Djibouti ranked 165/197 by economy size with a GDP of $4.09B and 134/197 by GDP per capita at $3,496. Djibouti has $1.36B in government debt, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 31.2%.
In 2025, Djibouti made up 0.004% of the world's economy, compared to 0.003% in 1985.
The chart below shows GDP in nominal terms, GDP adjusted for inflation (in constant dollars), and a bar chart of year-over-year inflation-adjusted growth.
| Year | GDP | GDP growth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current $ | Constant $ | ||
| 1985 | $340,989,528 | - | - |
| 1986 | - | - | 0% |
| 1987 | $373,371,738 | - | 9.5% |
| 1988 | $395,794,539 | - | 6.01% |
| 1989 | $409,220,087 | - | 3.39% |
| 1990 | $452,328,087 | - | 10.5% |
| 1991 | $462,421,999 | - | 2.23% |
| 1992 | $478,058,305 | - | 3.38% |
| 1993 | $466,048,469 | - | -2.51% |
| 1994 | $491,689,221 | - | 5.5% |
| 1995 | $497,723,961 | - | 1.23% |
| 1996 | $494,004,648 | - | -0.75% |
| 1997 | $502,675,542 | - | 1.76% |
| 1998 | $514,267,869 | - | 2.31% |
| 1999 | $536,080,148 | - | 4.24% |
| 2000 | $551,230,862 | - | 2.83% |
| 2001 | $572,417,441 | - | 3.84% |
| 2002 | $591,122,040 | - | 3.27% |
| 2003 | $622,044,666 | - | 5.23% |
| 2004 | $666,072,102 | - | 7.08% |
| 2005 | $708,633,195 | - | 6.39% |
| 2006 | $768,873,684 | - | 8.5% |
| 2007 | $847,918,929 | - | 10.3% |
| 2008 | $999,105,339 | - | 17.8% |
| 2009 | $1,049,110,685 | - | 5.01% |
| 2010 | $1,128,611,700 | - | 7.58% |
| 2011 | $1,239,144,502 | - | 9.79% |
| 2012 | $1,353,632,942 | - | 9.24% |
| 2013 | $2,044,440,443 | $2,107,658,965 | 51% |
| 2014 | $2,220,637,966 | $2,259,262,606 | 8.62% |
| 2015 | $2,424,391,785 | $2,424,391,785 | 9.18% |
| 2016 | $2,604,955,229 | $2,597,091,694 | 7.45% |
| 2017 | $2,762,581,334 | $2,738,843,335 | 6.05% |
| 2018 | $2,913,464,658 | $2,869,605,010 | 5.46% |
| 2019 | $3,088,851,450 | $3,028,726,927 | 6.02% |
| 2020 | $3,144,136,197 | $3,065,135,713 | 1.79% |
| 2021 | $3,392,796,953 | $3,200,221,046 | 7.91% |
| 2022 | $3,562,814,909 | $3,365,561,652 | 5.01% |
| 2023 | $3,917,150,481 | $3,613,673,263 | 9.95% |
| 2024 | $4,086,402,719 | $3,828,825,225 | 4.32% |
Economic Statistics of Djibouti
Djibouti
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross domestic product |
$4.09B
2024 |
165/197 |
| GDP growth |
4.32%
2023-2024 |
123/196 |
| GDP per capita |
$3,496
2024 |
134/197 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$7,776
2024 |
143/197 |
| Government debt |
$1.36B
2024 |
165/185 |
| Debt-to-GDP ratio |
31.2%
2025 |
158/185 |
| Government debt per person |
$1,163
2024 |
138/185 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$2,788
2025 |
145/197 |
| Income share by richest 10% |
32.3%
2017 |
35/169 |
| Income share by poorest 10% |
1.9%
2017 |
142/169 |
| Government expenditure, % of GDP |
21.6%
2025 |
149/195 |
| Consumer prices inflation |
1.5%
2024-2025 |
160/195 |
| Unemployment rate |
40%
2017 |
1/196 |
| Population |
1196428
|
158/197 |
Djibouti's GDP per capita
Djibouti has a GDP per capita of $3,496, ranking 134/197, a GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP) of $7,776, ranking 143/197, and a median annual after tax income of $2,788, ranking 145/197.
| Year | Current $ | |
|---|---|---|
| GDP per capita | GDP per capita, PPP | |
| 1985 | $847 | - |
| 1986 | $800 | - |
| 1987 | $822 | - |
| 1988 | $817 | - |
| 1989 | $782 | - |
| 1990 | $780 | - |
| 1991 | $733 | - |
| 1992 | $764 | - |
| 1993 | $759 | - |
| 1994 | $785 | - |
| 1995 | $786 | - |
| 1996 | $762 | - |
| 1997 | $748 | - |
| 1998 | $735 | - |
| 1999 | $740 | - |
| 2000 | $738 | - |
| 2001 | $742 | - |
| 2002 | $743 | - |
| 2003 | $765 | - |
| 2004 | $806 | - |
| 2005 | $844 | - |
| 2006 | $898 | - |
| 2007 | $970 | - |
| 2008 | $1,119 | - |
| 2009 | $1,151 | - |
| 2010 | $1,213 | - |
| 2011 | $1,306 | - |
| 2012 | $1,400 | - |
| 2013 | $2,076 | $3,762 |
| 2014 | $2,215 | $3,978 |
| 2015 | $2,376 | $4,264 |
| 2016 | $2,510 | $4,432 |
| 2017 | $2,619 | $4,677 |
| 2018 | $2,718 | $5,083 |
| 2019 | $2,837 | $5,398 |
| 2020 | $2,845 | $5,527 |
| 2021 | $3,026 | $5,960 |
| 2022 | $3,133 | $6,621 |
| 2023 | $3,398 | $7,264 |
| 2024 | $3,496 | $7,776 |
Djibouti's government spending, deficit, and chart
This chart shows Djibouti's government spending, budget balance, and debt over time, each expressed as a share of GDP.
Over the past 36 years, Djibouti recorded a fiscal deficit in 34 years — average annual deficit equal to -3.22% of GDP. In 2024, government spending reached $898M (21.6% of GDP), with a deficit of -3.05%.
The national debt reached $1.36B, ranking 165th out of 185 countries by total size, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 31.2%, ranking 158th.
| Year | % of GDP | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Government spending | Government debt | Government deficit/surplus | |
| 1990 | 30.2% | - | -3.25% |
| 1991 | 27.7% | - | -0.86% |
| 1992 | 34.9% | - | -6.13% |
| 1993 | 35.3% | - | -7.1% |
| 1994 | 30.9% | - | -4.97% |
| 1995 | 27% | 50.9% | -5.13% |
| 1996 | 23.7% | 53.1% | -1.77% |
| 1997 | 25% | 56% | -2.86% |
| 1998 | 24% | 55.2% | -3.59% |
| 1999 | 23.5% | 58.5% | -5.2% |
| 2000 | 23.2% | 58.1% | -3.97% |
| 2001 | 21% | 58.1% | -3.61% |
| 2002 | 23.4% | 63.7% | -4.56% |
| 2003 | 25.8% | 66.3% | -4.13% |
| 2004 | 26.7% | 65.3% | -3.67% |
| 2005 | 26.2% | 60.3% | -1.18% |
| 2006 | 23.8% | 58.3% | 0.26% |
| 2007 | 26.6% | 56.6% | -1.88% |
| 2008 | 28.8% | 59.3% | 0.62% |
| 2009 | 31% | 29.5% | -3.88% |
| 2010 | 26.6% | 27.9% | -1.04% |
| 2011 | 25.3% | 25.7% | -1.18% |
| 2012 | 26.5% | 25% | -2.04% |
| 2013 | 26.8% | 24.6% | -0.34% |
| 2014 | 29% | 26.9% | -6.92% |
| 2015 | 42% | 40.3% | -15.5% |
| 2016 | 25.9% | 45.9% | -0.76% |
| 2017 | 23.9% | 48% | -0.21% |
| 2018 | 25.9% | 47.5% | -1.98% |
| 2019 | 24.9% | 41.1% | -0.98% |
| 2020 | 25.8% | 42.1% | -2.58% |
| 2021 | 23.1% | 40.3% | -3.05% |
| 2022 | 21% | 38.3% | -1.48% |
| 2023 | 21.5% | 35.4% | -3.46% |
| 2024 | 22% | 33.3% | -4.51% |
| 2025 | 21.6% | 31.2% | -3.05% |
Inflation rate by year
Over the past 20 years, Djibouti has had an average annual inflation rate of 2.86%. In 2025, inflation was 1.5%. The bar chart below shows consumer price inflation by year.
| Year | Inflation |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 3.4% |
| 1993 | 4.4% |
| 1994 | 6.5% |
| 1995 | 4.9% |
| 1996 | 3.5% |
| 1997 | 2.5% |
| 1998 | 2.2% |
| 1999 | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 1.2% |
| 2001 | 1.9% |
| 2002 | 1.4% |
| 2003 | 1.6% |
| 2004 | 2.4% |
| 2005 | 3.3% |
| 2006 | 3.5% |
| 2007 | 5.9% |
| 2008 | 8.7% |
| 2009 | 5.6% |
| 2010 | 2.5% |
| 2011 | 5.2% |
| 2012 | 4.2% |
| 2013 | 1.1% |
| 2014 | 1.3% |
| 2015 | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 2.4% |
| 2017 | 0.6% |
| 2018 | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 3.3% |
| 2020 | 1.8% |
| 2021 | 1.2% |
| 2022 | 5.2% |
| 2023 | 1.4% |
| 2024 | 2.1% |
| 2025 | 1.5% |
Balance of trade
|
Djibouti
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
Current account balance
|
$610M
2024 |
57/189 |
| Current account balance, % of GDP |
+14.9%
2024 |
8/189 |
| Goods imports |
$4.04B
2024 |
141/188 |
| Goods exports |
$4.08B
2024 |
124/188 |
| Service imports |
$730M
2024 |
153/188 |
| Service exports |
$1.17B
2024 |
127/188 |
| Imports of goods and services, % of GDP |
148.3%
2024 |
3/180 |
| Exports of goods and services, % of GDP |
160.8%
2024 |
4/193 |
Djibouti's top 10 trading partners
Djibouti's biggest trading partner accounting for 40.9%% of all exports and imports is Ethiopia, with a trade balance between the two of +$3.87B — Djibouti exports $4B worth of goods and services to Ethiopia and imports $128M.
Below is the list of the top 10 trade partners of Djibouti.
| Rank | Country | Trade value | Share of total trade | Export to | Import from | Top export to | Top import from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Ethiopia
|
$4.12B | 40.9% | $4B | $128M | Processed food, beverages & tobacco | Raw agricultural goods |
| 2 |
China
|
$1.05B | 10.4% | $116M | $936M | Raw materials & minerals | Machinery & equipment |
| 3 |
UAE
|
$828M | 8.21% | $222M | $606M | Machinery & equipment | Machinery & equipment |
| 4 |
India
|
$768M | 7.62% | $1.41M | $767M | Processed food, beverages & tobacco | Processed food, beverages & tobacco |
| 5 |
Turkey
|
$522M | 5.17% | $31.3M | $491M | Processed food, beverages & tobacco | Processed food, beverages & tobacco |
| 6 |
Saudi Arabia
|
$457M | 4.53% | $4.6M | $452M | Raw materials & minerals | Raw materials & minerals |
| 7 |
Indonesia
|
$295M | 2.92% | $924K | $294M | Processed food, beverages & tobacco | Processed food, beverages & tobacco |
| 8 |
Oman
|
$254M | 2.51% | $37.9M | $216M | Machinery & equipment | Processed food, beverages & tobacco |
| 9 |
Malaysia
|
$226M | 2.24% | $1.94M | $224M | Raw materials & minerals | Processed food, beverages & tobacco |
| 10 |
Japan
|
$217M | 2.15% | $610K | $217M | Animal & marine products | Machinery & equipment |
Djibouti's top 10 exports
|
Djibouti
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Processed food, beverages & tobacco | $1.52B | 64/192 |
| Machinery & equipment | $1.17B | 81/193 |
| Metals | $681M | 78/192 |
| Transport & tourism services | $613M | 131/188 |
| Raw agricultural goods | $439M | 89/193 |
| Chemicals & pharma | $431M | 90/193 |
| Government & miscellaneous services | $319M | 39/180 |
| Raw materials & minerals | $286M | 133/193 |
| Textiles & consumer goods | $113M | 118/193 |
| Wood & paper products | $95.3M | 99/192 |
Djibouti's top 10 imports
|
Djibouti
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Processed food, beverages & tobacco | $1.44B | 84/193 |
| Machinery & equipment | $1.17B | 138/193 |
| Metals | $653M | 111/193 |
| Raw agricultural goods | $599M | 104/193 |
| Transport & tourism services | $542M | 144/188 |
| Raw materials & minerals | $537M | 148/193 |
| Chemicals & pharma | $468M | 135/193 |
| Wood & paper products | $187M | 124/193 |
| Textiles & consumer goods | $183M | 152/193 |
| Animal & marine products | $49.4M | 156/193 |
Economic freedom indices
|
Djibouti
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Economic freedom | 55.7 | 126/197 |
| Property rights | 30.6 | 141/182 |
| Government integrity | 27.7 | 141/182 |
| Judicial effectiveness | 27.7 | 141/182 |
| Tax burden | 83.5 | 68/181 |
| Government spending | 86.2 | 41/180 |
| Fiscal health | 86.6 | 52/181 |
| Business freedom | 53.7 | 129/182 |
| Labor freedom | 52.8 | 132/182 |
| Monetary freedom | 70.3 | 102/180 |
| Trade freedom | 49.8 | 171/181 |
| Investment freedom | 50 | 109/181 |
| Financial freedom | 50 | 75/181 |
Djibouti's economic freedom by year
Djibouti is ranked 112/180 for economic freedom with a score of 55.7, compared to 102/163 and a score of 55.2 in 2005.
| Year | Index | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic freedom | Judicial effectiveness | Tax burden | Government spending | Fiscal health | |
| 1997 | 54.5 | - | 84.1 | 44.5 | - |
| 1998 | 55.9 | - | 84.7 | 55.1 | - |
| 1999 | 57.1 | - | 84.9 | 63.9 | - |
| 2000 | 55.1 | - | 86 | 63.3 | - |
| 2001 | 58.3 | - | 87.1 | 67.3 | - |
| 2002 | 57.8 | - | 78.8 | 67.3 | - |
| 2003 | 55.7 | - | 80.1 | 67.9 | - |
| 2004 | 55.6 | - | 80.5 | 73.5 | - |
| 2005 | 55.2 | - | 80.3 | 67.5 | - |
| 2006 | 53.2 | - | 80.3 | 60 | - |
| 2007 | 52.4 | - | 80.5 | 60 | - |
| 2008 | 51.2 | - | 80.8 | 57.8 | - |
| 2009 | 51.3 | - | 80.8 | 59.4 | - |
| 2010 | 51 | - | 78.2 | 58.9 | - |
| 2011 | 54.5 | - | 79.6 | 50.5 | - |
| 2012 | 53.9 | - | 80.3 | 42.4 | - |
| 2013 | 53.9 | - | 79.4 | 48.8 | - |
| 2014 | 55.9 | - | 80.6 | 62.8 | - |
| 2015 | 57.5 | - | 81.2 | 57.1 | - |
| 2016 | 56 | - | 80.6 | 57.4 | - |
| 2017 | 46.7 | 10.3 | 80.9 | 39.5 | 13.8 |
| 2018 | 45.1 | 13.8 | 69.8 | 27.2 | 18 |
| 2019 | 47.1 | 18.1 | 76.2 | 27.3 | 18.1 |
| 2020 | 52.9 | 31.7 | 75.3 | 53.6 | 10.9 |
| 2021 | 56.2 | 28.2 | 79.6 | 80.4 | 79.4 |
| 2022 | 55.3 | 28.3 | 80 | 83.3 | 92.1 |
| 2023 | 56.1 | 27 | 83.6 | 82.2 | 89.3 |
| 2024 | 55.8 | 27.6 | 83.6 | 83.7 | 89.3 |
| 2025 | 55.7 | 27.7 | 83.5 | 86.2 | 86.6 |
More economic indicators
|
Djibouti
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Services, % of GDP |
75.5%
2024 |
12/191 |
| Industry, % of GDP |
15.4%
2024 |
158/194 |
| Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP |
2.58%
2024 |
136/193 |
|
GNI, Atlas method
|
$4.14B
2024 |
162/194 |
| GNI per capita, PPP |
$7,850
2024 |
134/191 |
| Total reserves including gold |
$349M
2024 |
165/177 |
|
Net foreign direct investment
|
-$67.8M
2024 |
65/188 |
|
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
|
$67.8M
2024 |
154/193 |
|
Servicing debt to the IMF, % of GNI
|
2.52%
2023 |
84/119 |
| Poverty at national poverty lines |
23%
2020 |
81/176 |
|
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
|
-3.78%
2024 |
176/176 |
Compare countries by 7 more topics
GDP per capita map
GDP per capita
Relevant pages:
Djibouti topic pages:
Economy comparisons
The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.
Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.
A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).
Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.
Principal and interest payments to the IMF in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt expressed as a share of GNI.
Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.