Djibouti is a country in Eastern Africa, one of the 20 entries this site files under that subregion. Its full official name is Republic of Djibouti. The capital is Djibouti, the same name as the country, which is the usual sign of a city-state.
It covers 23,200 km², which ranks it 152nd of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind North Macedonia and just ahead of Belize. For scale, it is around a fifth smaller than Belgium.
The population is about 1.2 million, placing it 161st of 250 by population — between Eswatini above it and Fiji below. Among the 20 entries in Eastern Africa it ranks 14th by area and 15th by population.
The lie of the land
Plotted on a globe it falls at 11.5° north, 43.0° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 1,280 km from the equator, in what geographers would call tropical latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Nigeria, the Philippines and Burkina Faso — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
It borders 3 neighbours: Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. The largest of them by area is Ethiopia, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 154.6 million people.
It has both a coastline and land borders, which is the most common arrangement of all.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
How crowded Djibouti is, and what is spoken there
Population divided by land area gives roughly 50 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
2 languages carry official status: Arabic and French. Arabic, the first listed, is shared with 24 other entries worldwide.
People from Djibouti are called Djiboutis.
Against Africa as a whole it is the 50th most populous of 59 entries, and it accounts for under 1% of everyone living in Eastern Africa.
Money, codes and practical details
Money there is the Djiboutian franc (Fr, DJF). That currency appears nowhere else on this list.
Websites there use the .dj domain. To phone it from abroad you dial +253. Its ISO codes are dj and DJI, which is what most databases and flag files use.
As a sovereign state it is among the 193 UN members listed here. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Djibouti shares borders with 3 countries:
Fun facts about Djibouti
- It is 161st of 250 by population, with about 1.2 million residents.
- Ranked by land area, Djibouti is 152nd out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
- Population density works out at roughly 50 people per square kilometre.
- The capital shares its name with the country itself.
- Websites based there use the .dj domain.
- Within Eastern Africa it is the 14th largest of 20.
Djibouti — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Djibouti?
- The capital of Djibouti is Djibouti. The city and the country share a name, which is typical of a city-state.
- What language is spoken in Djibouti?
- Djibouti lists 2 official languages: Arabic and French.
- What is the population of Djibouti?
- Djibouti has a population of about 1.2 million, which makes it the 161st most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Eswatini sits just above it and Fiji just below.
- Where is Djibouti located?
- Djibouti is in Eastern Africa, part of Africa. Its reference coordinates are 11.5° north and 43.0° east, roughly 1,280 km from the equator in tropical latitudes.
- Which countries border Djibouti?
- Djibouti borders 3 countries: Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. Ethiopia is the largest of them by area.
- How big is Djibouti?
- Djibouti covers 23,200 km², ranking 152nd of 250 by land area. That makes it around a fifth smaller than Belgium.
- What currency does Djibouti use?
- Djibouti uses the Djiboutian franc, written Fr (currency code DJF). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Is Djibouti a country?
- Yes. Djibouti is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
