The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became the Republic of Djibouti in June 1977. This barren land's location, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, is its main economic asset, with the country's transport facilities being used by several landlocked African countries. The most widely spoken languages in Djibouti are French (one of the official languages), Arabic (the other official language), Somali, and Afar.

Leader: President Ismael Omar Guelleh
Capital city: Djibouti

Economic profile

Monetary unit: Djiboutian franc
Real GDP per capita: $2 800 (2010) (CIA)
GDP composition by sector:
Agriculture: 3,2% (2006) (CIA)
Industry: 14,9% (2006) (CIA)
Services: 81,9% (2006) (CIA)
GDP growth rate: 4.5% (2008) (IMF)
Budget:
Government revenue and grants: 35% of GDP (IMF)
Government expenditure and net lending: 37.4% of GDP (2006) (IMF)
Industries: Construction, and agricultural processing.
Exports of goods and services: $100-million (2009) (CIA)
Imports of goods and services: $644-million (2009) (CIA)
Export commodities: Reexports, hides and skins, and coffee (in transit).
Import commodities: Foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, and petroleum products.
Trade balance: -$352-million (2009) (CIA)
Reserves: 3.2 months of imports (2006)(IMF)
Total investment: 29.5% of GDP (2006) (IMF)
Market capitalisation of listed companies: Figures not available
Consumer price inflation rate: 5% (2007) (CIA)

Social profile

Population: 864 202 (2011) (World Bank)
Population growth: 1.7% (2011) (World Bank)
Life expectancy at birth: 43 years (2009) (CIA)
Adult literacy: 67,9% (2003) (CIA)
School enrolment primary: 54% (2009) (World Bank)
School enrolment secondary: 30% (2009) (World Bank)
School enrolment tertiary: 3% (2009) (World Bank)
Number of people living with HIV/Aids: 14 000 (2009) (Unicef)