Djibouti: People & Society#
| Population | 846,687 (July 2016 est.) |
|---|---|
| Nationality | noun: Djiboutian(s) adjective: Djiboutian |
| Ethnic groups | Somali 60%, Afar 35%, other 5% (includes French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian) |
| Languages | French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar |
| Religions | Muslim 94%, Christian 6% |
| Demographic profile | Djibouti is a poor, predominantly urban country, characterized by high rates of illiteracy, unemployment, and childhood malnutrition. More than 75% of the population lives in cities and towns (predominantly in the capital, Djibouti). The rural population subsists primarily on nomadic herding. Prone to droughts and floods, the country has few natural resources and must import more than 80% of its food from neighboring countries or Europe. Health care, particularly outside the capital, is limited by poor infrastructure, shortages of equipment and supplies, and a lack of qualified personnel. More than a third of health care recipients are migrants because the services are still better than those available in their neighboring home countries. The nearly universal practice of female genital cutting reflects Djibouti’s lack of gender equality and is a major contributor to obstetrical complications and its high rates of maternal and infant mortality. A 1995 law prohibiting the practice has never been enforced. Because of its political stability and its strategic location at the confluence of East Africa and the Gulf States along the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, Djibouti is a key transit point for migrants and asylum seekers heading for the Gulf States and beyond. Each year some hundred thousand people, mainly Ethiopians and some Somalis, journey through Djibouti, usually to the port of Obock, to attempt a dangerous sea crossing to Yemen. However, with the escalation of the ongoing Yemen conflict, Yemenis began fleeing to Djibouti in March 2015, with more than 35,000 arriving by April 2016. Most Yemenis remain unregistered and head for Djibouti City rather than seeking asylum at one of Djibouti’s three spartan refugee camps. Djibouti has been hosting refugees and asylum seekers, predominantly Somalis and lesser numbers of Ethiopians and Eritreans, at camps for 20 years, despite lacking potable water, food shortages, and unemployment. |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 31.71% (male 134,604/female 133,840) 15-24 years: 21.54% (male 85,805/female 96,587) 25-54 years: 38.37% (male 134,945/female 189,930) 55-64 years: 4.7% (male 18,257/female 21,538) 65 years and over: 3.68% (male 13,992/female 17,189) (2016 est.) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 58.5% youth dependency ratio: 51.9% elderly dependency ratio: 6.6% potential support ratio: 15.1% (2015 est.) |
| Median age | total: 23.5 years male: 21.8 years female: 24.9 years (2016 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 2.18% (2016 est.) |
| Birth rate | 23.6 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Death rate | 7.6 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Net migration rate | 5.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Urbanization | urban population: 77.3% of total population (2015) rate of urbanization: 1.6% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) |
| Major urban areas - population | DJIBOUTI (capital) 529,000 (2015) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.01 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: 0.84 male(s)/female (2016 est.) |
| Maternal mortality rate | 229 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 47.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 54.1 deaths/1,000 live births female: 40.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 63.2 years male: 60.7 years female: 65.8 years (2016 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 2.35 children born/woman (2016 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 19% (2012) |
| Health expenditures | 10.6% of GDP (2014) |
| Physicians density | 0.23 physicians/1,000 population (2006) |
| Hospital bed density | 1.4 beds/1,000 population (2012) |
| Drinking water source | improved: urban: 97.4% of population rural: 64.7% of population total: 90% of population unimproved: urban: 2.6% of population rural: 35.3% of population total: 10% of population (2015 est.) |
| Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 59.8% of population rural: 5.1% of population total: 47.4% of population unimproved: urban: 40.2% of population rural: 94.9% of population total: 52.6% of population (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 1.55% (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 9,400 (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 600 (2015 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases | degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever (2016) |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 8.5% (2014) |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 29.8% (2012) |
| Education expenditures | 4.5% of GDP (2010) |
| School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) | total: 6 years male: 7 years female: 6 years (2011) |
| Child labor - children ages 5-14 | total number: 13,176 percentage: 8% (2006 est.) |