Djibouti
Djibouti is a nation in the Horn of Africa, positioned at the southern entrance of the Red Sea.
Djibouti is a nation in the Horn of Africa, positioned at the southern entrance of the Red Sea. The identifiers below come from the United Nations and the World Bank and describe statistical and administrative groupings, not political or territorial claims. The rest of this profile explains how to verify the figures that change, what the official numbers leave out, and how to read them alongside the stable codes.
Classification facts
These are the fixed identifiers used by international bodies.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| UN M49 code | 262 |
| ISO alpha-2 | DJ |
| ISO alpha-3 | DJI |
| UN region | Africa |
| UN subregion | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| UN member state | Yes |
| World Bank capital field | Djibouti |
The UN M49 overview is the standard reference for nation codes and regional groupings, maintained by the United Nations Statistics Division. The World Bank country API provides the same code and capital information in machine-readable form, with the reference year for each indicator stated in its metadata.
How to verify the figures that change
No single official source publishes all of Djibouti’s statistics in one place. The national statistical office, the Institut National de la Statistique de Djibouti (INSD), publishes demographic estimates. The United Nations Population Division provides internationally comparable projections. The World Bank’s nation page and API include economic indicators such as GDP, inflation, and income grouping. For languages, currency, government structure, and travel rules, consult the primary authorities: the Djibouti government, the IANA root zone database (for the .dj domain), and your own foreign ministry’s travel advisory. All figures below are the latest published at the time of writing; always check the named source for the reference year.
Population
Population estimates change continuously and differ by source. The World Bank publishes annual figures in its country profile API; the reference year is stated in the data itself, and you should note it whenever you cite a number. The UN Population Division also publishes estimates, but figures can differ by several percent because censuses are infrequent and Djibouti’s inhabitants include nomadic groups that are difficult to count. For a current figure, check the World Bank’s nation page or the UN data portal and record the reference year. The UN Population Division’s World Population Prospects is the standard source for projections; the latest full revision is 2024.
Languages
French and Arabic are the official languages. Somali and Afar are widely spoken. The CIA World Factbook lists these four, while Ethnologue and UNESCO databases provide additional detail on speaker numbers, though their counts do not always agree. When you need a single authoritative statement for a document, cite the constitution of Djibouti and note which source you used for speaker estimates.
Currency
The currency is the Djiboutian franc (DJF), pegged to the US dollar. Confirm the current exchange rate through the central bank or the IMF’s currency data. The peg has been stable for years, but the rate you receive at a bureau will differ from the official one.
Government and economy
Djibouti is a presidential republic. The head of state is the President, and the head of government is the Prime Minister. The World Bank groups the nation as a lower-middle-income economy. Services, port activity, and logistics dominate; the nation hosts foreign military bases, which contribute to its economy. GDP figures and growth rates come from the World Bank’s nation API, and the reference year varies by indicator, so always note it.
Travel and safety information
Entry and visa rules change. Consult your own government’s current travel advisory and the IATA Travel Centre for visa requirements. The nation’s coastline runs along the Gulf of Aden and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Ethiopia to the west and south, and Somalia to the southeast. Do not rely on any single page for safety or entry rules; always check the date on the advisory you read.
Data notes
Do not cite this profile as a source. Cite the underlying UN, World Bank, WHO, IMF, or national statistical source directly. The UN M49 grouping is a statistical standard, not a political or territorial claim. For data literacy, see the Source Literacy guide; for comparisons, see the Country Comparison guide.
Public data sources you will use repeatedly:
- UN M49 overview
- World Bank country API
- UN Population Division
- WHO
- UNESCO
- IMF
- IANA
- Official national statistics portal (nation-specific)
- ReliefWeb nation page (for humanitarian context)
- Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX)
Related pages
- Source Literacy guide
- Country Comparison guide
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