before you ship.
Source: European Union, Regulation (EU) 2026/1395 on tariff preferences, June 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of June 22, 2026
Show 1 more agreement
United Kingdom Developing Countries Trading Scheme
Eritrea is on the scheme’s Comprehensive Preferences list, which gives the widest tariff cuts to qualifying goods.
Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access; the tier list was published on June 19, 2023, so confirm the current tier.
Source: United Kingdom government, trading scheme preference tiers (opens in a new tab) · as of June 19, 2023
4. Steps to export
The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.
Exporting from Eritrea
- Register your business and obtain a business license.Business Licensing Office of the Ministry of Trade and IndustryOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Shabait, Investment in Eritrea, January 2012 (opens in a new tab) · as of January 20, 2012
- For plants and plant products, obtain a safety certificate from a quarantine center before export.Ministry of AgricultureOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Shabait, Ministry of Agriculture quarantine centers, May 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of May 29, 2025
- For organic fertilizer, meet the quality standards and licensing criteria in the Ministry’s export document.Ministry of AgricultureOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Shabait, organic fertilizer export workshop, November 2024 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 5, 2024
- For minerals, hold a mining license, then sell or export under it, with government staff checking each shipment.Ministry of Energy and MinesOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Shabait, ENAMCO on Eritrea’s mining sector, March 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of March 26, 2025
Show 2 more export steps
- Ask the standards body whether your product needs certification against an Eritrean Standard.Eritrean Standards InstitutionOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Eritrea Gazette, Standards Institution Proclamation 75/1995 (opens in a new tab) · as of September 20, 1995
- Report the goods to customs in writing before export, with any license or permit the goods need.Customs DepartmentOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Eritrea Gazette, Exported Goods Regulations, Legal Notice 57/2002 (opens in a new tab) · as of January 22, 2002
5. Organizations that help exporters
Start with MoTI and Customs Department. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets
Export development and market information
- Get advice
Trade and industry ministry
MoTI
Ministry of Trade and Industry
Issues business licenses through its Business Licensing Office, and its domestic trade unit is the industrial property office.
- Find finance
Multilateral development bank
World Bank
Multilateral body
Publishes the Macro Poverty Outlook for Eritrea, with growth, inflation, debt and export structure.
Visit World Bank (opens in a new tab)Source: World Bank, Macro Poverty Outlook Eritrea, October 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Show 1 more organization
Information ministry
Ministry of Information
Publishes Shabait, the official news site that carries ministry reports and investment pages.
Visit Ministry of Information (opens in a new tab)Source: Shabait, Ministry of Information home page (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Customs and tax
- Meet requirements
Customs authority
Customs Department
Takes written reports of goods before export at the customs office nearest the place of export.
Standards and sector requirements
- Meet requirements
National standards body
Standards Institution
Eritrean Standards Institution
Sets compulsory Eritrean Standards, tests products and certifies import and export products that conform.
Visit Standards Institution (opens in a new tab)Source: Eritrea Gazette, Standards Institution Proclamation 75/1995 (opens in a new tab) · as of September 20, 1995
- Meet requirements
Agriculture ministry
MoA
Ministry of Agriculture
Runs quarantine centers that issue safety certificates for plant exports, and regulates food and agricultural inputs.
Visit MoA (opens in a new tab)Source: Shabait, Ministry of Agriculture quarantine centers, May 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of May 29, 2025
Show 2 more organizations
Marine resources ministry
MMR
Ministry of Marine Resources
Issues fishing licenses and regulates marine resources, with a Massawa branch that runs the fishing port.
Visit MMR (opens in a new tab)Source: Shabait, Eritrea’s marine resources, November 2017 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 11, 2017
Mining and energy ministry
MoEM
Ministry of Energy and Mines
Licenses mining through a one-stop system and lets license holders sell or export minerals without other permissions.
Visit MoEM (opens in a new tab)Source: Shabait, ENAMCO on Eritrea’s mining sector, March 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of March 26, 2025
Chambers and industry associations
- Get advice
Chamber of commerce
Chamber of Commerce
Eritrean Chamber of Commerce
Trains entrepreneurs, for example in trade ethics for traders in the Southern region.
- Get advice
Women’s agribusiness association
Women Agro-Business Association
Eritrean Women Agro-Business Association
Supports women in value addition and packaging of food products such as honey, poultry and milk.
6. Worth knowing
Currency and settlement
The United Nations country team says exclusion from the SWIFT payments network limits private-sector transactions and access to international finance.
What to do: Confirm with the buyer’s bank how payment will reach Eritrea before you commit to a shipment.
Source: United Nations in Eritrea, Annual Results Report 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Export concentration
The World Bank says zinc, copper and gold account for more than 95 percent of export earnings, and partners’ records show copper and zinc concentrates at 96.1 percent.
What to do: Ask the trade ministry which regulator covers your product before you prepare a non-mining export.
Sources: World Bank, Macro Poverty Outlook Eritrea, October 2026 (opens in a new tab); UN Comtrade, partners' imports from Eritrea by destination, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Customs system change
Eritrea moved customs processing to ASYCUDA World, replacing paper-based processes, and trained 100 customs staff, technology specialists and clearing agents.
What to do: Ask the Customs Department which declaration forms and steps apply today.
Source: United Nations in Eritrea, Annual Results Report 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
7. How Promote:Global helps
- Compare potential export marketsSee which markets import what you sell, ranked on public trade data, and read each country before you commit.
- Check duties and document requirementsCheck the duty, the origin conditions for a preferential rate and the documents a shipment needs.
- Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
- Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.
Turn this guide into your Eritrea project.
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Promote:Eritrea is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.
Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of October 31, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.