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Communications

Broadcast media [time series]

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 [time series]

.dj

Internet users [time series]

total: 99,000 | percent of population: 11.9% (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

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 [time series]

total subscriptions: 23,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 181

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

total: 312,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 38 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 177

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: $615.5 million | expenditures: $860 million (2015 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) [time series]

-14.2% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 211

Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]

11.62% (31 December 2015 est.) | 12.69% (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 70

Current account balance [time series]

-$504 million (2015 est.) | -$407 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 100

Debt - external [time series]

$1.09 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $957.5 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 163

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

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

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

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 re-exports 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 help 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 declined to 3% in 2014 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 – has begun to increase and modernize its port capacity.

Exchange rates [time series]

Djiboutian francs (DJF) per US dollar - | 177.72 (2015 est.) | 177.72 (2014 est.) | 177.72 (2013 est.) | 177.72 (2012 est.) | 177.72 (2011 est.)

Exports [time series]

$141.9 million (2015 est.) | $127 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 190

Exports - commodities [time series]

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

Exports - partners [time series]

Somalia 79.8%, US 5.4%, Yemen 4.6%, UAE 4% (2015)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]

$1.727 billion (2015 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]

$3.094 billion (2015 est.) | $2.905 billion (2014 est.) | $2.741 billion (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 186

GDP - composition, by end use [time series]

GDP - composition, by sector of origin [time series]

agriculture: 3.1% | industry: 21.2% | services: 75.7% (2015 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]

$3,200 (2015 est.) | $3,100 (2014 est.) | $3,000 (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 188

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

6.5% (2015 est.) | 6% (2014 est.) | 5% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 22

Gross national saving [time series]

41.9% of GDP (2015 est.) | 33.9% of GDP (2014 est.) | 33.6% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 35

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

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

Imports [time series]

$1.038 billion (2015 est.) | $930.6 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

Imports - commodities [time series]

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

Imports - partners [time series]

China 42.1%, Saudi Arabia 14.3%, Indonesia 5.9%, India 4.4% (2015)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

4.5% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 47

Industries [time series]

construction, agricultural processing, shipping

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

2.7% (2015 est.) | 2.9% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 124

Labor force [time series]

294,600 (2012) | country comparison to the world: 163

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

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

Population below poverty line [time series]

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

Public debt [time series]

38.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 119

Stock of broad money [time series]

$1.43 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $1.24 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 165

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home [time series]

$1.368 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $935.6 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 109

Stock of domestic credit [time series]

$597.6 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $527.9 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 169

Stock of narrow money [time series]

$1.182 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $963.4 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 146

Taxes and other revenues [time series]

35.6% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 59

Unemployment rate [time series]

60% (2014 est.) | 59% (2007 est.) | country comparison to the world: 205

Energy

Carbon dioxide emissions (Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy) [time series]

1.8 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 152

Crude oil - exports [time series]

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 116

Crude oil - imports [time series]

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 181

Crude oil - production [time series]

0 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 125

Crude oil - proved reserves [time series]

0 bbl (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 124

Electricity - consumption [time series]

400 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 175

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 131

Electricity - from fossil fuels [time series]

98.9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 50

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants [time series]

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 170

Electricity - from nuclear fuels [time series]

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 79

Electricity - from other renewable sources [time series]

1.1% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 93

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 141

Electricity - installed generating capacity [time series]

100,000 kW (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 170

Electricity - production [time series]

400 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 171

Electricity access [time series]

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

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 137

Natural gas - exports [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 88

Natural gas - imports [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 188

Natural gas - production [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es) | country comparison to the world: 130

Refined petroleum products - consumption [time series]

6,000 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 158

Refined petroleum products - exports [time series]

402.7 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 125

Refined petroleum products - imports [time series]

6,509 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 143

Refined petroleum products - production [time series]

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 174

Geography

Area [time series]

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

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Climate [time series]

desert; torrid, dry

Coastline [time series]

314 km

Elevation [time series]

mean elevation: 430 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m | highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

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

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

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 [time series]

11 30 N, 43 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

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 [time series]

10 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries [time series]

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

Land use [time series]

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

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Africa

Maritime claims [time series]

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

Natural hazards [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

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

Citizenship [time series]

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 [time series]

approved by referendum 4 September 1992; amended 2006, 2008, 2010 (2016)

Country name [time series]

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 [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas P. KELLY (since 13 October 2014) | 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 [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Siad DOUALEH (since 28 January 2016) | chancery: 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 515, Washington, DC 20005 | telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270 | FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302

Executive branch [time series]

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 (represented the USN) 7.3%, other 5.6%

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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 [time series]

semi-presidential republic

Independence [time series]

27 June 1977 (from France)

International law organization participation [time series]

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation [time series]

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 [time series]

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 [time series]

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 [time series]

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 3.0%; seats by party - UMP 43, USN 21, CDU 1

National anthem(s) (National anthem) [time series]

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

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 27 June (1977)

National symbol(s) [time series]

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

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh] | Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH] | Djibouti Development Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM] | Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD] | Movement for Development and Liberty or MODEL [Sheikh Guirreh MEIDAL] | People's Rally for Progress or RPP [Ismail Omar GUELLEH] (governing party) | Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin Bahdon FARAH] | Republican Alliance for Democracy or ARD [Ahmed YOUSSOUF] | Union for a Presidential Majority or UMP (a coalition of parties including RPP, FRUD, PND, and PPSD) | Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ [Ismail GUEDI Hared] | Union for National Salvation or USN (an umbrella coalition comprising PRD, PDD, MODEL, ARD, and UDJ) [Ahmed Youssouf HOUMER]

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

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 begin a third term in 2011. 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.

Military and Security

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

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 [time series]

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

People and Society

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 31.71% (male 134,604/female 133,840) | 15-24 years: 21.54% (male 85,805/female 96,587) | 25-54 years: 38.37% (male 134,945/female 189,930) | 55-64 years: 4.7% (male 18,257/female 21,538) | 65 years and over: 3.68% (male 13,992/female 17,189) (2016 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

23.6 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 65

Child labor - children ages 5-14 [time series]

total number: 13,176 | percentage: 8% (2006 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight [time series]

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

Contraceptive prevalence rate [time series]

19% (2012)

Death rate [time series]

7.6 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 111

Demographic profile [time series]

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 more than 35,000 arriving by April 2016. 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 [time series]

total dependency ratio: 58.5% | youth dependency ratio: 51.9% | elderly dependency ratio: 6.6% | potential support ratio: 15.1% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source [time series]

Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]

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

Ethnic groups [time series]

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

1.55% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 32

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

600 (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 80

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

9,400 (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 93

Health expenditure (Health expenditures) [time series]

10.6% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 44

Hospital bed density [time series]

1.4 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 47.2 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 54.1 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 40.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 40

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 63.2 years | male: 60.7 years | female: 65.8 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 189

Major infectious diseases [time series]

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 [time series]

DJIBOUTI (capital) 529,000 (2015)

Maternal mortality ratio (Maternal mortality rate) [time series]

229 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

Median age [time series]

total: 23.5 years | male: 21.8 years | female: 24.9 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 166

Nationality [time series]

noun: Djiboutian(s) | adjective: Djiboutian

Net migration rate [time series]

5.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 19

Obesity - adult prevalence rate [time series]

8.5% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 134

Physician density (Physicians density) [time series]

0.23 physicians/1,000 population (2006)

Population [time series]

846,687 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 163

Population growth rate [time series]

2.18% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 39

Religions [time series]

Muslim 94%, Christian 6%

Sanitation facility access [time series]

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) [time series]

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

Sex ratio [time series]

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.35 children born/woman (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 85

Urbanization [time series]

urban population: 77.3% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 1.6% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

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 [time series]

refugees (country of origin): 12,363 (Somalia) (2015); 19,636 (Yemen) (2016)

Trafficking in persons [time series]

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)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

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

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 3 | over 3,047 m: 1 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

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 [time series]

J2 (2016)

National air transport system [time series]

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

Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]

major seaport(s): Djibouti

Railways [time series]

total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the 781 km Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway) | narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge | note: railway is under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but is largely inoperable (2008) | country comparison to the world: 128

Roadways [time series]

total: 3,065 km | paved: 1,379 km | unpaved: 1,686 km (2000) | country comparison to the world: 166

Transportation - note [time series]

while attacks continued to decrease, with only 4 in 2014, the International Maritime Bureau reports offshore waters in the 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