Comoros
Top Sights & Landmarks
Background
For centuries prior to colonization in the 19th century, the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean served as a key node in maritime trade networks that connected the Middle East, India, and eastern African regions. Composed of the islands of Anjouan, Mayotte, Moheli, and Grande Comore, Comoros spent most of the 20th century as a colonial outpost until it declared independence from France on 6 July 1975. Residents of Mayotte, however, voted to remain in France, and the French Government has since classified it as a French Overseas Department. Since independence, Comoros has weathered approximately 20 successful and attempted coups, mostly between 1975 and 2000, resulting in prolonged political instability and stunted economic development. In 2002, President AZALI Assoumani became the first elected president following the completion of the Fomboni Accords, in which the islands of Grande Comore, Anjouan, and Moheli agreed to rotate the presidency among the islands every five years. This power-sharing agreement also included provisions allowing each island to maintain its local government. In 2007, Mohamed BACAR effected Anjouan's de-facto secession from the Union of the Comoros, refusing to step down when Comoros' other islands held legitimate elections. The African Union (AU) initially attempted to resolve the political crisis with sanctions and a naval blockade of Anjouan, but in 2008, the AU and Comoran soldiers seized the island. The island's inhabitants generally welcomed the move. In 2011, Ikililou DHOININE won the presidency in peaceful elections widely deemed to be free and fair. In closely contested elections in 2016, AZALI won a second term, when the rotating presidency returned to Grande Comore. In 2018, a referendum -- which the opposition parties boycotted -- approved a new constitution that extended presidential term limits and abolished the requirement for the presidency to rotate between the three main islands. AZALI formed a new government later that year, and he subsequently ran and was reelected in 2019. AZALI was reelected again in January 2024 in an election that the opposition disputed but the Supreme Court validated.
Location
Southern Africa, group of islands at the northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique
Area
Elevation
Detailed Geography Information
Coastline
340 km
Geography - note
important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel; the only Arab League country that lies entirely in the Southern Hemisphere
Irrigated land
1.3 sq km (2012)
Land boundaries
total: 0 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards
cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); volcanic activity on Grand Comore volcanism: Karthala (2,361 m) on Grand Comore Island last erupted in 2007; a 2005 eruption forced thousands of people to be evacuated and produced a large ash cloud
Natural resources
Terrain
volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills
Population & Growth
Age Distribution
Demographic Longevity
Vital Dynamics
Detailed People & Society Information
Alcohol consumption per capita
0.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
9.1% (2022 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
63.1% (2022 est.)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 57.3 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 49.9 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 7.4 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 13.5 (2025 est.)
Education expenditure
2.3% of GDP (2023 est.) 11.5% national budget (2025 est.)
Ethnic groups
Gross reproduction rate
1.24 (2025 est.)
Health expenditure
6.3% of GDP (2021) 4.7% of national budget (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 53.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 64.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 44.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Languages
Literacy
total population: 75.8% (2021 est.) male: 79.9% (2021 est.) female: 72.2% (2021 est.)
Major urban areas - population
62,000 MORONI (capital) (2018)
Maternal mortality ratio
179 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
23 years (2012 est.) note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Nationality
noun: Comoran(s) adjective: Comoran
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
7.8% (2016)
Physician density
0.42 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Population distribution
the capital city of Maroni, on the western side of the island of Grande Comore, is the country's largest city; however, Anjouan is the most densely populated of the three islands that comprise Comoros, as shown in this population distribution map
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Religions
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Tobacco use
total: 14.7% (2025 est.) male: 24.8% (2025 est.) female: 4.7% (2025 est.)
Climate & Issues
tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)
Land Cover
Air & Carbon Emissions
Water Resources & Use
Detailed Environmental Information
International environmental agreements
Urbanization
urban population: 30.1% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.97% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually: 91,000 tons (2024 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 10.1% (2022 est.)
Capital & State Profile
Executive Branch
Legislative Branch
National Identity & Symbols
four equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), white, red, and blue, with a green isosceles triangle based on the left; a vertical white crescent moon is centered in the triangle, with four five-pointed white stars placed vertically in a line between the points of the crescent
Detailed Government Information
Administrative divisions
3 islands; Anjouan (Ndzuwani), Grande Comore (N'gazidja), Moheli (Mwali)
Citizenship
citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Comoros dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years
Constitution
history: previous 1996, 2001; newest adopted 30 July 2018 amendment process: proposed by the president of the union or supported by at least one third of the Assembly of the Union membership; adoption requires approval by at least three-quarters majority of the total Assembly membership or approval in a referendum
Country name
conventional long form: Union of the Comoros conventional short form: Comoros local long form: Udzima wa Komori (Comorian)/Union des Comores (French)/Al Ittihad al Qumuri (Arabic) local short form: Komori (Comorian)/Les Comores (French)/Juzur al Qamar (Arabic) former: Comorian State, Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros etymology: name derives from the Arabic al qamar, meaning "the moon"
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International organization participation
Judicial branch
highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of 7 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges - selection and term of office NA subordinate courts: Court of Appeals (in Moroni); Tribunal de première instance; island village (community) courts; religious courts
Legal system
mixed legal system of Islamic religious law, the French civil code of 1975, and customary law
Political parties
Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros or CRC Juwa Party (Parti Juwa) or PJ Orange Party (2020)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economic Overview
small trade-based island economy; declining remittances; new structural and fiscal reforms; adverse cyclone and COVID-19 impacts; manageable debts; fragile liquidity environment; large foreign direct investment; state-owned enterprises suffering
Size & Performance
GDP Sector Breakdown
Trade Balance
Budget Balance
Export Profile
Top Export Partners
Major Export Commodities
Labor & Employment
Income Inequality
Detailed Economic Data
Agricultural products
Current account balance
-$24.621 million (2023 est.) -$5.248 million (2022 est.) -$4.076 million (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
Debt - external
$267.652 million (2023 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars
Exchange rates
Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - Exchange rates: 454.524 (2024 est.) 454.991 (2023 est.) 467.184 (2022 est.) 415.956 (2021 est.) 430.721 (2020 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use
Industrial production growth rate
3.8% (2024 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
Industries
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1% (2017 est.) 1.8% (2016 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Remittances
21.4% of GDP (2023 est.) 22% of GDP (2022 est.) 22.2% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$323.946 million (2024 est.) $324.561 million (2023 est.) $283.746 million (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Grid Infrastructure
Generation Mix
Fossil Fuels Production
Intensity & Nuclear
Digital Access
Active internet users as a percentage of the total population.
Fixed Broadband
Mobile Cellular
Broadcast Media
Aviation
Ports & Harbors
Merchant Marine
Active Duty Strengths
estimated 600 Defense Force; estimated 500 Federal Police (2023)
Service & Defense Details
National Army for Development (l'Armee Nationale de Developpement, AND): Comoran Defense Force (Force Comorienne de Defense or FCD; includes Comoran National Gendarmerie); Ministry of Interior: Coast Guard, Federal Police, National Directorate of Territorial Safety (customs and immigration) (2025) note 1: when the Gendarmerie serves as the judicial police, it reports to the Minister of Justice; the Gendarmerie also has an intervention platoon that may act under the authority of the Interior Minister note 2: the FCD is also known as the Comoran Security Force
the AND is lightly armed and equipped with small arms, a few light aircraft, and utility vehicles (2024)
the focus for the security forces is search and rescue operations and maintaining internal security; a defense treaty with France provides naval resources for the protection of territorial waters, training of Comoran military personnel, and air surveillance; France maintains a small maritime base and a Foreign Legion contingent on neighboring Mayotte (2024)
18-25 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2023)