What goods does Djibouti export or reexport?

Djibouti’s economy is heavily reliant on the service sector, which functions as a vital regional trade hub in the Horn of Africa. Due to limited domestic agricultural and manufacturing capacity, the country exports a specific range of goods, while many items listed as exports are actually reexports destined for neighboring countries.1

Exported and Reexported Goods

Djibouti’s primary exports include:
* Aircraft parts1
* Animal hides and skins1
* Live animals1

Trade Infrastructure

The country’s status as a trade hub is supported by its modern free-trade zone and deepwater port, which facilitate the transshipment of goods to other regional nations. This trade is further bolstered by the electrified Djibouti–Addis Ababa railway, which provides a critical link for freight traffic. In addition to formal trade, there is significant unrecorded transshipment of goods via trucks, dhows, and camels to bordering countries.2