Largest Cities and Rural Localities by Population in Djibouti

33 cities and rural localities in Djibouti with 1,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by population at the census of May 20, 2024 (by National Institute of Statistics, Djibouti).

RankCity or Rural LocalityNative NamePopulation
1Djiboutiجيبوتي767,250
2Ali-Sabiehعلي صبيح45,092
3Obockأبخ29,954
4Dikhilدخيل27,722
5Tadjourahتاجورة19,527
6Ali-Adehأدى على12,763
7Artaأرتا11,462
8Cheik Farahin: Damerjog sub-prefecture-5,267
9As-Eylaايلى5,176
10Damerjogداميرجوغ5,148
11Holl-Holl Camp-4,552
12Mouloudمولود4,166
13Wea (Oueha)وع3,879
14Holl-Hollحلحول3,875
15Nagadنقاذ3,317
16Yobokiيوبوكي3,179
17Adgueno-2,247
18Randaراندا1,871
19Toukoulin: Damerjog sub-prefecture-1,511
20Omar Jagaa-1,380
21Douda Lovein: Damerjog sub-prefecture-1,328
22Bahour-1,313
23Douda Grandein: Damerjog sub-prefecture-1,277
24Sankalسانكال1,261
25Atar-1,168
26Kouta Bouyaكوتا بويا1,161
27Dorraدرة1,021
28Sagallouساجالو993
29Sissalou-990
30Gorabousغورابو914
31Bakere-890
32Dayدي806
33Adayllouأديلو791

Source: National Institute of Statistics, Djibouti (2024 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff.

Why don't these match official city populations?Official figures typically count only the population within administrative boundaries. UN urban area figures cover the entire built-up area, which can include multiple cities and towns.

Tokyo

33,338,852

Urban area

9,953,160

23 wards

Essen

2,709,375

Urban area

573,618

City of Essen

Ankara

3,630,865

Urban area

5,186,002

Metropolitan municipality

What counts as an urban area? The UN uses satellite imagery to map built-up land, and treats each continuous stretch of built-up land as an urban area. This means that urban areas can extend beyond official city boundaries, and may include multiple cities and towns within a single urban area.

Can an urban area be smaller than its city? Yes. While most cities have urban areas larger than their administrative boundaries, some cities have extensive administrative limits that include sparsely populated areas.

4 urban areas in Djibouti with 50,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by the UN's population estimates for 2026.

RankUrban AreaPopulation Estimate (2026)Yearly ChangeLand Area (km²)Density (P/km²)World RankProjections (2030)Projections (2050)
1Djibouti747,695+1.27%799,417721785,707929,550
2Ali Sabieh90,353+1.15%6.0015,0596,95594,503121,885
3Tadjoura64,806+1.33%6.0010,8019,68468,26583,961
4Dikhil56,473+1.87%4.2013,44611,04360,68675,975

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision, Online Edition.

See also