Comoros

For centuries prior to colonization in the 19th century, the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean served as a key node in maritime trade networks that connected the Middle East, India, and eastern African regions. Composed of the islands of Anjouan, Mayotte, Moheli, and Grande Comore, Comoros spent most of the 20th century as a colonial outpost until it declared independence from France on 6 July 1975. Residents of Mayotte, however, voted to remain in France, and the French Government has since classified it as a French Overseas Department. Since independence, Comoros has weathered approximately 20 successful and attempted coups, mostly between 1975 and 2000, resulting in prolonged political instability and stunted economic development. In 2002, President AZALI Assoumani became the first elected president following the completion of the Fomboni Accords, in which the islands of Grande Comore, Anjouan, and Moheli agreed to rotate the presidency among the islands every five years. This power-sharing agreement also included provisions allowing each island to maintain its local government. In 2007, Mohamed BACAR effected Anjouan's de-facto secession from the Union of the Comoros, refusing to step down when Comoros' other islands held legitimate elections. The African Union (AU) initially attempted to resolve the political crisis with sanctions and a naval blockade of Anjouan, but in 2008, the AU and Comoran soldiers seized the island. The island's inhabitants generally welcomed the move. In 2011, Ikililou DHOININE won the presidency in peaceful elections widely deemed to be free and fair. In closely contested elections in 2016, AZALI won a second term, when the rotating presidency returned to Grande Comore. In 2018, a referendum -- which the opposition parties boycotted -- approved a new constitution that extended presidential term limits and abolished the requirement for the presidency to rotate between the three main islands. AZALI formed a new government later that year, and he subsequently ran and was reelected in 2019. AZALI was reelected again in January 2024 in an election that the opposition disputed but the Supreme Court validated.

land

2,235 sq km

total

2,235 sq km

water

0 sq km

slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC

tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)

340 km

highest point

Karthala 2,360 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

12 10 S, 44 15 E

important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel; the only Arab League country that lies entirely in the Southern Hemisphere

1.3 sq km (2012)

total

0 km

agricultural land

84.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 46.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 29.6% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 8.1% (2018 est.)

forest

1.4% (2018 est.)

other

14.2% (2018 est.)

Southern Africa, group of islands at the northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique

Africa

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); volcanic activity on Grand Comorevolcanism: Karthala (2,361 m) on Grand Comore Island last erupted in 2007; a 2005 eruption forced thousands of people to be evacuated and produced a large ash cloud

fish

the capital city of Maroni, located on the western side of the island of Grande Comore, is the country's largest city; however, of the three islands that comprise Comoros, it is Anjouan that is the most densely populated as shown in this population distribution map

volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills

0-14 years

32.6% (male 146,480/female 146,626)

15-64 years

62.8% (male 271,139/female 294,231)

65 years and over

4.6% (2024 est.) (male 18,139/female 23,526)

beer

0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

0.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

21.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

19.4% (2012)

5.4% of GDP (2020)

61.2% (2023 est.)

6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Comoros’ population is a melange of Arabs, Persians, Indonesians, Africans, and Indians, and the much smaller number of Europeans that settled on the islands between the 8th and 19th centuries, when they served as a regional trade hub. The Arab and Persian influence is most evident in the islands’ overwhelmingly Muslim majority – about 98% of Comorans are Sunni Muslims. The country is densely populated, averaging nearly 350 people per square mile, although this varies widely among the islands, with Anjouan being the most densely populated.Given the large share of land dedicated to agriculture and Comoros’ growing population, habitable land is becoming increasingly crowded. The combination of increasing population pressure on limited land and resources, widespread poverty, and poor job prospects motivates thousands of Comorans each year to attempt to illegally migrate using small fishing boats to the neighboring island of Mayotte, which is a French territory. The majority of legal Comoran migration to France came after Comoros’ independence from France in 1975, with the flow peaking in the mid-1980s.At least 150,000 to 200,000 people of Comoran citizenship or descent live abroad, mainly in France, where they have gone seeking a better quality of life, job opportunities, higher education (Comoros has no universities), advanced health care, and to finance elaborate traditional wedding ceremonies (aada). Remittances from the diaspora are an economic mainstay, in 2013 representing approximately 25% of Comoros’ GDP and significantly more than the value of its exports of goods and services (only 15% of GDP). Grand Comore, Comoros’ most populous island, is both the primary source of emigrants and the main recipient of remittances. Most remittances are spent on private consumption, but this often goes toward luxury goods and the aada and does not contribute to economic development or poverty reduction. Although the majority of the diaspora is now French-born with more distant ties to Comoros, it is unclear whether they will sustain the current level of remittances.

elderly dependency ratio

7.5

potential support ratio

13.3 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

74.1

youth dependency ratio

66.6

improved: rural

rural: 88.5% of population

improved: total

total: 91% of population

improved: urban

urban: 97.4% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 11.5% of population

unimproved: total

total: 8.9% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 2.6% of population

2.6% of GDP (2015 est.)

Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava

1.28 (2024 est.)

female

44.7 deaths/1,000 live births

male

64.9 deaths/1,000 live births

total

54.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (official; similar to Swahili), Comorian

female

70.2 years

male

65.5 years

total population

67.8 years (2024 est.)

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

56.9% (2021)

male

67%

total population

62%

62,000 MORONI (capital) (2018)

217 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

female

23.3 years

male

22.1 years

total

22.7 years (2024 est.)

23 years (2012 est.)

note

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

adjective

Comoran

noun

Comoran(s)

-2.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

7.8% (2016)

0.26 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

female

464,383 (2024 est.)

male

435,758

total

900,141

the capital city of Maroni, located on the western side of the island of Grande Comore, is the country's largest city; however, of the three islands that comprise Comoros, it is Anjouan that is the most densely populated as shown in this population distribution map

1.3% (2024 est.)

Muslim 98.1% (overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, small Shia Muslim and Ahmadiyya Muslim populations), ethnic religionist 1.1%, Christian 0.6%, other 0.3% (2020 est.)

note

note: Sunni Islam is the state religion

improved: rural

rural: 43.6% of population

improved: total

total: 49% of population

improved: urban

urban: 62.4% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 56.4% of population

unimproved: total

total: 51% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 37.6% of population

female

11 years (2014)

male

11 years

total

11 years

0-14 years

1 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.77 male(s)/female

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

total population

0.94 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

female

11.1% (2020 est.)

male

29.5% (2020 est.)

total

20.3% (2020 est.)

2.61 children born/woman (2024 est.)

rate of urbanization

2.97% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

30.1% of total population (2023)

3 islands; Anjouan (Ndzuwani), Grande Comore (N'gazidja), Moheli (Mwali)

etymology

Moroni derives from "mroni," which means "at the river" in Shingazidja, the Comorian language spoken on Grande Comore (N'gazidja)

geographic coordinates

11 42 S, 43 14 E

name

Moroni

time difference

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must be a citizen of the Comoros

dual citizenship recognized

no

residency requirement for naturalization

10 years

amendments

proposed by the president of the union or supported by at least one third of the Assembly of the Union membership; adoption requires approval by at least three-quarters majority of the total Assembly membership or approval in a referendum

history

previous 1996, 2001; newest adopted 30 July 2018

note

note: a referendum held on 30 July 2018 - boycotted by the opposition - overwhelmingly approved a new constitution that allows for 2 consecutive 5-year presidential terms while retaining the rotating presidency within the islands

conventional long form

Union of the Comoros

conventional short form

Comoros

etymology

name derives from the Arabic designation "Juzur al Qamar" meaning "Islands of the Moon"

former

Comorian State, Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros

local long form

Udzima wa Komori (Comorian)/Union des Comores (French)/Al Ittihad al Qumuri (Arabic)

local short form

Komori (Comorian)/Les Comores (French)/Juzur al Qamar (Arabic)

embassy

the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the US Ambassador to Madagascar is accredited to Comoros

chancery

Permanent Mission to the UN, 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 495, New York, NY 10017

chief of mission

Ambassador Issimail CHANFI (since 23 December 2020); note - also Permanent Representative to the UN

email address and website

comoros@un.inthttps://www.un.int/comoros/

FAX

[1] (212) 750-1657

telephone

[1] (212) 750-1637

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

chief of state

President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May 2016) 

election results

2024: AZALI Assoumani reelected president in first round - AZALI Assoumani (CRC) 63%, SALIM ISSA Abdallah (PJ) 20.3%, DAOUDOU Abdallah Mohamed (Orange Party) 5.9%, Bourhane HAMIDOU (independent) 5.1%2019: AZALI Assoumani elected president in first round - AZALI Assoumani (CRC) 60.8%, Ahamada MAHAMOUDOU (PJ) 14.6%, Mouigni Baraka Said SOILIHI (independent) 5.6%, other 19%

elections/appointments

president directly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term; election last held on 14 January 2024 (next to be held in 2029)

head of government

President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May 2016)

note

note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

four equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), white, red, and blue, with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist; centered within the triangle is a vertical white crescent moon with the convex side facing the hoist and four white, five-pointed stars placed vertically in a line between the points of the crescent; the horizontal bands and the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago - Mwali, N'gazidja, Ndzuwani, and Mahore (Mayotte - department of France, but claimed by Comoros)

note

note: the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam

federal presidential republic

6 July 1975 (from France)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

ACP, AfDB, AMF, AOSIS, AU, CAEU (candidates), COMESA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

highest court(s)

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of 7 judges)

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court judges - selection and term of office NA

note

   

subordinate courts

Court of Appeals (in Moroni); Tribunal de premiere instance; island village (community) courts; religious courts

mixed legal system of Islamic religious law, the French civil code of 1975, and customary law

description

unicameral Assembly of the Union (24 members directly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 5-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party in first round - CRC 60.9%, Orange Party 4.3%, independent 30.8%, other 4%; seats by party in the first round -  CRC 16, Orange Party 1, independent 2; percent of vote by party in the second round - CRC 54.1%, Orange Party 18.9%, independent 26.1%, other 1%; seats by party in the second round - CRC 4, Orange Party 1; composition - men 20, women 4, percentage women 16.7%  

elections

last held on 19 January 2020 with a runoff on 23 February 2020 (next to be held in 2025)

note

note: opposition parties, which had demanded "transparent, free, and democratic" elections, boycotted the 2020 elections

lyrics/music

Said Hachim SIDI ABDEREMANE/Said Hachim SIDI ABDEREMANE and Kamildine ABDALLAH

name

"Udzima wa ya Masiwa" (The Union of the Great Islands)

note

note: adopted 1978

Independence Day, 6 July (1975)

four five-pointed stars and crescent moon; national colors: green, white

Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros or CRCJuwa Party (Parti Juwa) or PJOrange Party (2020)

18 years of age; universal

coconuts, bananas, cassava, yams, maize, taro, milk, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, pulses (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

expenditures

$228 million (2018 est.)

revenues

$223 million (2018 est.)

Current account balance 2020

-$22.048 million (2020 est.)

Current account balance 2021

-$4.076 million (2021 est.)

Current account balance 2022

-$6.614 million (2022 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Debt - external 2022

$233.947 million (2022 est.)

note

note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

small trade-based island economy; declining remittances; new structural and fiscal reforms; adverse cyclone and COVID-19 impacts; manageable debts; fragile liquidity environment; large foreign direct investment; state-owned enterprises suffering

Currency

Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

439.463 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

430.721 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

415.956 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

467.184 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

454.991 (2023 est.)

Exports 2020

$68.937 million (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$128.331 million (2021 est.)

Exports 2022

$165.347 million (2022 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

cloves, ships, vanilla, essential oils, scrap iron (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Turkey 23%, India 19%, UAE 9%, US 9%, Indonesia 8% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

exports of goods and services

13% (2023 est.)

government consumption

9.3% (2023 est.)

household consumption

100.1% (2023 est.)

imports of goods and services

-35% (2023 est.)

investment in fixed capital

12.7% (2023 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture

37.2% (2023 est.)

industry

9% (2023 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

49.6% (2023 est.)

$1.352 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2014

45.3 (2014 est.)

note

note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

highest 10%

33.7% (2014 est.)

lowest 10%

1.6% (2014 est.)

note

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Imports 2020

$343.608 million (2020 est.)

Imports 2021

$415.965 million (2021 est.)

Imports 2022

$479.94 million (2022 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

rice, refined petroleum, poultry, water, synthetic fabric (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

UAE 25%, China 19%, India 12%, France 8%, Tanzania 7% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

0% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

fishing, tourism, perfume distillation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016

1.8% (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

1% (2017 est.)

note

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

234,000 (2023 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Public debt 2017

32.4% of GDP (2017 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$2.816 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$2.883 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$2.961 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2021

2.11% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

2.39% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

2.7% (2023 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2021

$3,400 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$3,400 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$3,500 (2023 est.)

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2021

22.22% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

22.68% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

20.77% of GDP (2023 est.)

note

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$329.672 million (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$283.746 million (2022 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023

$324.561 million (2023 est.)

25.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2021

5.86% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

5.85% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

5.8% (2023 est.)

female

12.2% (2023 est.)

male

9.9% (2023 est.)

note

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total

10.9% (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

372,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

372,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

imports

2,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption

113.052 million kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

4.036 million kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

22.1 million kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - rural areas

82.9%

electrification - total population

89.9% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

100%

fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Total energy consumption per capita 2022

6.223 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

3,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

0.1 (2020 est.)

total

1,066 (2020 est.)

national state-owned TV station and a TV station run by Anjouan regional government; national state-owned radio; regional governments on the islands of Grande Comore and Anjouan each operate a radio station; a few independent and small community radio stations operate on the islands of Grande Comore and Moheli, and these two islands have access to Mayotte Radio and French TV

.km

percent of population

27% (2021 est.)

total

221,400 (2021 est.)

domestic

fixed-line connections less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage about 104 per 100 persons (2021)

general assessment

Comoros launched a special program for the construction of a wireless network to inter connect the 3 islands of the archipelago; telephone service limited to the islands' few towns (2020)

international

country code - 269; landing point for the EASSy, Comoros Domestic Cable System, Avassa, and FLY-LION3 fiber-optic submarine cable system connecting East Africa with Europe; HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion (2019)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

(2022 est.) less than 1

total subscriptions

7,000 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

100 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

839,000 (2022 est.)

3 (2024)

D6

by type

bulk carrier 17, container ship 7, general cargo 125, oil tanker 36, other 88

total

273 (2023)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

9

number of registered air carriers

2 (2020)

key ports

Dzaoudzi, Fomboni, Moroni, Moutsamoudu

ports with oil terminals

3

total ports

4 (2024)

very small

4

paved

673 km

total

849 km

unpaved

207 km (2019)

the focus for the security forces is search and rescue operations and maintaining internal security; a defense treaty with France provides naval resources for the protection of territorial waters, training of Comoran military personnel, and air surveillance; France maintains a small maritime base and a Foreign Legion contingent on neighboring Mayotte (2024)

National Army for Development (l'Armee Nationale de Developpement, AND): Comoran Defense Force (Force Comorienne de Defense or FCD; includes Comoran National Gendarmerie); Ministry of Interior: Coast Guard, Federal Police, National Directorate of Territorial Safety (customs and immigration) (2024)

note

note 1: when the Gendarmerie serves as the judicial police, it reports to the Minister of Justice; the Gendarmerie also has an intervention platoon that may act under the authority of the Interior Ministernote 2: the FCD is also known as the Comoran Security Force

estimated 600 Defense Force personnel; estimated 500 Federal Police (2023)

the AND is lightly armed and equipped with small arms and a few light aircraft (2023)

18-25 years of age for 2-year voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2021)

carbon dioxide emissions

0.2 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

0.19 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

14.37 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)

deforestation; soil degradation and erosion results from forest loss and from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; marine biodiversity affected as soil erosion leads to the silting of coral reefs

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

agricultural land

84.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 46.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 29.6% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 8.1% (2018 est.)

forest

1.4% (2018 est.)

other

14.2% (2018 est.)

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

1.39% of GDP (2018 est.)

1.2 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural

4.7 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial

500,000 cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal

4.8 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

rate of urbanization

2.97% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

30.1% of total population (2023)

municipal solid waste generated annually

91,013 tons (2015 est.)