Jilib lies on the eastern bank of the Juba River in Middle Juba, roughly 100 km north-east of Kismayo. It sits on the main road between Kismayo and Mogadishu and is the seat of Jilib District, one of the most populous in the region.

The river splits the district in two: Jilib is on the east bank, with the village of Mareerey across the water on the west bank. Farms line the land closest to the river, while herders live further away from it.

Historians of southern Somalia place the Jilib area within the sphere of the medieval Ajuran state and later of the Geledi Sultanate. In the 20th century it became part of Italian Somaliland, and after independence in 1960 it became the centre of Jilib District.

The riverside communities, largely Somali Bantu (Jareer) farmers, live from their crops, while pastoral and agro-pastoral communities live on the land further from the river.

Jilib's economy rests on riverside farming. Maize and cowpeas are planted in the Gu season and sesame, the main cash crop, in the Deyr; fruit and vegetables are also grown.