USD to ERN Exchange Rate History — Eritrea
This page charts the historical USD to Eritrean Nakfa (ERN) parallel — or "black market" — exchange rate in Eritrea. As new readings are collected they appear in the chart and tables below, building a record of how the street price of the dollar has moved over time.
Eritrea fixes the nakfa far above its street value, so the black-market dollar trades well beyond the official rate for those who can find it.
How to read the ERN rate history
The chart plots the parallel buy rate — how many ERN it took to buy one US dollar — at each point we recorded. The daily table below lists the closing buy and sell rate for each day, while the monthly table summarises the average, high and low for each month, which is useful for comparing one period with another.
A rising line means the Eritrean Nakfa is losing value (more ERN per dollar); a falling line means it is gaining.
What has moved the Eritrean Nakfa recently?
In Eritrea, the parallel rate is driven by factors such as strict currency controls, a rigid official peg, severe dollar scarcity. When dollars become scarcer or confidence falls, the street rate climbs ahead of the official Bank of Eritrea rate; when supply improves or policy tightens, the gap can narrow again.
Because the parallel rate often moves before official devaluations, its history is a useful early-warning record — a steadily rising trend frequently precedes an official adjustment, while a long plateau suggests relative stability.
Using historical ERN rates
Historical rates help with budgeting, invoicing, remittance planning and spotting trends, but they are not a forecast — past movements do not guarantee future ones. For the live rate, see our main USD to ERN page, and use the converter for exact amounts.
All figures are aggregated from P2P platforms, community reports and market monitoring, then refreshed hourly. They are provided for information and price-transparency only and are not financial advice.