Djibouti

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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. <br><br>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. <br><br>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.

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

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11 30 N, 43 00 E

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Africa

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slightly smaller than New Jersey

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314 km

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desert; torrid, dry

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coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

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

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10 sq km (2012)

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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

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

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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

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

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

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

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1.84% (2025 est.)

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

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

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

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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

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600,000 DJIBOUTI (capital) (2023)

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

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2.09 children born/woman (2025 est.)

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1.03 (2025 est.)

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0.21 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

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

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13.5% (2016)

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17.7% (2023 est.)

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46.5% (2017 est.)

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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

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desert; torrid, dry

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21 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

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300 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

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presidential republic

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

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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

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accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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18 years of age; universal

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<strong>note:</strong> most opposition parties boycotted the 2023 polls, stating the elections were "not free, not transparent, and not democratic"

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

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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

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27 June 1977 (from France)

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Independence Day, 27 June (1977)

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<strong>description:</strong> 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<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> 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

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red star

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light blue, green, white, red

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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

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<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars

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<b>note:</b> annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

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<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars

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$4.086 billion (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> data in current dollars at official exchange rate

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<b>note:</b> annual % change based on consumer prices

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

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

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

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<b>note:</b> top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

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construction, agricultural processing, shipping

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9.7% (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

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265,200 (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

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<b>note:</b> % of labor force seeking employment

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<b>note:</b> % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

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21.1% (2017 est.)

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<b>note:</b> % of population with income below national poverty line

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

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<b>note:</b> % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

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

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

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<b>note:</b> balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

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

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<b>note:</b> top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

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

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<b>note:</b> top five export commodities based on value in dollars

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<b>note:</b> balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

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

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<b>note:</b> top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

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

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<b>note:</b> top five import commodities based on value in dollars

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

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<b>note:</b> present value of external debt in current US dollars

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state-owned Radiodiffusion-T&eacute;l&eacute;vision 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)

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.dj

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J2

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10 (2025)

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6 (2025)

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

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<strong>note 1: </strong>the National Gendarmerie is a security force with military status under the FAD and the Ministry of Defense, but also has responsibilities to the Ministry of Interior; the Gendarmerie's duties include providing security outside of Djibouti City and protecting critical infrastructure within the city, such as the international airport<strong><br><br>note 2:</strong> the National Police are responsible for security within Djibouti City and have primary control over immigration and customs procedures for all land border-crossing points

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

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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, T&uuml;rkiye, and the US (2025)

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

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approximately 1,500 Somalia (AUSSOM) (2025)

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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<br> <br>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)

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al-Shabaab

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<strong>note:</strong> 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 the Terrorism reference guide