World Factbook
Chad
République du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
44.5% (2019 est.)
female
18.6% (2019 est.)
total population
30.6% (2019 est.)
Languages
Languages
French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 languages and dialects
major-language sample(s)
The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French) كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Muslim 52.1%, Protestant 23.9%, Roman Catholic 20%, animist 0.3%, other Christian 0.2%, none 2.8%, unspecified 0.7% (2014-15 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.04 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.96 male(s)/female
total population
0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.75 male(s)/female
Birth rate
38.62 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
8.75 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
16.3 years
total
16.9 years (2025 est.)
female
17.2 years
Population
male
9,756,129
total
19,674,004 (2025 est.)
female
9,917,875
Nationality
noun
Chadian(s)
adjective
Chadian
Tobacco use
male
11.8% (2025 est.)
total
6.5% (2025 est.)
female
1.3% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
24.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
4.1% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
45.8% (male 4,428,132/female 4,323,398)
15-64 years
51.7% (male 4,831,744/female 5,031,383)
65 years and over
2.5% (2024 est.) (male 204,823/female 274,115)
Ethnic groups
Sara (Ngambaye/Sara/Madjingaye/Mbaye) 30.5%, Kanembu/Bornu/Buduma 9.8%, Arab 9.7%, Wadai/Maba/Masalit/Mimi 7%, Gorane 5.8%, Masa/Musseye/Musgum 4.9%, Bulala/Medogo/Kuka 3.7%, Marba/Lele/Mesme 3.5%, Mundang 2.7%, Bidiyo/Migaama/Kenga/Dangleat 2.5%, Dadjo/Kibet/Muro 2.4%, Tupuri/Kera 2%, Gabri/Kabalaye/Nanchere/Somrai 2%, Fulani/Fulbe/Bodore 1.8%, Karo/Zime/Peve 1.3%, Baguirmi/Barma 1.2%, Zaghawa/Bideyat/Kobe 1.1%, Tama/Assongori/Mararit 1.1%, Mesmedje/Massalat/Kadjakse 0.8%, other 4.6%, unspecified 1.7% (2014-15 est.)
Child marriage
men married by age 18
8.1% (2019)
women married by age 15
24.2% (2019)
women married by age 18
60.6% (2019)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
92.1 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
87.2 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
20.6 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
4.9 (2025 est.)
Physician density
0.09 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
5.2% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
7.3% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
0.4 beds/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Total fertility rate
5.13 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 43.8% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 52% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 77.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 56.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 48% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 22.1% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
3.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
16.5% national budget (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
68.1 deaths/1,000 live births
total
61.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
56.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
2.98% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
2.51 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
the population is unevenly distributed due to contrasts in climate and physical geography; the highest density is found in the southwest, particularly around Lake Chad and points south; the dry Saharan zone to the north is the least densely populated, as shown in this population distribution map
Life expectancy at birth
male
58.1 years
female
62 years
total population
60 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
748 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 6.3% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 18.4% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 56.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 93.7% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 81.6% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 43.6% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
0.37 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
0.55 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
1.592 million N'DJAMENA (capital) (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
6.1% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
18.1 years (2014/15 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
72.6% (2019 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
18.2% (2022 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
9 years (2015 est.)
total
7 years (2015 est.)
female
6 years (2015 est.)