Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Djibouti instead of United States, you would:

Health

be 62.7% less likely to be obese

In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Djibouti, that number is 13.5% of people as of 2016.

live 15.3 years less

In United States, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022. In Djibouti, that number is 65 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 91.2% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $73,600 as of 2023, while in Djibouti, the GDP per capita is $6,500 as of 2023.

be 7.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In United States, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Djibouti, that number is 26.3% as of 2023.

be 39.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Djibouti, however, that number is 21.1% as of 2017.

Life

have 78.7% more children

In United States, there are approximately 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Djibouti, there are 21.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 11.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In United States, approximately 21.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Djibouti, 234.0 women do as of 2020.

be 9.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Djibouti, on the other hand, 46.9 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 35.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In United States, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Djibouti, 65% of the population do as of 2022.

be 25.0% less likely to have internet access

In United States, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Djibouti, about 69.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 41.0% less on education

United States spends 6.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Djibouti spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

spend 89.4% less on healthcare

United States spends 18.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Djibouti, that number is 2.0% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 98.4% less coastline

United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Djibouti, that number is 314 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Djibouti: At a glance

Djibouti is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 23,180 sq km. The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afar minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 with a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Somali Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multiparty presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH as president; he was reelected to a second term in 2005 and extended his tenure in office via a constitutional amendment, which allowed him to begin a third term in 2011. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the intersection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and serves as an important shipping portal for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands and transshipments between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The government holds longstanding ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, and has strong ties with the United States. Djibouti hosts several thousand members of US armed services at US-run Camp Lemonnier.
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How big is Djibouti compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.

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