Djibouti at its true size
Djibouti covers 23,200 km², number 147 of 194 countries by area. Home to 1,184,076 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 23,200 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 1,184,076 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 51 per km² |
| Capital | Djibouti |
| Local time in Djibouti | |
| Time zone | UTC+3 IANA |
| Currency | Djiboutian franc (DJF) Wikidata |
| Languages | French, Arabic |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +253 |
| Codes | DJ · DJI · 262 |
Weather in Djibouti now
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Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated hourly · Temperatures on the map
Where Djibouti ranks
Among the independent states, in 41 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#157 of 1941.2 million people#50 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#135 of 19451 people per km²#34 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#62 of 19273% urban#5 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#68 of 1922.62 births per woman#47 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#76 of 192+1.31% a year#45 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#64 of 19220.9 births per 1,000 people#45 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#86 of 1927.5 deaths per 1,000 people#21 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#75 of 19228.8% under 15#47 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#123 of 1925.0% aged 65 and over#10 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#100 of 192−0.5 per 1,000 people#21 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#45 of 1901.88 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#20 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
Economy
- GNI per capita#125 of 185$3,960 a person#13 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#129 of 18465% online#12 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#136 of 184$8,452 a person#18 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#23 of 187+6.5% a year#9 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#168 of 176−0.3% a year#47 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#3 of 17826.0% of the labour force#3 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#30 of 14925.4% under $3.00 a day#30 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#31 of 149a Gini index of 41.6#16 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#166 of 1781.2% of jobs#53 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#173 of 1786.7% of jobs#49 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#1 of 17892.2% of jobs#1 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#61 of 1843.2% of GDP#19 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#6 of 168110.5% of GDP#1 of 49 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#184 of 19148 subscriptions per 100 people#51 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#136 of 1850.77 tonnes a person#17 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#186 of 1920% forest#52 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#90 of 19026.9% renewable#43 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#155 of 19269.2% with electricity#21 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#22 of 19140.3 µg/m³#9 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#181 of 1911.6% of the land protected#50 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#190 of 1900.2% of the land arable#54 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#109 of 1766.3% of its available fresh water#27 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#163 of 180220 mm a year#48 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Djibouti’s area, lit up on the map →
- Belize1.01×Djibouti and Belize are almost exactly the same size.
- El Salvador1.1×Djibouti is 10% larger than El Salvador.
- North Macedonia0.9×Djibouti is 10% smaller than North Macedonia.
- Israel1.12×Djibouti is 12% larger than Israel.
- Rwanda0.88×Djibouti is 12% smaller than Rwanda.
- Slovenia1.14×Djibouti is 14% larger than Slovenia.
How many times does Djibouti fit into…
- Russia: about 736 times
- Canada: about 430 times
- United States: about 424 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Djibouti shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Mousa Ali2,028 m
Lakes
- Lake Assal54 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Djibouti. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Djibouti
- How big is Djibouti?
- Djibouti covers 23,200 km², which makes it number 147 of 194 countries by area. About 1,184,076 people live there (2025), 51 per km².
- Is Djibouti bigger than Belize?
- Djibouti and Belize are almost exactly the same size. Djibouti: 23,200 km²; Belize: 22,966 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Djibouti?
- Djibouti lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Djibouti?
- Djibouti shares a land border with Ethiopia, Eritrea.