Demographics of Djibouti

Ethnic groups

Djibouti is a multiethnic country. As of 2015, it has a population of around 846,687 inhabitants. Djibouti's population grew rapidly during the latter half of the 20th century, increasing from about 62,000 in 1950 to 889,000 by 2010.

The two largest ethnic groups are the Somali (60%) and the Afar (35%). The Somali clan component is mainly composed of the Issas, a sub-clan of the larger Dir. The remaining 5% of Djibouti's population primarily consists of Arabs, Ethiopians and Europeans (French and Italians). Approximately 76% of local residents are urban dwellers; the remainder are pastoralists.

Languages

Djibouti is a multilingual nation. The majority of local residents speak Somali (524,000 speakers) and Afar (306,000 speakers) as a first language. These idioms are the mother tongues of the Somali and Afar ethnic groups, respectively. Both languages belong to the larger Afroasiatic family. There are two official languages in Djibouti: Arabic (Afroasiatic) and French (Indo-European).

Arabic is of social, cultural and religious importance. In formal settings, it consists of Modern Standard Arabic. Colloquially, about 59,000 local residents speak the Ta'izzi-Adeni Arabic dialect, also known as Djibouti Arabic. French serves as a statutory national language. It was inherited from the colonial period, and is the primary language of instruction. Around 17,000 Djiboutians speak it as a first language. Immigrant languages include Omani Arabic (38,900 speakers), Amharic (1,400 speakers), Greek (1,000 speakers) and Hindi (600 speakers).

Population

According to the 2010 revision of the UN's World Population Prospects, the total population was 889,000 in 2010 compared to 62,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 35.8%, 60.9% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.3% was 65 years or older.

Projections

The following are UN medium variant projections; numbers are in thousands:

2015 975

2020 1,065

2025 1,166

2030 1,262

2035 1,356

2040 1,447

2045 1,535

2050 1,619

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events in Djibouti is incomplete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.

Births and deaths

Demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Population

828,324 (July 2015 est.)

Median age

Total: 22.8 years
Male: 21.1 years
Female: 24.1 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate

2.23% (2014 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 77.1% of total population (2011) rate of urbanization: 1.96% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major cities - population

DJIBOUTI (capital) 529,000 (2015)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 0.89 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.71 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.85 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 62.4 years
Male: 59.93 years
Female: 64.94 years (2014 est.)

HIV/AIDS

adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (2012 est.) people living with HIV/AIDS: 7,700 (2012 est.) deaths: 800 (2012 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: dengue fever

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2013)

Nationality

Djiboutien or Djiboutian

Ethnic groups

Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French and Italians, Arab, Ethiopian 5%

Religions

The religious adherents of Djibouti are:

Muslim 94% Christian 6%

Languages

The languages of Djibouti are:

French (official) Arabic (official) Somali Afar

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.9% male: 60% female: 58.4% (2003 est.)