Djibouti
General presentation
Official name: Republic of Djibouti
Type of regime: Republic
Surface area: 23 220 km2
Capital: Djibouti
Main cities: Djibouti, Ali Sabieh, Dikhil, Arta, Tadjoura
Official language(s): French, Arabic
National holiday: June 27 (Independence)
Population (2020): 1,000,000 (World Bank)
Density (2020): 41.3 inhabitants/km2 (World Bank)
Population growth (2020): +1.5%/year (World Bank)
Adult literacy rate (2019): 63
Source: Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
Economic situation
The country suffers from low availability of water resources, food insecurity, an energy deficit, lack of economic diversification, and heavy economic and trade dependence on Ethiopia. Djibouti has the strategic advantage of being located on the Bab-el- Mandeb Strait, one of the busiest maritime corridors in the world, which controls access to the Red Sea. this has led the Djibouti government to pursue a growth model focused on infrastructure development (ports, railroads). President IOG hopes to transform his country into a hub for the transit of goods with Ethiopia and a digital hub. These projects are largely financed by China. The risk of over-indebtedness to China is significant: currently two thirds of Djibouti’s foreign debt is held by China.
Source: Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
Bilateral Relations
Bilateral investment treaties
Work in process
Double taxation agreements
Work in process
Free trade agreements
Work in process
Leading sector for Swiss companies
Work in process
Indicators
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 E | 2019 E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (in billions of USD) | 1.89 | 2.08 | 2.19 | 2.39 |
| GDP per capita (USD) | 1903 | 1989 | 2085 | 2218 |
| Growth rate | 6.5 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 48% | |||
| Inflation rate | 2.7 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.5 |
| Public debt (% of GDP) | 33.677 | 31.824 | 29.876 | 27.950 |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -15.8 | -1.5 | ||
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | -9.4 | -13.8 | -14.3 | -14.8 |
(Sources FMI, Banque Mondiale)
Main customers
Somalia (81.4% in 2016), Yemen (5.4% 2014), UAE (4.7%),(2014)
(Sources FMI, Banque Mondiale)
Main suppliers
China (28.2%), Saudi Arabia (16.9%), India (10%), (2014
(Sources FMI, Banque Mondiale)
Swiss exports to
Work in process
Exports of …. to Switzerland
Work in process
Swiss direct investment in
Work in process
The business climate
Work in process