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East Africa

Djibouti

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

Muslim population94%of the population

Population1.1 millionpeople (current)

CapitalDjiboutiUTC+3

Currency178 = $1Djiboutian francs (DJF) (2024)

Country basics

Djibouti is a republic on the Horn of Africa at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, by Ethiopia.

Djibouti is a republic with the city of Djibouti as its capital and Arabic and French as official languages. The franc is pegged to the United States dollar, and port services handling most Ethiopian trade, along with foreign bases, drive its income.

Official name

Republic of Djibouti

Region

Africa · Eastern Africa

Government

Unitary presidential republic under a hereditary dictatorship

Time zonesCheck the offset for your own city

UTC+03:00

Driving side

Right

Phone code

+253

Currency

Djiboutian franc (DJF, Fr)

Member of

Arab League; UN; African Union

Website

https://www.presidence.dj

Faith and language

Religions

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

Languages

Arabic; French

People and cities

Population

1.1 million (current)

Median ageHalf the population is younger than this

26.7 years (2025)

Living in cities

78.6% (2023)

Largest cities

Djibouti (capital) 600,000

Money and cost of living

Exchange rateYearly average; check today’s rate before you budget

178 Djiboutian francs (DJF) per US dollar (2024)

Income per personGDP per person, adjusted for local prices (2021 dollars)

$6,800 (2024)

InflationHow much prices rose over the year

2.1% (2024)

Unemployment

25.9% (2024)

Health and daily life

Life expectancy

65.9 years (2024)

Doctors

0.21 per 1,000 people (2022)

Hospital beds

1.4 per 1,000 people (2018)

Safe drinking water

76.2% of people (2022)

Electricity

65% of people (2022)

Internet users

65% of people (2023)

Land and climate

Climate

Desert; torrid, dry

SizeSlightly smaller than New Jersey

23,200 sq km

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 June (1977)