Countdown Indicators Breakdown
The Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) is a collaborative interdisciplinary effort to monitor global food systems. The Countdown developed a framework that includes five themes: (1) diets, nutrition, and health; (2) environment, natural resources, and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty, and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience and identified 50 indicators across these themes. This page presents national level data for these 50 indicators for Eritrea.
Eritrea income group: Low Income
Comparison
Eritrea
Eastern Africa
World
Diets, Nutrition, and Health
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Eastern Africa
3.46
World
3.36
PPP dollar/capita/day
Cost of a healthy diet
No Data
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
Source FAOSTAT
Eastern Africa
75%
World
25%
Percent of the population who cannot afford a healthy diet
No Data
Share of the population whose food budget is less than the cost of a healthy diet
Source FAOSTAT
Eastern Africa
206.2
World
162.3
g/capita/day
Availability of fruits
No Data
Amount of fruits—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
Source FAOSTAT
Eastern Africa
144.4
World
338.1
g/capita/day
Availability of vegetables
No Data
Amount of vegetables—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
Source FAOSTAT
Eastern Africa
18%
World
68%
Percent of the population using safely managed drinking water services (SDG 6.1.1)
No Data
Share of the population that gets drinking water from an improved source, providing the clean water essential for food security (SDG 6.1.1)
Eritrea
46.2
Eastern Africa
62.4
World
342.8
USD/capita
Retail value (total sales) of ultra-processed foods per capita
46.2 USD/capita
Annual perperson sales of ultra-processed foods, which are known to be associated with poor health outcomes
2023
Eastern Africa
53%
World
66%
MDD-W: Minimum dietary diversity for women (SDG 2.2.4)
No Data
Share of women who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
Eastern Africa
29%
World
39%
All-5: Consumption of all five food groups
No Data
Share of the adult population consuming all five food groups typically recommended for daily consumption
Eastern Africa
3.5
World
3.8
NCD-Protect
No Data
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices protective against noncommunicable diseases, like eating enough fiber, on a scale from 0 to 9
Eastern Africa
1.3
World
2.1
NCD-Risk
No Data
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices known to raise the risk of noncommunicable diseases, like eating too much sugar, on a scale from 0 to 9
Eastern Africa
11%
World
11%
Adults: Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
No Data
Share of adults who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
Eastern Africa
20%
World
19%
Adults: Soft drink consumption
No Data
Share of adults who consumed a sugar-sweetened soft drink, which are generally known to be unhealthy, during the previous day
Eastern Africa
26%
World
45%
Prevalence of undernourishment (SDG 2.1.1)
No Data
Share of the population that goes hungry—that is, lacks enough calories for a healthy, active life (SDG 2.1.1)
Source FAOSTAT
Eastern Africa
64%
World
33%
Percent population experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity (SDG 2.1.2)
No Data
Share of the population experiencing food insecurity, measured according to the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) (SDG 2.1.2)
Source FAOSTAT
Eastern Africa
22%
World
32%
MDD (IYCF): Minimum dietary diversity for infants and young children
No Data
Share of young children who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
Source UNICEF
Eastern Africa
42
World
39
% population 6-23 months
Children (6-23 months): Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
No Data
Share of young children who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
Source UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Environment, Natural Resources, and Production
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Eritrea
48%
Eastern Africa
68%
World
63%
Cropland nitrogen use efficiency
48%
Eritrea
0.1
Eastern Africa
0.2
World
0.5
tonnes/ha
Cereals yield
0.1 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2023
Source FAOSTAT
Eritrea
0.7
Eastern Africa
1
World
1.2
tonnes/ha
Fruit yield
0.7 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2023
Source FAOSTAT
Eritrea
0.4
Eastern Africa
0.9
World
1.4
tonnes/ha
Vegetable yield
0.4 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2023
Source FAOSTAT
Eritrea
1,667
Eastern Africa
6,010.2
World
30,819.5
100 g/animal
Cow's milk yield
1,667 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2023
Source FAOSTAT
Eritrea
97.9
Eastern Africa
147.7
World
200.6
kg/animal
Beef yield
97.9 kg/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2023
Source FAOSTAT
Eritrea
1.1
Eastern Africa
7.8
World
21.2
Fishery health index progress score
1.1
An indicator summarizing the availability and sustainability of fish, which are at risk of overfishing or environmental degradation
2021
Source Minderoo Foundation
Eritrea
5,569.8
Eastern Africa
45,213.8
World
83,692.6
kT CO2eq
Agri-food systems greenhouse gas emissions
5,569.8 kT CO2eq
Eritrea
0.1
Eastern Africa
0.2
World
0.2
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cereals (excluding rice)
0.1 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cereals (excluding rice)
2021
Source FAOSTAT
Eastern Africa
1.8
World
1.1
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for rice
No Data
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of rice
Source FAOSTAT
Eritrea
11.3
Eastern Africa
3.5
World
1
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cow's milk
11.3 kg CO2eq/kg product
Eritrea
74.7
Eastern Africa
64.9
World
28.3
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for beef
74.7 kg CO2eq/kg product
Eritrea
0
Eastern Africa
1
World
0
% change
Cropland area change
0% change
Average percentage change in cropland over the previous five years; expanding cropland is a major driver of biodiversity and ecosystem service loss and greenhouse gas emissions
2021
Source FSCI
Eritrea
78
Eastern Africa
52
World
43
% agricultural land
Functional integrity: Agricultural land with minimum level of natural habitat
78% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land area with enough semi-natural or natural habitat, relative to the amount of cropland or rangeland, to maintain biodiversity and functioning ecosystems
2015
Source DeClerck et al. 2021
Eritrea
8%
Eastern Africa
6%
World
17%
Agriculture water withdrawal as percent of total renewable water resources
8%
Water withdrawn for irrigation each year, as a percentage of the total renewable water resources available
2020
Source AQUASTAT
Eritrea
0
Eastern Africa
2.5
World
4.6
kg/ha
Pesticide use per area of cropland
0 kg/ha
The use of pesticides per area of cropland (kg active ingredient per hectare); pesticide use can cause pollution and harm health
2022
Source FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Livelihoods, Poverty, and Equity
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Eritrea
18
Eastern Africa
25
World
4
% GDP
Share of agriculture in GDP (SDG 2.a.1)
18% GDP
Percentage of a country’s GDP derived from agriculture, a measure of the level of economic development of the country
2022
Source FAOSTAT
Eritrea
5
Eastern Africa
2
World
4
% working age population
Unemployment rate (Rural)
5% working age population
Eastern Africa
14
World
7
% working age population
Underemployment rate (Rural)
No Data
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are underemployed (i.e., worked fewer hours than expected)
Source ILO
Eastern Africa
18
World
58
% population
Social protection coverage
No Data
Percentage of people who live in households that benefit from social protection programs, like cash transfers and health insurance
Source World Bank
Eastern Africa
12
World
23
% welfare of beneficiary households
Social protection adequacy
No Data
An indicator showing the extent to which social protection is sufficient to meet household needs
Source World Bank
Eastern Africa
18
World
8
% children 5-17
Percent of children 5-17 years engaged in child labor
No Data
Percentage of children ages 5–17 who are engaged in child labor, the majority of which is known to be in the food system and specifically in agriculture
Source UNICEF
Eastern Africa
56
World
31
% female land owners
Share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land (SDG 5.a.1)
No Data
A measure of the share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land
Source SDG Indicators Data Portal
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Governance
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Eritrea
0.1
Eastern Africa
0.6
World
0.6
Civil society participation index
0.1
An indicator capturing the level of participation in civil society organizations
2023
Source Varieties of Democracy
Eritrea
0%
Eastern Africa
5%
World
11%
Percent of the urban population living in cities signed onto the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
0%
Percentage of the urban population that lives in cities signed on to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, suggesting prioritization of food issues in urban planning
2023
Eritrea
1
Eastern Africa
1.4
World
1.1
Degree of legal recognition of the right to food
Some other implicit recognition, codification of international statutes, or other pertinent provisions
Eritrea
0
Eastern Africa
0.7
World
0.6
Presence of a national food system transformation pathway
No
Eritrea
-1.7
Eastern Africa
-0.7
World
0
Government effectiveness index
-1.7
An index capturing the perception of how effective the government is in making and enforcing policies and providing services
2022
Source World Governance Indicators
Eritrea
60
Eastern Africa
49.2
World
69.5
Food safety capacity
60
Whether functioning mechanisms exist to detect and respond to foodborne disease issues, measured as the percentage of a set of criteria met
2020
Eritrea
0
Eastern Africa
0.3
World
1.1
Presence of national health-related food environment policies
None
Whether the country has any health-related food environment policies, which are used to discourage consumption of unhealthy foods and beverages or encourage the consumption of healthy foods and beverages.
2023
Eritrea
-1.7
Eastern Africa
0.1
World
0.6
V-Dem accountability index
-1.7
An index capturing the extent to which the government is seen as being accountable for its actions
2023
Source Varieties of Democracy
Eastern Africa
28.1
World
43
Open budget index score
No Data
A score based on how easily the public can access information about how the government raises and spends money
Eritrea
0
Eastern Africa
0.6
World
0.7
Guarantees for public access to information (SDG 16.10.2)
No
Whether the country has and implements guarantees for access to information (SDG 16.10.2)
2022
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Resilience
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Eritrea
0
Eastern Africa
0.769
World
2.252
Ratio of total damages from all disasters to GDP
0
Eastern Africa
0.7
World
0.7
Dietary sourcing flexibility index
No Data
An index capturing the diversity of pathways through which food reaches consumers, indicating how difficult it is to disrupt the food supply
Source
FAO
Eritrea
49.7
Eastern Africa
81.4
World
110.1
Number per 100 people
Mobile cellular subscriptions
49.7 Number per 100 people
Number of mobile phone subscriptions as a percentage of the population, indicating the level of infrastructure and access to information to respond to shocks
2021
Eritrea
0.4
Eastern Africa
0.4
World
0.5
Social capital index
0.4
An index for the social capital in the country—how much people feel they can trust and can rely on their government and one another
2021
Source Legatum InstituteFSCI
Eritrea
47
Eastern Africa
32
World
25
% agricultural land
Proportion of agricultural land with minimum level of species diversity (crop and pasture)
47% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land (crop and pasture) containing a sufficient diversity of species, which helps cope with shocks and changes
2020
Source
Jones et al. 2021
Eritrea
4,676
Eastern Africa
18,557.8
World
42,858.9
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1a)
4,676
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2022
Source FAOSTAT
Eastern Africa
0.7
World
2.9
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1b)
No Data
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
Source FAOSTAT
Eastern Africa
0.3
World
0.2
Prevalence of severe coping strategies
No Data
Percentage of high-risk populations who need to rely on extreme strategies to cope with food insecurity
Source
WFP
Eastern Africa
0.7
World
0.7
Food price volatility
No Data
Eastern Africa
37
World
32.2
kcal/capita/day
Food supply variability
No Data
How much the food supply (in calories per person per day) varies over time, indicating how well the food system can respond to shocks
Source FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable