Djibouti

• 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 population distribution map

• 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

• 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

noun:

Djiboutian(s)

adjective:

Djiboutian

total:

26.3 years (2024 est.)

male:

24.4 years

female:

27.9 years

• 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 population distribution map

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.)

total:

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

male:

52.1 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

38 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

65.9 years (2024 est.)

male:

63.4 years

female:

68.5 years

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.)

women married by age 15:

1.4%

women married by age 18:

6.5% (2019 est.)

total population:

NA

male:

NA

female:

NA

• 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

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

urban population:

78.6% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

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

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.)

municipal:

20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

0 cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

3 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

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

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

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

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

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:

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%; 2016: Ismail Omar GUELLEH reelected president for a fourth term; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH (RPP) 87%, Omar Elmi KHAIREH (CDU) 7.3%, other 5.6%

description:

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblée 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 2028)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - UMP 93.6%, UDJ 6.3%;
• seats by party - UMP 58, UDJ 7;
• composition - men 48, women 17, percentage women 26.2%

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

highest court(s):

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

• 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

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:

[email protected]; https://www.djiboutiembassyus.org/

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Christopher SNIPES (since October 2023)

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:

[email protected]; https://dj.usembassy.gov/

• 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

name:

"Jabuuti" (Djibouti)

lyrics/music:

Aden ELMI/Abdi ROBLEH

note: adopted 1977

• 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

agriculture:

1.8% (2023 est.)

industry:

15.3% (2023 est.)

services:

76.9% (2023 est.)

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

total:

76.5% (2023 est.)

male:

75.4% (2023 est.)

female:

78.1% (2023 est.)

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

lowest 10%:

1.9% (2017 est.)

highest 10%:

32.3% (2017 est.)

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

exports:

8 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

1,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

general assessment:

• Djibouti remains one of the last bastions where the national telco has a monopoly on telecom services, including fixed lines, mobile, internet, and broadband with the exception of broad band fiber;
• despite the country benefiting from its location as a hub for international submarine cables, prices for telecom services remain relatively high, and out of reach for a number of customers, weighing on market advancement;
• the Djibouti government is aiming to sell a minority stake in the incumbent telco (retaining some control of decisions) while securing the financial backing and the management acumen of a foreign operator;
• this is part of a larger plan to modernize the country’s economy more generally;
• the state expects to conduct a sale of up to 40% of the company to an international investor (2023)

domestic:

about 2 per 100 fixed-line teledensity and nearly 44 per 100 mobile-cellular (2021)

international:

• country code - 253;
• landing points for the SEA-ME-WE-3 & 5, EASSy, Aden-Djibouti, Africa-1, DARE-1, EIG, MENA, Bridge International, PEACE Cable, and SEACOM fiber-optic submarine cable systems providing links to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia and Africa;
• satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean and 1 Arabsat) (2019)

• 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)

total:

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

standard gauge:

97 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge

total ports:

2 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

2

very small:

0

ports with oil terminals:

2

key ports:

Djibouti, Doraleh

• 18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women;
• 16-25 years of age for voluntary military training;
• no conscription (2023)

• approximately 950 Somalia (ATMIS; note - ATMIS troop contingents are drawing down towards a final exit in December 2024);
• Djibouti has about 200 police deployed to the Central African Republic under MINUSCA (2024)

• Djibouti's military forces are largely focused on border, coastal, and internal security duties, such as counterterrorism;
• China, France, Italy, Japan, and the US maintain bases in Djibouti for regional military missions, including counter-terrorism, counter-piracy, crisis response, and security assistance (note – France has multiple bases and hosts troop contingents from Germany and Spain);
• the EU and NATO also maintain a presence to support multinational naval counter-piracy operations and maritime training efforts (2023)

tier rating:

• Tier 3 — Djibouti does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so;
• therefore, Djibouti remained on Tier 3;
• for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/djibouti/