2020 Edition

Background

Present-day Djibouti was the site of the medieval Ifat and Adal Sultanates. In the late 19th century, the Afar sultans signed treaties with the French that allowed the latter to establish the colony of French Somaliland in 1862. The French signed additional treaties with the ethnic Somali in 1885. Tension between the ethnic Afar and Somali populations increased over time, as the ethnic Somalis perceived that the French unfairly favored the Afar and gave them disproportionate influence in local governance. In 1958, the French held a referendum that provided residents of French Somaliland the option to either continue their association with France or to join neighboring Somalia as it established its independence. Ethnic Somali protested the vote, because French colonial leaders did not recognize many Somali as residents, which gave the Afar outsized influence in the decision to uphold ties with France. After a second referendum in 1967, the French changed the territory’s name to the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas, in part to underscore their relationship with the ethnic Afar and downplay the significance of the ethnic Somalis. A final referendum in 1977 established Djibouti as an independent nation and granted ethnic Somalis Djiboutian nationality, formally resetting the balance of power between the majority ethnic Somalis and minority ethnic Afar residents. Upon independence, the country was named after its capital city of Djibouti. Hassan Gouled APTIDON, an ethnic Somali leader, installed an authoritarian one-party state and served as president until 1999. Unrest between the Afar minority and Somali majority culminated in a civil war during the 1990s that ended in 2001 with a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Somali Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multiparty presidential election resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH as president; he was reelected to a second term in 2005 and extended his tenure in office via a constitutional amendment, which allowed him to serve his third and fourth terms, and to begin a fifth term in 2021. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the intersection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Its ports handle 95% of Ethiopia’s trade. Djibouti’s ports also service transshipments between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The government has longstanding ties to France, which maintains a military presence in the country, as do the US, Japan, Italy, Germany, Spain, and China.

Area

land

23,180 sq km

total

23,200 sq km

water

20 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Climate

desert; torrid, dry

Coastline

314 km

Elevation

highest point

Moussa Ali 2,021 m

lowest point

Lac Assal -155 m

mean elevation

430 m

Geographic coordinates

11 30 N, 43 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa and the saltiest lake in the world

Irrigated land

10 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

border countries

Eritrea 125 km; Ethiopia 342 km; Somalia 61 km

total

528 km

Land use

agricultural land

73.5% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 0.1% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 73.3% (2023 est.)

forest

0.3% (2023 est.)

other

26.2% (2023 est.)

Location

Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia

Major lakes (area sq km)

salt water lake(s)

Abhe Bad/Abhe Bid Hayk (shared with Ethiopia) - 780 sq km

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods volcanism: experiences limited volcanic activity; Ardoukoba (298 m) last erupted in 1978; Manda-Inakir, located along the Ethiopian border, is also historically active

Natural resources

potential geothermal power, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum

Population distribution

most densely populated areas are in the east; the largest city is Djibouti, and the other cities in the country are a fraction of its size, as shown in this population distribution map

Terrain

coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

Age structure

0-14 years

28.4% (male 141,829/female 140,696)

15-64 years

67.4% (male 290,654/female 379,778)

65 years and over

4.2% (2024 est.) (male 18,313/female 23,704)

Alcohol consumption per capita

beer

0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

0.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

21.46 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Child marriage

women married by age 15

1.4% (2019)

women married by age 18

6.5% (2019)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

17.7% (2023 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

46.5% (2017 est.)

Death rate

7 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

6.4 (2025 est.)

potential support ratio

15.7 (2025 est.)

total dependency ratio

48.1 (2025 est.)

youth dependency ratio

41.7 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 47.3% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 76.2% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 84.1% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 52.7% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 23.8% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 15.9% of population (2022 est.)

Education expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP)

3.8% of GDP (2018 est.)

Education expenditure (% national budget)

14.5% national budget (2018 est.)

Ethnic groups

Somali 60%, Afar 35%, other 5% (mostly Yemeni Arab, also French, Ethiopian, and Italian)

Gross reproduction rate

1.03 (2025 est.)

Health expenditure

Health expenditure (as % of GDP)

2.9% of GDP (2021)

Health expenditure (as % of national budget)

5.2% of national budget (2022 est.)

Hospital bed density

1.4 beds/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

38 deaths/1,000 live births

male

52.1 deaths/1,000 live births

total

44.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

Languages

French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar

Life expectancy at birth

female

68.5 years

male

63.4 years

total population

65.9 years (2024 est.)

Major urban areas - population

600,000 DJIBOUTI (capital) (2023)

Maternal mortality ratio

162 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Median age

female

27.9 years

male

24.4 years

total

26.7 years (2025 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Djiboutian

noun

Djiboutian(s)

Net migration rate

3.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

13.5% (2016)

Physician density

0.21 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

Population

female

554,715

male

458,988

total

1,013,703 (2025 est.)

Population growth rate

1.84% (2025 est.)

Religions

Sunni Muslim 94% (nearly all Djiboutians), other 6% (mainly foreign-born residents - Shia Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Baha'i, and atheist)

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 24.2% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 74% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 87.7% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 75.8% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 26% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 12.3% of population (2022 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.77 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.77 male(s)/female

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

total population

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

Total fertility rate

2.09 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.56% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

78.6% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

6 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); Ali Sabieh, Arta, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjourah

Capital

etymology

the name is said to derive from the Afar word gabouri, meaning "plate," in reference to a palm-fiber plate used for ceremonial purposes

geographic coordinates

11 35 N, 43 09 E

name

Djibouti

time difference

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

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

the mother must be a citizen of Djibouti

dual citizenship recognized

no

residency requirement for naturalization

10 years

Constitution

amendment process

proposed by the president of the republic or by the National Assembly; Assembly consideration of proposals requires assent of at least one third of the membership; passage requires a simple majority vote by the Assembly and approval by simple majority vote in a referendum; the president can opt to bypass a referendum if adopted by at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly; constitutional articles on the sovereignty of Djibouti, its republican form of government, and its pluralist form of democracy cannot be amended

history

approved by referendum 4 September 1992

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Djibouti

conventional short form

Djibouti

etymology

the country name derives from the capital city of Djibouti

former

French Somaliland, French Territory of the Afars and Issas

local long form

République de Djibouti (French)/ Jumhuriyat Jibuti (Arabic)

local short form

Djibouti (French)/ Jibuti (Arabic)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Cynthia KIERSCHT (since 17 October 2024)

email address and website

DjiboutiACS@state.gov https://dj.usembassy.gov/

embassy

Lot 350-B Haramouss, B.P. 185

FAX

[253] 21-45-31-29

mailing address

2150 Djibouti Place, Washington DC 20521-2150

telephone

[253] 21-45-30-00

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1156 15th Street NW, Suite 515, Washington, DC 20005

chief of mission

Ambassador Mohamed Siad DOUALEH (28 January 2016)

email address and website

info@djiboutiembassyus.org https://www.djiboutiembassyus.org/

FAX

[1] (202) 331-0302

telephone

[1] (202) 331-0270

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

chief of state

President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999)

election results

2021: Ismail Omar GUELLEH reelected president for a fifth term; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH (RPP) 97.4%, Zakaria Ismael FARAH (MDEND) 2.7%

election/appointment process

president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term; prime minister appointed by the president

expected date of next election

April 2026

head of government

Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil MOHAMED (since 1 April 2013)

most recent election date

9 April 2021

Flag

description: two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green, with a white isosceles triangle based on the left side that has a five-pointed red star in the center meaning: blue stands for sea, sky, and the Issa Somali people, green for earth and the Afar people, and white for peace; the red star stands for the struggle for independence and unity

Government type

presidential republic

Independence

27 June 1977 (from France)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, ATMIS, AU, CAEU (candidates), COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Supreme Court or Cour Suprême (consists of NA magistrates); Constitutional Council (consists of 6 magistrates)

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court magistrates appointed by the president with the advice of the Superior Council of the Magistracy (CSM), a 10-member body consisting of 4 judges, 3 members (non-parliamentarians and judges) appointed by the president, and 3 appointed by the National Assembly president or speaker; magistrates appointed for life with retirement at age 65; Constitutional Council magistrate appointments - 2 by the president of the republic, 2 by the president of the National Assembly, and 2 by the CSM; magistrates appointed for 8-year, non-renewable terms

subordinate courts

High Court of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; customary courts; State Court (replaced sharia courts in 2003)

Legal system

mixed system based primarily on the French civil code (as it existed in 1997), Islamic religious law (in matters of family law and successions), and customary law

Legislative branch

electoral system

mixed system

expected date of next election

February 2028

legislative structure

unicameral

legislature name

National Assembly (Assemblée nationale)

most recent election date

2/24/2023

number of seats

65 (all directly elected)

parties elected and seats per party

Union for the Presidential Majority (UMP) (58); Union for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) (7)

percentage of women in chamber

26.2%

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

5 years

National anthem(s)

history

adopted 1977

lyrics/music

Aden ELMI/Abdi ROBLEH

title

"Jabuuti" (Djibouti)

National color(s)

light blue, green, white, red

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 June (1977)

National symbol(s)

red star

Political parties

Front for Restoration of Unity and Democracy (Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique) or FRUD National Democratic Party or PND People's Rally for Progress or RPP Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ Union for the Presidential Majority coalition or UMP Union of Reform Partisans or UPR

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

vegetables, beans, milk, beef, camel milk, lemons/limes, goat meat, lamb/mutton, tomatoes, beef offal (2023)

Budget

expenditures

$754 million (2019 est.)

revenues

$725 million (2019 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2022

$656.207 million (2022 est.)

Current account balance 2023

$721.349 million (2023 est.)

Current account balance 2024

$610.124 million (2024 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 2023

$2.531 billion (2023 est.)

Economic overview

food import-dependent Horn of Africa economy driven by various national military bases and port-based trade; fairly resilient from COVID-19 disruptions; major re-exporter; increasing Ethiopian and Chinese trade relations; investing in infrastructure

Exchange rates

Currency

Djiboutian francs (DJF) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2020

177.721 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

177.721 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

177.721 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

177.721 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2024

177.721 (2024 est.)

Exports

Exports 2022

$5.674 billion (2022 est.)

Exports 2023

$5.877 billion (2023 est.)

Exports 2024

$5.25 billion (2024 est.)

Exports - commodities

raw sugar, seed oils, cars, palm oil, rice (2023)

Exports - partners

Ethiopia 77%, UAE 5%, China 3%, Singapore 2%, France 2% (2023)

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

160.8% (2024 est.)

government consumption

18.8% (2024 est.)

household consumption

73% (2024 est.)

imports of goods and services

-148.3% (2024 est.)

investment in fixed capital

26.3% (2024 est.)

investment in inventories

-30.1% (2024 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

2.6% (2024 est.)

industry

15.4% (2024 est.)

services

75.5% (2024 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$4.086 billion (2024 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2017

41.6 (2017 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

32.3% (2017 est.)

lowest 10%

1.9% (2017 est.)

Imports

Imports 2022

$5.096 billion (2022 est.)

Imports 2023

$5.269 billion (2023 est.)

Imports 2024

$4.765 billion (2024 est.)

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, palm oil, fertilizers, cars, seed oils (2023)

Imports - partners

China 32%, India 12%, UAE 10%, Turkey 6%, Morocco 5% (2023)

Industrial production growth rate

9.7% (2024 est.)

Industries

construction, agricultural processing, shipping

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

5.2% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

1.5% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

2.1% (2024 est.)

Labor force

265,200 (2024 est.)

Population below poverty line

21.1% (2017 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2016

33.7% of GDP (2016 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$7.028 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$7.546 billion (2023 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024

$7.995 billion (2024 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2022

5.2% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

7.4% (2023 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2024

6% (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2022

$6,200 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$6,500 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2024

$6,800 (2024 est.)

Remittances

Remittances 2022

1.6% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

1.5% of GDP (2023 est.)

Remittances 2024

1.4% of GDP (2024 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$589.437 million (2022 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023

$502.034 million (2023 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024

$348.725 million (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2022

26.4% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

26.2% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2024

25.9% (2024 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

77.9% (2024 est.)

male

75.3% (2024 est.)

total

76.3% (2024 est.)

Coal

exports

8 metric tons (2023 est.)

imports

19,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

Electricity

consumption

584.997 million kWh (2023 est.)

imports

512 million kWh (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity

210,000 kW (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

128.74 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - rural areas

36.6%

electrification - total population

65% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

72.8%

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels

65.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

solar

0.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

wind

34.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2023

10.428 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Petroleum

refined petroleum consumption

5,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

1 (2023 est.)

total

17,000 (2023 est.)

Broadcast media

state-owned Radiodiffusion-Télévision de Djibouti operates the sole terrestrial TV station, as well as the 2 domestic radio networks; no private TV or radio stations; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available (2019)

Internet country code

.dj

Internet users

percent of population

65% (2023 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

3 (2023 est.)

total subscriptions

28,700 (2023 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

49 (2023 est.)

total subscriptions

559,000 (2023 est.)

Airports

10 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

J2

Heliports

6 (2025)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 1, container ship 1, general cargo 4, oil tanker 13, other 21

total

40 (2023)

Ports

key ports

Djibouti, Doraleh

large

0

medium

0

ports with oil terminals

2

small

2

total ports

2 (2024)

very small

0

Railways

standard gauge

97 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge

total

97 km (2017) (Djibouti segment of the 756 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway)

Military - note

Djibouti's military forces are largely focused on border, coastal, and internal security duties, such as counterterrorism; as recently as February 2025, Djiboutian forces have conducted operations near its border with Ethiopia against members of the Armed Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD A), which Djibouti considers a terrorist group   China, France, Italy, Japan, and the US maintain bases in Djibouti for regional military missions, including counterterrorism, counter-piracy, crisis response, and security assistance; other countries, such as Germany and Spain, have smaller military contingents; the EU and NATO also maintain a presence in Djibouti to support multinational naval counter-piracy operations and maritime training efforts (2025)

Military and security forces

Djibouti Armed Forces (Forces Armées Djiboutiennes or FAD): Djiboutian (or National) Army, Djiboutian Navy (includes Djiboutian Coast Guard), Djiboutian Air Force; Djiboutian National Gendarmerie Ministry of Interior: National Police (Police Nationale) (2025)

Military and security service personnel strengths

estimated 10-12,000 active Armed Forces, including Gendarmerie (2025)

Military deployments

approximately 1,500 Somalia (AUSSOM) (2025)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the FAD's inventory is a mix of mostly older or secondhand equipment from a variety of suppliers, including China, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia/former Soviet Union, South Africa, Türkiye, and the US (2025)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2015

2.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

Military Expenditures 2016

2.7% of GDP (2016 est.)

Military Expenditures 2017

3.3% of GDP (2017 est.)

Military Expenditures 2018

3.5% of GDP (2018 est.)

Military Expenditures 2019

3.5% of GDP (2019 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-26 years of age for voluntary military service (2025)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees

32,636 (2024 est.)

Trafficking in persons

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List — Djibouti does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so, therefore Djibouti was upgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/djibouti/

Terrorist group(s)

al-Shabaab

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

45,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

640,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

total emissions

685,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Environmental issues

inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution; limited arable land; deforestation (forests threatened by agriculture and the use of wood for fuel); desertification; endangered species

International environmental agreements

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

Particulate matter emissions

21 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Total renewable water resources

300 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

3 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial

0 cubic meters (2022 est.)

municipal

16 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

115,000 tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

14.9% (2022 est.)