Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Comoros

Comoros 2023 IFRC network country plan (MAAKM002)

Attachments

Located in the Indian Ocean at the northern entrance to the Mozambique Channel, the Union of the Comoros sits between northwestern Madagascar and the southeastern coast of the African continent. It has three main islands: Mwali (Mohéli, 290 km²), Ndzwani (Anjouan, 374 km²) and Ngazidja (Grande Comore, 1,148 km²). The main cities are Moroni (Ngazidja), Mutsamudu (Ndzwani) and Fomboni (Mwali).

In 2020, the World Bank estimated the population of Comoros at 870,000 people, with an average density of 477 inhabitants/km². This places it among the most densely populated countries in the world. The average age is 21, and an estimated 53 per cent of people are aged under 20. The majority of the population live in rural areas (72.1 per cent), but the growth rate in urban areas is rapid at more than five per cent each year. High population density puts intense pressure on natural resources and on the environment. Around 300,000 Comorians are estimated to live abroad, mainly in France where they often have nationality, or on Réunion Island.

Nearly 25 per cent of the population is extremely poor and unable to buy enough food to meet the minimum nutrition requirements of 2,200 kilocalories per person per day. According to the World Bank in 2022, a quarter of the population lives just below the national poverty line, and 10 per cent risk falling below that line in the event of unexpected economic shocks.