THE WORLD FACTBOOK — Reference Edition 2026

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.

Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia
Geographic coordinates: 11 30 N, 43 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 23,200 sq km
land: 23,180 sq km
water: 20 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: total: 528 km
border countries: 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: 73.5% (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.)
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (2012)
Major lakes (area sq km): salt water lake(s): Abhe Bad/Abhe Bid Hayk (shared with Ethiopia) - 780 sq km
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
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
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

Population: total: 1,013,703 (2025 est.)
male: 458,988
female: 554,715
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)
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)
Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 48.1 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 41.7 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 6.4 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 15.7 (2025 est.)
Median age: total: 26.7 years (2025 est.)
male: 24.4 years
female: 27.9 years
Population growth rate: 1.84% (2025 est.)
Birth rate: 21.46 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
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
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)
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: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.83 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio: 162 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 44.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 52.1 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 38 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 65.9 years (2024 est.)
male: 63.4 years
female: 68.5 years
Total fertility rate: 2.09 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate: 1.03 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source: improved: urban: urban: 84.1% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 47.3% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 76.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 15.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 52.7% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 23.8% of population (2022 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.)
Physician density: 0.21 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Hospital bed density: 1.4 beds/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Sanitation facility access: improved: urban: urban: 87.7% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 24.2% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 74% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 12.3% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 75.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 26% of population (2022 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 13.5% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita: total: 0.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 17.7% (2023 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49): 46.5% (2017 est.)
Child marriage: women married by age 15: 1.4% (2019)
women married by age 18: 6.5% (2019)
Education expenditure: Education expenditure (% GDP): 3.8% of GDP (2018 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 14.5% national budget (2018 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
Climate: desert; torrid, dry
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.)
Urbanization: urban population: 78.6% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.56% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: total emissions: 685,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
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.)
Particulate matter emissions: 21 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually: 115,000 tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 14.9% (2022 est.)
Total water withdrawal: municipal: 16 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
industrial: 0 cubic meters (2022 est.)
agricultural: 3 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Total renewable water resources: 300 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti
conventional short form: Djibouti
local long form: République 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 name is said to derive from the Afar word gabouri, meaning "plate," in reference to a palm-fiber plate used for ceremonial purposes
Administrative divisions: 6 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); Ali Sabieh, Arta, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjourah
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
Constitution: history: approved by referendum 4 September 1992
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
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
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
most recent election date: 9 April 2021
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%
expected date of next election: April 2026
Legislative branch: legislature name: National Assembly (Assemblée nationale)
legislative structure: unicameral
number of seats: 65 (all directly elected)
electoral system: mixed system
scope of elections: full renewal
term in office: 5 years
most recent election date: 2/24/2023
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%
expected date of next election: February 2028
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)
Political parties: Front for Restoration of Unity and Democracy (Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique) or FRUDNational Democratic Party or PNDPeople's Rally for Progress or RPPPeoples Social Democratic Party or PPSDUnion for Democracy and Justice or UDJUnion for the Presidential Majority coalition or UMPUnion of Reform Partisans or UPR
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed Siad DOUALEH (28 January 2016)
chancery: 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 515, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270
FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302
email address and website: info@djiboutiembassyus.orghttps://www.djiboutiembassyus.org/
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Cynthia KIERSCHT (since 17 October 2024)
embassy: Lot 350-B Haramouss, B.P. 185
mailing address: 2150 Djibouti Place, Washington DC 20521-2150
telephone: [253] 21-45-30-00
FAX: [253] 21-45-31-29
email address and website: DjiboutiACS@state.govhttps://dj.usembassy.gov/
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
Independence: 27 June 1977 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 June (1977)
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 centermeaning: 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
National symbol(s): red star
National color(s): light blue, green, white, red
National anthem(s): title: "Jabuuti" (Djibouti)
lyrics/music: Aden ELMI/Abdi ROBLEH
history: adopted 1977

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
Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024: $7.995 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $7.546 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $7.028 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2024: 6% (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2023: 7.4% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 5.2% (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2024: $6,800 (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $6,500 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $6,200 (2022 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $4.086 billion (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024: 2.1% (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 1.5% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 5.2% (2022 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 2.6% (2024 est.)
industry: 15.4% (2024 est.)
services: 75.5% (2024 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use: household consumption: 73% (2024 est.)
government consumption: 18.8% (2024 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 26.3% (2024 est.)
investment in inventories: -30.1% (2024 est.)
exports of goods and services: 160.8% (2024 est.)
imports of goods and services: -148.3% (2024 est.)
Agricultural products: vegetables, beans, milk, beef, camel milk, lemons/limes, goat meat, lamb/mutton, tomatoes, beef offal (2023)
Industries: construction, agricultural processing, shipping
Industrial production growth rate: 9.7% (2024 est.)
Labor force: 265,200 (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2024: 25.9% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023: 26.2% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 26.4% (2022 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): total: 76.3% (2024 est.)
male: 75.3% (2024 est.)
female: 77.9% (2024 est.)
Population below poverty line: 21.1% (2017 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: lowest 10%: 1.9% (2017 est.)
highest 10%: 32.3% (2017 est.)
Remittances: Remittances 2024: 1.4% of GDP (2024 est.)
Remittances 2023: 1.5% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 1.6% of GDP (2022 est.)
Budget: revenues: $725 million (2019 est.)
expenditures: $754 million (2019 est.)
Public debt: Public debt 2016: 33.7% of GDP (2016 est.)
Current account balance: Current account balance 2024: $610.124 million (2024 est.)
Current account balance 2023: $721.349 million (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: $656.207 million (2022 est.)
Exports: Exports 2024: $5.25 billion (2024 est.)
Exports 2023: $5.877 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $5.674 billion (2022 est.)
Exports - partners: Ethiopia 77%, UAE 5%, China 3%, Singapore 2%, France 2% (2023)
Exports - commodities: raw sugar, seed oils, cars, palm oil, rice (2023)
Imports: Imports 2024: $4.765 billion (2024 est.)
Imports 2023: $5.269 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $5.096 billion (2022 est.)
Imports - partners: China 32%, India 12%, UAE 10%, Turkey 6%, Morocco 5% (2023)
Imports - commodities: refined petroleum, palm oil, fertilizers, cars, seed oils (2023)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024: $348.725 million (2024 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023: $502.034 million (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $589.437 million (2022 est.)
Debt - external: Debt - external 2023: $2.531 billion (2023 est.)
Exchange rates: Currency: Djiboutian francs (DJF) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2024: 177.721 (2024 est.)
Exchange rates 2023: 177.721 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2022: 177.721 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2021: 177.721 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2020: 177.721 (2020 est.)

Electricity access: electrification - total population: 65% (2022 est.)
electrification - urban areas: 72.8%
electrification - rural areas: 36.6%
Electricity: installed generating capacity: 210,000 kW (2023 est.)
consumption: 584.997 million kWh (2023 est.)
imports: 512 million kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 128.74 million kWh (2023 est.)
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.)
Coal: exports: 8 metric tons (2023 est.)
imports: 19,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum: refined petroleum consumption: 5,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Energy consumption per capita: Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 10.428 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines: total subscriptions: 28,700 (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2023 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular: total subscriptions: 559,000 (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 49 (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.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions: total: 17,000 (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2023 est.)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: J2
Airports: 10 (2025)
Heliports: 6 (2025)
Railways: total: 97 km (2017) (Djibouti segment of the 756 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway)
standard gauge: 97 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge
Merchant marine: total: 40 (2023)
by type: bulk carrier 1, container ship 1, general cargo 4, oil tanker 13, other 21
Ports: total ports: 2 (2024)
large: 0
medium: 0
small: 2
very small: 0
ports with oil terminals: 2
key ports: Djibouti, Doraleh

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 GendarmerieMinistry of Interior: National Police (Police Nationale) (2025)
Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2019: 3.5% of GDP (2019 est.)
Military Expenditures 2018: 3.5% of GDP (2018 est.)
Military Expenditures 2017: 3.3% of GDP (2017 est.)
Military Expenditures 2016: 2.7% of GDP (2016 est.)
Military Expenditures 2015: 2.5% of GDP (2015 est.)
Military and security service personnel strengths: estimated 10-12,000 active Armed Forces, including Gendarmerie (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 service age and obligation: 18-26 years of age for voluntary military service (2025)
Military deployments: approximately 1,500 Somalia (AUSSOM) (2025)
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)

Terrorist group(s): al-Shabaab

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/

Djibouti