Djibouti

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 (2007)

Internet country code

.dj

Internet users

total: 111,212 | percent of population: 13.1% (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

Telephone system

general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti are adequate, as are the microwave radio relay connections to outlying areas of the country | domestic: Djibouti Telecom is the sole provider of telecommunications services and utilizes mostly a microwave radio relay network; fiber-optic cable is installed in the capital; rural areas connected via wireless local loop radio systems; mobile cellular coverage is primarily limited to the area in and around Djibouti city | international: country code - 253; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 and EASSy fiber-optic submarine cable systems providing links to Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean and 1 Arabsat); Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network (2015)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 24,925 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 181

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 345,246 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 41 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 177

Agriculture - products

fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides

Budget

revenues: $613.8 million | expenditures: $917.7 million (2016 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-16% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 212

Commercial bank prime lending rate

11.45% (31 December 2016 est.) | 11.62% (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71

Current account balance

$-575 million (2016 est.) | $-547.8 million (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 99

Debt - external

$1.519 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $1.222 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 157

Distribution of family income - Gini index

40.9 (2002) | country comparison to the world: 56

Economy - overview

Djibouti's economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location as a deepwater port on the Red Sea. Three-fourths of Djibouti's inhabitants live in the capital city; the remainder are mostly nomadic herders. Scant rainfall and less than 4% arable land limits crop production to small quantities of fruits and vegetables, and most food must be imported. | Djibouti provides services as both a transit port for the region and an international transshipment and refueling center. Imports, exports, and reexports represent 70% of port activity at Djibouti's container terminal. Reexports consist primarily of coffee from landlocked neighbor Ethiopia. Djibouti has few natural resources and little industry. The nation is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to support its balance of payments and to finance development projects. An official unemployment rate of nearly 50% - with youth unemployment near 80% - continues to be a major problem. Inflation was a modest 3% in 2014-2016, due to low international food prices and a decline in electricity tariffs. | Djibouti’s reliance on diesel-generated electricity and imported food and water leave average consumers vulnerable to global price shocks, though in mid-2015 Djibouti passed new legislation to liberalize the energy sector. The government has emphasized infrastructure development for transportation and energy and Djibouti – with the help of foreign partners, particularly China – has begun to increase and modernize its port capacity.

Exchange rates

Djiboutian francs (DJF) per US dollar - | 177.72 (2016 est.) | 177.72 (2015 est.) | 177.72 (2014 est.) | 177.72 (2013 est.) | 177.72 (2012 est.)

Exports

$139.9 million (2016 est.) | $133.6 million (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 191

Exports - commodities

reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit), scrap metal

Exports - partners

Ethiopia 39%, Somalia 17.8%, Qatar 9.4%, Brazil 9.1%, Yemen 5.1% (2016)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.889 billion (2016 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$3.344 billion (2016 est.) | $3.1 billion (2015 est.) | $2.88 billion (2014 est.) | note: data are in 2016 dollars | country comparison to the world: 183

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 56.4% | government consumption: 33.8% | investment in fixed capital: 39.2% | investment in inventories: 0.3% | exports of goods and services: 36.2% | imports of goods and services: -65.9% (2016 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 2.9% | industry: 20.8% | services: 76.3% (2016 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$3,400 (2016 est.) | $3,300 (2015 est.) | $3,100 (2014 est.) | note: data are in 2016 dollars | country comparison to the world: 186

GDP - real growth rate

6.5% (2016 est.) | 6.5% (2015 est.) | 6% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 19

Gross national saving

16.9% of GDP (2016 est.) | 19% of GDP (2015 est.) | 9.8% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 12

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.4% | highest 10%: 30.9% (2002)

Imports

$1.128 billion (2016 est.) | $1.08 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

Imports - commodities

foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, clothing

Imports - partners

UAE 25.8%, France 16.4%, China 10.4%, Saudi Arabia 8.4%, Ethiopia 7%, Yemen 4.8% (2016)

Industrial production growth rate

4.7% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49

Industries

construction, agricultural processing, shipping

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.7% (2016 est.) | -0.8% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 135

Labor force

294,600 (2012) | country comparison to the world: 164

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: NA% | industry: NA% | services: NA%

Population below poverty line

23% | note: percent of population below $1.25 per day at purchasing power parity (2015 est.)

Public debt

31.3% of GDP (2016 est.) | 33.7% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 159

Stock of broad money

$1.652 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $1.572 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 161

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$1.483 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $1.084 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 116

Stock of domestic credit

$639.9 million (31 December 2016 est.) | $597.6 million (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 172

Stock of narrow money

$1.323 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $1.182 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 146

Taxes and other revenues

32.4% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 67

Unemployment rate

60% (2014 est.) | 48.4% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 215

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

1.8 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 151

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 114

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 118

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 126

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2017 es) | country comparison to the world: 126

Electricity - consumption

376.7 million kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 176

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 129

Electricity - from fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 5

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 173

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 78

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 142

Electricity - installed generating capacity

130,000 kW (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 174

Electricity - production

405 million kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 172

Electricity access

population without electricity: 400,000 | electrification - total population: 50% | electrification - urban areas: 61% | electrification - rural areas: 14% (2013)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 175

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 93

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 117

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 127

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es) | country comparison to the world: 132

Refined petroleum products - consumption

6,000 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 169

Refined petroleum products - exports

402.7 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 113

Refined petroleum products - imports

6,509 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 156

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 135

Area

total: 23,200 sq km | land: 23,180 sq km | water: 20 sq km | country comparison to the world: 151

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Climate

desert; torrid, dry

Coastline

314 km

Elevation

mean elevation: 430 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m | highest point: Moussa Ali 2,021 m

Environment - current issues

inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land; desertification; endangered species

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

11 30 N, 43 00 E

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

Irrigated land

10 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total: 528 km | border countries (3): Eritrea 125 km, Ethiopia 342 km, Somalia 61 km

Land use

agricultural land: 73.4% | arable land 0.1%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 73.3% | forest: 0.2% | other: 26.4% (2011 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm | contiguous zone: 24 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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

Natural resources

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

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

Terrain

coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

name: Djibouti | geographic coordinates: 11 35 N, 43 09 E | time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

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 by 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 by amended; amended 2006, 2008, 2010 (2017)

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti | conventional short form: Djibouti | local long form: Republique de Djibouti/Jumhuriyat Jibuti | local short form: Djibouti/Jibuti | former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland | etymology: the country name derives from the capital city of Djibouti

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires J. Alexander HAMILTON (since 23 June 2017) | embassy: Lot 350-B, Haramouss | mailing address: B.P. 185, Djibouti | telephone: [253] 21 45 30 00 | FAX: [253] 21 45 31 29

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge D’Affaires Mark BOULWARE (since February 2017) | chancery: 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 515, Washington, DC 20005 | telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270 | FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302

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; (constitution amended in 2010 to allow a third term); election last held on 8 April 2016 (next to be held by 2021); prime minister appointed by the president | election results: 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%

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

Government type

semi-presidential republic

Independence

27 June 1977 (from France)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, 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

Judicial branch

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 or 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)

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

Legislative branch

description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale, formerly the Chamber of Deputies (65 seats; 52 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 13 directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms) | elections: last held on 22 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018) | election results: percent of vote by party - UMP 61.5%, USN 35.6%, CDU 3%; seats by party - UMP 43, USN 21, CDU 1

National anthem

name: "Jabuuti" (Djibouti) | lyrics/music: Aden ELMI/Abdi ROBLEH | note: adopted 1977

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 June (1977)

National symbol(s)

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

Political parties and leaders

Center for United Democrats or CDU [Omar Elmi KHAIREH, chairman] | Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH] | Djibouti Development Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM] | Front for Restoration of Unity and Democracy (Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique) or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD] | Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development [Daher Ahmed FARAH] | Movement for Development and Liberty or MODEL [Ismail Ahmed WABERI] | National Democratic Party or PND [Aden Robleh AWALEH] | People's Rally for Progress or RPP [Ismail Omar GUELLEH] (governing party) | Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Hasna Moumin BAHDON] | Republican Alliance for Democracy or ARD | Union for a Presidential Majority or UMP (a coalition of parties including RPP, FRUD, PND, and PPSD) | Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ [Ilya Ismail GUEDI Hared] | Union for National Salvation or USN [Ahmed Youssouf HOUMED] (coalition includes ARD, MoDel, MRD, PDD, PND, UDJ)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afar minority during the 1990s led to a civil war 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 a third term in 2011 and begin a fourth term in 2016. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the intersection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and serves as an important shipping portal for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands and transshipments between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The government holds longstanding ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, and has strong ties with the US. Djibouti hosts several thousand members of US armed services at US-run Camp Lemonnier.

Maritime threats

while attacks continued to decrease, the International Maritime Bureau reports offshore waters in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden remain a high risk for piracy; the presence of several naval task forces in the Gulf of Aden and additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship operators, including the use of on-board armed security teams, contributed to the drop in incidents; there were no incidents in the Red Sea in 2016, however one ship was fired upon during the first half of 2017; Operation Ocean Shield, the NATO/EUNAVFOR naval task force established in 2009 to combat Somali piracy, concluded its operations in December 2016 as a result of the drop in reported incidents over the last few years

Military branches

Djibouti Armed Forces (Forces Armees Djiboutiennes, FAD): Djibouti National Army (includes Navy, Djiboutian Air Force (Force Aerienne Djiboutienne, FAD), National Gendarmerie (GN)) (2013)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; 16-25 years of age for voluntary military training; no conscription (2012)

Age structure

0-14 years: 31.14% (male 135,151/female 134,312) | 15-24 years: 21.32% (male 86,820/female 97,656) | 25-54 years: 39.03% (male 140,242/female 197,484) | 55-64 years: 4.75% (male 18,593/female 22,515) | 65 years and over: 3.76% (male 14,559/female 17,935) (2017 est.)

Birth rate

23.4 births/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 64

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

29.8% (2012) | country comparison to the world: 14

Contraceptive prevalence rate

19% (2012)

Death rate

7.5 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 108

Demographic profile

Djibouti is a poor, predominantly urban country, characterized by high rates of illiteracy, unemployment, and childhood malnutrition. More than 75% 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. | Because of its political stability and its strategic location at the confluence of East Africa and the Gulf States along the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, Djibouti is a key transit point for migrants and asylum seekers heading for the Gulf States and beyond. Each year some hundred thousand people, mainly Ethiopians and some Somalis, journey through Djibouti, usually to the port of Obock, to attempt a dangerous sea crossing to Yemen. However, with the escalation of the ongoing Yemen conflict, Yemenis began fleeing to Djibouti in March 2015, with almost 20,000 arriving by August 2017. Most Yemenis remain unregistered and head for Djibouti City rather than seeking asylum at one of Djibouti’s three spartan refugee camps. Djibouti has been hosting refugees and asylum seekers, predominantly Somalis and lesser numbers of Ethiopians and Eritreans, at camps for 20 years, despite lacking potable water, food shortages, and unemployment.

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 56.5 | youth dependency ratio: 50.1 | elderly dependency ratio: 6.4 | potential support ratio: 15.6 (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 97.4% of population | rural: 64.7% of population | total: 90% of population | urban: 2.6% of population | rural: 35.3% of population | total: 10% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

4.5% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 11

Ethnic groups

Somali 60%, Afar 35%, other 5% (includes French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.3% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 37

HIV/AIDS - deaths

<1000 (2016 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

8,600 (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 98

Health expenditures

10.6% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 17

Hospital bed density

1.4 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate

total: 45.8 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 52.6 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 38.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 39

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 63.6 years | male: 61 years | female: 66.2 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 191

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: high | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever | vectorborne disease: dengue fever (2016)

Major urban areas - population

DJIBOUTI (capital) 529,000 (2015)

Maternal mortality rate

229 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 46

Median age

total: 23.9 years | male: 22.1 years | female: 25.3 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 166

Nationality

noun: Djiboutian(s) | adjective: Djiboutian

Net migration rate

5.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 20

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

13.5% (2016) | country comparison to the world: 131

Physicians density

0.23 physicians/1,000 population (2014)

Population

865,267 (July 2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 162

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

Population growth rate

2.16% (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 37

Religions

Muslim 94%, Christian 6%

Sanitation facility access

urban: 59.8% of population | rural: 5.1% of population | total: 47.4% of population | urban: 40.2% of population | rural: 94.9% of population | total: 52.6% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 6 years | male: 7 years | female: 6 years (2011)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 0.89 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.71 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.85 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female | total population: 0.84 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.31 children born/woman (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 89

Urbanization

urban population: 77.5% of total population (2017) | rate of urbanization: 1.52% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Disputes - international

Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with "Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to various factions in Somalia; Kuwait is chief investor in the 2008 restoration and upgrade of the Ethiopian-Djibouti rail link; in 2008, Eritrean troops moved across the border on Ras Doumera peninsula and occupied Doumera Island with undefined sovereignty in the Red Sea

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 13,021 (Somalia) (2016); 19,636 (Yemen) (2017)

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Djibouti is a transit, source, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; economic migrants from East Africa en route to Yemen and other Middle East locations are vulnerable to exploitation in Djibouti; some women and girls may be forced into domestic servitude or prostitution after reaching Djibouti City, the Ethiopia-Djibouti trucking corridor, or Obock – the main crossing point into Yemen; Djiboutian and foreign children may be forced to beg, to work as domestic servants, or to commit theft and other petty crimes | tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List – Djibouti does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; in 2014, Djibouti was granted a waiver from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 because its government has a written plan that, if implemented would constitute making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; one forced labor trafficker was convicted in 2014 but received a suspended sentence inadequate to deter trafficking; authorities did not investigate or prosecute any other forced labor crimes, any sex trafficking offenses, or any officials complicit in human trafficking, and remained limited in their ability to recognize or protect trafficking victims; official round-ups, detentions, and deportations of non-Djiboutian residents, including children without screening for trafficking victims remained routine; the government did not provide care to victims but supported local NGOs operating centers that assisted victims (2015)

Airports

13 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 152

Airports - with paved runways

total: 3 | over 3,047 m: 1 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2017)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 10 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 | 914 to 1,523 m: 7 | under 914 m: 2 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

J2 (2016)

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 2 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 4 (2015)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Djibouti

Railways

total: 97 km (Djibouti segment of the 756 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway) | standard gauge: 97 km 1.435-m gauge (2017) | country comparison to the world: 128

Roadways

total: 3,065 km | paved: 1,379 km | unpaved: 1,686 km (2000) | country comparison to the world: 165