Background: The region of present-day Djibouti was the site of the medieval Ifat and Adal Sultanates. In the late 19th century, treaties signed by the Afar sultans with the French allowed the latter to establish the colony of French Somaliland in 1862. The French signed additional treaties with the ethnic Somali in 1885.

Geographic coordinates: 11 30 N, 43 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 23,200 km²
Land: 23,180 km²
Water: 20 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 528 km
Border countries: (3) Eritrea 125 km; Ethiopia 342 km; Somalia 61 km

Coastline: 314 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: desert; torrid, dry

Terrain: coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

Elevation
Highest point: Moussa Ali 2,021 m
Lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m
Mean elevation: 430 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 73.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 73.3% (2018 est.)
Forest: 0.2% (2018 est.)
Other: 26.4% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 10 km² (2012)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 0 cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 3 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 300 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods

Geography
Note: strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly wasteland; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa and the saltiest lake in the world

Population
Distribution: most densely populated areas are in the east; the largest city is Djibouti, with a population over 600,000; no other city in the country has a total population over 50,000 as shown in this: 976,143 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 1.93% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 21.1% (2017 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Djiboutian(s)
Adjective: Djiboutian

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

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

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

Demographic profile: Djibouti is a poor, predominantly urban country, characterized by high rates of illiteracy, unemployment, and childhood malnutrition. Approximately 70% of the population lives in cities and towns (predominantly in the capital, Djibouti). The rural population subsists primarily on nomadic herding. Prone to droughts and floods, the country has few natural resources and must import more than 80% of its food from neighboring countries or Europe. Health care, particularly outside the capital, is limited by poor infrastructure, shortages of equipment and supplies, and a lack of qualified personnel. More than a third of health care recipients are migrants because the services are still better than those available in their neighboring home countries. The nearly universal practice of female genital cutting reflects Djibouti’s lack of gender equality and is a major contributor to obstetrical complications and its high rates of maternal and infant mortality. A 1995 law prohibiting the practice has never been enforced.

Age structure
0-14 years: 28.65% (male 140,365/female 139,299)
15-64 years: 67.21% (male 284,488/female 371,529)
65 years and over: 4.15% (2023 est.) (male 17,757/female 22,705)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.6
Youth dependency ratio: 47.5
Elderly dependency ratio: 6.9
Potential support ratio: 14.4 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 26 years (2023 est.)
Male: 24.1 years
Female: 27.6 years

Population growth rate: 1.93% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 22 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: most densely populated areas are in the east; the largest city is Djibouti, with a population over 600,000; no other city in the country has a total population over 50,000 as shown in this

Urbanization
Urban population: 78.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.56% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 600,000 DJIBOUTI (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current 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 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
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 19.98 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 0.62 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 0.52 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.77 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.83 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 234 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 46 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 53.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 38.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 65.6 years (2023 est.)
Male: 63 years
Female: 68.3 years

Total fertility rate: 2.13 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 19% (2012)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 99.7% of population
Improved rural: 59.3% of population
Improved total: 90.8% of population
Unimproved urban: 0.3% of population
Unimproved rural: 40.7% of population
Unimproved total: 9.2% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 2% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 0.22 physicians/1,000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 1.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 13.5% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 0.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 16.2% (2019)

Education expenditures: 3.6% of GDP (2018 est.)

Literacy
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 7 years
Male: 7 years
Female: 7 years (2011)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 79.9% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 78.6%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 82.2%

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti
Conventional short form: Djibouti
Local long form: Republique de Djibouti (French)/ Jumhuriyat Jibuti (Arabic)
Local short form: Djibouti (French)/ Jibuti (Arabic)
Former: French Somaliland, French Territory of the Afars and Issas
Etymology: the country name derives from the capital city of Djibouti

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Djibouti
Geographic coordinates: 11 35 N, 43 09 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the origin of the name is disputed; multiple descriptions, possibilities, and theories have been proposed

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

Independence: 27 June 1977 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day, 27 June (1977)

Constitution
History: approved by referendum 4 September 1992
Amendments: 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; amended 2006, 2008, 2010

Legal system: mixed legal 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

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999)
Head of government: Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil MOHAMED (since 1 April 2013)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
Elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term; election last held on 9 April 2021 (next to be held in April 2026); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale, formerly the Chamber of Deputies (65 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote using the D'Hondt method; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held on 24 February 2023 (next to be held in February 2,028)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 58, UDJ 7; composition - men 48, women 17, percent of women 26.2%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (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; 5 Courts of First Instance; customary courts; State Court (replaced sharia courts in 2003)

Political parties and leaders:
Note: only parties with seats in the National Assembly included

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed Siad DOUALEH (28 January 2016)
In the us chancery: 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 515, Washington, DC 20,005
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Mario FERNANDEZ (since 10 June 2023)
From the us embassy: Lot 350-B Haramouss, B.P. 185
From the us mailing address: 2,150 Djibouti Place, Washington DC 20,521-2,150
From the us telephone: [253] 21-45-30-00
From the us FAX: [253] 21-45-31-29
From the us email address and website:

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

National symbols: red star; national colors: light blue, green, white, red

National anthem
Name: "Jabuuti" (Djibouti)
Lyrics/music: Aden ELMI/Abdi ROBLEH
Note: adopted 1977

Economy 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

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 56.5% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 29.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 41.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.3% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 38.6% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -66.4% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.4% (2017 est.)
Industry: 17.3% (2017 est.)
Services: 80.2% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: vegetables, milk, beef, camel milk, lemons, limes, goat meat, mutton, beans, tomatoes

Industries: construction, agricultural processing, shipping

Industrial production growth rate: -4.43% (2020 est.)

Labor force: 240,500 (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 79.9% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 78.6%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 82.2%

Population below poverty line: 21.1% (2017 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 41.6 (2017 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 2.4%
Highest 10%: 30.9% (2002)

Budget
Revenues: $725 million (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $754 million (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 35.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 0.26% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Current account balance:

Exports:
Partners: Saudi Arabia 42%, India 15%, China 14%, Egypt 5%, South Korea 5% (2019)
Commodities: palm oil, chlorides, sheep and goats, kidney beans, industrial fatty acids/oils, coffee (2021)

Imports:
Partners: China 43%, United Arab Emirates 15%, India 7%, Turkey 5% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, fertilizers, iron sheeting, cars, palm oil (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access population without electricity: (2020) less than 1 million
Access electrification-total population: 65.4% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 73.4% (2019)
Access electrification-rural areas: 36.5% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 130,000 kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: -62.6 million kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 120 million kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 98.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 1.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 4,300 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 403 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 6,692 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 610,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 610,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 8.869 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 27,931 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 489,339 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 44 (2021 est.)

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

Internet
Country code: .dj
Users total: 759,000 (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 69% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 25,053 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2020 est.)

Military expenditures:

Military and security forces:
Note: the National Police is responsible for security within Djibouti City and has primary control over immigration and customs procedures for all land border-crossing points, while the National Gendarmerie is responsible for all security outside of Djibouti City, as well as for protecting critical infrastructure within the city, such as the international airport

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; 16-25 years of age for voluntary military training; no conscription (2021)

Terrorist groups
Terrorist groups: al-Shabaab
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in terrorist organizations

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 4

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: J2

Airports: 13 (2021)
With paved runways: 3
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 10
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Railways
Total: 97 km (2017) (Djibouti segment of the 756 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway)
Standard gauge: 97 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge

Roadways
Total: 2,893 km (2013)
Paved: (2000)
Unpaved: (2000)

Merchant marine
Total: 42 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 1, container ship 1, general cargo 4, oil tanker 15, other 21

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Djibouti

Disputes international: Djibouti-Somalia: Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with "Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to various factions in Somalia

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 13,434 (Somalia) (2023); 6,518 (Yemen) (mid-year 2022)