Djibouti Population
Djibouti had an estimated population of 1,184,076 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 160th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.01% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +1.31% a year.
Djibouti at a glance
How Djibouti's population is changing
Djibouti's population is growing: +1.31% a year, which works out to about +15,454 people per year, or +42 a day. Births (20.9 per 1,000) and deaths (7.5 per 1,000) alone would give +1.34% a year; net migration removes about 581 people a year (−0.05%). Roughly one in every 6,938 people on Earth lives in Djibouti.
Population of Djibouti since 1960
In 1960, Djibouti had 86,024 people. By 2025 that was 1,184,076 — 13.8× larger. The fastest growth came between 1970 and 1980, when the population rose by 124%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 86,024 | — |
| 1970 | 145,175 | +68.8% |
| 1980 | 325,815 | +124.4% |
| 1990 | 579,538 | +77.9% |
| 2000 | 747,318 | +29.0% |
| 2010 | 930,251 | +24.5% |
| 2020 | 1,105,188 | +18.8% |
| 2025 | 1,184,076 | +7.1% |
Djibouti from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Djibouti at about 22,848 people in 1800; the UN estimates 1,184,082 in 2025 (52× 1800) and projects 1,841,537 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 56% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 22,848 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 39,961 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 42,320 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 62,349 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 747,326 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 1,184,082 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 1,530,546 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 1,752,293 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 1,841,537 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Djibouti
9 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 1,184,076. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Djibouti | 738,192 | UN urban centre | 62.34% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Balbala | 554,350 | GeoNames settlement | 46.82% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Ali Sabih | 50,006 | GeoNames settlement | 4.22% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Dikhil | 32,801 | GeoNames settlement | 2.77% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Tadjoura | 19,533 | GeoNames settlement | 1.65% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Arta | 17,477 | GeoNames settlement | 1.48% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Obock | 15,429 | GeoNames settlement | 1.30% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | ‘As ‘Êla | 5,173 | GeoNames settlement | 0.44% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Damêrdjôg | 5,115 | GeoNames settlement | 0.43% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Djibouti compares
Djibouti has almost the same population as Mauritius (1,243,741).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Djibouti | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #158 |  Eswatini | 1,256,174 | +6% | compare → |
| #159 |  Mauritius | 1,243,741 | +5% | compare → |
| #161 |  Fiji | 933,154 | −21% | compare → |
| #162 |  Comoros | 882,847 | −25% | compare → |
Compare Djibouti with any country →
Same region (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan): Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, Algeria, Iraq, Afghanistan.
Explore around Djibouti
Land neighbours (2)
Ethiopia 135,472,051 · 114.4× the population · compare
Eritrea 3,607,003 · 3.0× the population · compare
Djibouti's 2 neighbours together hold 139,079,054 people — 117.5× Djibouti's population. The most populous is Ethiopia (135,472,051).
In its region
Djibouti is the 22nd most populous of the 23 economies in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, holding 0.1% of the region's 828,025,185 people.
Rankings
Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.
Cities
Djibouti, Balbala, Ali Sabih, Dikhil, Tadjoura, Arta, Obock, ‘As ‘Êla — all Djibouti's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Djibouti when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.