Chad

Chad emerged from a collection of powerful states that controlled the Sahelian belt starting around the 9th century. These states focused on controlling trans-Saharan trade routes and profited mostly from the slave trade. The Kanem-Bornu Empire, centered around the Lake Chad Basin, existed between the 9th and 19th centuries, and at its peak, the empire controlled territory stretching from southern Chad to southern Libya and included portions of modern-day Algeria, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan. The Sudanese warlord Rabih AZ-ZUBAYR used an army comprised largely of slaves to conquer the Kanem-Bornu Empire in the late 19th century. In southeastern Chad, the Bagirmi and Ouaddai (Wadai) kingdoms emerged in the 15th and 16th centuries and lasted until the arrival of the French in the 19th and 20th centuries. France began moving into the region in the late 1880s and defeated the Bagirmi kingdom in 1897, Rabih AZ-ZUBAYR in 1900, and the Ouddai kingdom in 1909. In the arid regions of northern Chad and southern Libya, an Islamic order called the Sanusiyya (Sanusi) relied heavily on the trans-Saharan slave trade and had upwards of 3 million followers by the 1880s. The French defeated the Sanusiyya in 1910 after years of intermittent war. By 1910, France had incorporated the northern arid region, the Lake Chad Basin, and southeastern Chad into French Equatorial Africa.   Chad achieved its independence in 1960 and then saw three decades of instability, oppressive rule, civil war, and a Libyan invasion. With the help of the French military and several African countries, Chadian leaders expelled Libyan forces during the 1987 "Toyota War," so named for the use of Toyota pickup trucks as fighting vehicles. In 1990, Chadian general Idriss DEBY led a rebellion against President Hissene HABRE. Under DEBY, Chad approved a constitution and held elections in 1996. Shortly after DEBY was killed during a rebel incursion in 2021, a group of military officials -- led by DEBY’s son, Mahamat Idriss DEBY -- took control of the government. The military officials dismissed the National Assembly, suspended the Constitution, and formed a Transitional Military Council (TMC), while pledging to hold democratic elections by October 2022. A national dialogue in August-October 2022 culminated in decisions to extend the transition for up to two years, dissolve the TMC, and appoint Mahamat DEBY as Transitional President; the transitional authorities held a constitutional referendum in December 2023 and claimed 86 percent of votes were in favor of the new constitution. The transitional authorities have announced plans to hold elections by October 2024. Chad has faced widespread poverty, an economy severely weakened by volatile international oil prices, terrorist-led insurgencies in the Lake Chad Basin, and several waves of rebellions in northern and eastern Chad. In 2015, the government imposed a state of emergency in the Lake Chad Basin following multiple attacks by the terrorist group Boko Haram, now known as ISIS-West Africa. The same year, Boko Haram conducted bombings in N'Djamena. In 2019, the Chadian government also declared a state of emergency in the Sila and Ouaddai regions bordering Sudan and in the Tibesti region bordering Niger, where rival ethnic groups are still fighting. The army has suffered heavy losses to Islamic terror groups in the Lake Chad Basin. 

land

1,259,200 sq km

total

1.284 million sq km

water

24,800 sq km

almost nine times the size of New York state; slightly more than three times the size of California

tropical in south, desert in north

0 km (landlocked)

highest point

Emi Koussi 3,445 m

lowest point

Djourab 160 m

mean elevation

543 m

15 00 N, 19 00 E

note 1: Chad is the largest of Africa's 16 landlocked countries note 2: not long ago, geologically speaking, what is today the Sahara was green savannah teeming with wildlife; during the African Humid Period, roughly 11,000 to 5,000 years ago, a vibrant animal community, including elephants, giraffes, hippos, and antelope lived there; the last remnant of the "Green Sahara" exists in the Lakes of Ounianga (oo-nee-ahn-ga) in northern Chad, a series of 18 interconnected freshwater, saline, and hypersaline lakes now protected as a World Heritage site note 3: Lake Chad, the most significant water body in the Sahel, is a remnant of a former inland sea, paleolake Mega-Chad; at its greatest extent, sometime before 5000 B.C., Lake Mega-Chad was the largest of four Saharan paleolakes that existed during the African Humid Period; it covered an area of about 400,000 sq km (150,000 sq mi), roughly the size of today's Caspian Sea

300 sq km (2012)

border countries

Cameroon 1,116 km; Central African Republic 1,556 km; Libya 1,050 km; Niger 1,196 km; Nigeria 85 km; Sudan 1,403 km

total

6,406 km

agricultural land

39.6% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 3.9% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 35.7% (2018 est.)

forest

9.1% (2018 est.)

other

51.3% (2018 est.)

Central Africa, south of Libya

Lake Chad Basin, Nubian Aquifer System

fresh water lake(s)

Lake Chad (endorheic lake shared with Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon) - 10,360-25,900 sq kmnote - area varies by season and year to year

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km)Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)

Africa

none (landlocked)

hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues

petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt

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

broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south

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)

beer

0.37 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

0.55 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

39.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

men married by age 18

8.1% (2019 est.)

women married by age 15

24.2%

women married by age 18

60.6%

18.9% (2022)

8.1% (2019)

5.4% of GDP (2020)

70.6% (2023 est.)

9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Despite the start of oil production in 2003, around 40% of Chad’s population lived below the poverty line as of 2018. The population will continue to grow rapidly because of the country’s very high fertility rate and large youth cohort – more than 65% of the populace is under the age of 25 as of 2022 – although the mortality rate is high and life expectancy is low. Chad has the world’s second highest maternal mortality rate as of 2017. Among the primary risk factors are poverty, anemia, rural habitation, high fertility, poor education, and a lack of access to family planning and obstetric care. Impoverished, uneducated adolescents living in rural areas are most affected. To improve women’s reproductive health and reduce fertility, Chad will need to increase women’s educational attainment, job participation, and knowledge of and access to family planning. Less than a quarter of women are literate, less than 10% use contraceptives, and more than 40% undergo genital cutting. As of December 2022, more than 403,000 refugees from Sudan and more than 120,000 from the Central African Republic strain Chad’s limited resources and create tensions in host communities. Thousands of new refugees fled to Chad in 2013 to escape worsening violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. The large refugee populations are hesitant to return to their home countries because of continued instability. Chad was relatively stable in 2012 in comparison to other states in the region, but past fighting between government forces and opposition groups and inter-communal violence have left more than 380,000 of its citizens displaced in the eastern part of the country as of 2022.

elderly dependency ratio

4

potential support ratio

24.9 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

98.7

youth dependency ratio

94.7

improved: rural

rural: 51.9% of population

improved: total

total: 60.9% of population

improved: urban

urban: 90.2% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 48.1% of population

unimproved: total

total: 39.1% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 9.8% of population

2.9% of GDP (2021 est.)

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.)

2.57 (2024 est.)

female

56.7 deaths/1,000 live births

male

68.1 deaths/1,000 live births

total

62.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

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.

female

62 years

male

58.1 years

total population

60 years (2024 est.)

definition

age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic

female

18.2% (2021)

male

35.4%

total population

26.8%

1.592 million N'DJAMENA (capital) (2023)

1,063 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

female

17.2 years

male

16.3 years

total

16.7 years (2024 est.)

18.1 years (2014/15 est.)

note

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49

adjective

Chadian

noun

Chadian(s)

-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

6.1% (2016)

0.06 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

female

9,628,896 (2024 est.)

male

9,464,699

total

19,093,595

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

3.01% (2024 est.)

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.)

improved: rural

rural: 4.9% of population

improved: total

total: 17.3% of population

improved: urban

urban: 57.5% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 95.1% of population

unimproved: total

total: 82.7% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 42.5% of population

female

6 years (2015)

male

9 years

total

7 years

0-14 years

1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.75 male(s)/female

at birth

1.04 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

female

2.7% (2020 est.)

male

13.8% (2020 est.)

total

8.3% (2020 est.)

5.24 children born/woman (2024 est.)

rate of urbanization

4.1% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

24.4% of total population (2023)

23 provinces (provinces, singular - province); Barh-El-Gazel, Batha, Borkou, Chari-Baguirmi, Ennedi-Est, Ennedi-Ouest, Guera, Hadjer-Lamis, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mandoul, Mayo-Kebbi-Est, Mayo-Kebbi-Ouest, Moyen-Chari, N'Djamena, Ouaddai, Salamat, Sila, Tandjile, Tibesti, Wadi-Fira

etymology

name taken from the Arab name of a nearby village, Nijamina, meaning "place of rest"

geographic coordinates

12 06 N, 15 02 E

name

N'Djamena

time difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

both parents must be citizens of Chad

dual citizenship recognized

Chadian law does not address dual citizenship

residency requirement for naturalization

15 years

amendments

previous process: proposed as a revision by the president of the republic after a Council of Ministers (cabinet) decision or by the National Assembly; approval for consideration of a revision requires at least three-fifths majority vote by the Assembly; passage requires approval by referendum or at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly

history

several previous; latest adopted by National Transitional Council 27 June 2023, approved by referendum 17 December, verified by Chad Supreme Court 28 December, promulgated 1 January 2024

conventional long form

Republic of Chad

conventional short form

Chad

etymology

named for Lake Chad, which lies along the country's western border; the word "tsade" means "large body of water" or "lake" in several local native languages

local long form

République du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad

local short form

Tchad/Tshad

note

note: the only country whose name is composed of a single syllable with a single vowel

chief of mission

Ambassador Alexander LASKARIS (since 19 August 2022)

email address and website

NdjamenaACS@state.govhttps://td.usembassy.gov/

embassy

Rond-Point Chagoua, B.P. 413, N’Djamena

FAX

[235] 2253-9102

mailing address

2410 N'Djamena Place, Washington DC  20521-2410

telephone

[235] 6885-1065

chancery

2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador KITOKO GATA Ngoulou (since 30 June 2023)

email address and website

info@chadembassy.ushttps://chadembassy.us/

FAX

[1] (202) 578-0431

telephone

[1] (202) 652-1312

cabinet

Council of Ministers

chief of state

President Mahamat Idriss DÉBY (since 6 May 2024)

election results

2024: Mahamat Idriss DÉBY elected president; percent of vote - Mahamat Idriss DÉBY (MPS) 61%, Succes MASRA (Transformers) 18.5%, Albert PADACKE 16.9%, other 3.6%2021: Lt. Gen. Idriss DÉBY reelected transitional president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DÉBY (MPS) 79.3%, Pahimi PADACKET Albert (RNDT) 10.3%, Lydie BEASSEMDA (Party for Democracy and Independence) 3.2%, other 7.2%

elections/appointments

president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 6 May 2024 (next to be held NA)

head of government

Prime Minister Allamaye HALINA (since 23 May 2024)

note

note: on 20 April 2021; President Idriss DÉBY died of injuries sustained following clashes between government forces and insurgents in northern Chad; following his death, Mahamat Idriss DÉBY , his son, took control of the country, established a Transitional Military Council which was dissolved in October 2022, and was elected president by popular vote in May 2024

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and red; the flag combines the blue and red French (former colonial) colors with the red and yellow (gold) of the Pan-African colors; blue symbolizes the sky, hope, and the south of the country, which is relatively well-watered; gold represents the sun, as well as the desert in the north of the country; red stands for progress, unity, and sacrifice

note

note: almost identical to the flag of Romania but with a darker shade of blue; also similar to the flags of Andorra and Moldova, both of which have a national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; design based on the flag of France

presidential republic

11 August 1960 (from France)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, EITI (compliant country), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LCBC, MIGA, MNJTF, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

highest court(s)

Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice, 3 chamber presidents, and 12 judges or councilors and divided into 3 chambers); Supreme Council of the Judiciary (consists of the Judiciary president, vice president and 13 members)

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court chief justice selected by the president; councilors - 8 designated by the president and 7 by the speaker of the National Assembly; chief justice and councilors appointed for life; Supreme Council of the Judiciary - with the exception of the Judiciary president and vice president, members are elected for single renewable 4-year terms

subordinate courts

High Court of Justice; Courts of Appeal; tribunals; justices of the peace

mixed legal system of civil and customary law

description

bicameral Parliament to replace unicameral National Assembly and to consist of:Senate - representing the Autonomous Communities - NA seats (members indirectly elected by electoral college of provincial and communal councilors for 6-year renewable terms)National Assembly NA seats (members directly elected by popular vote to serve 5-year renewable terms)

election results

6 May 2011:  percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 64, women 29, percent of women 31.2%

elections

last held for National Assembly on 6 May 2011 (first elections for new Parliament expected in late 2024)

note

note: the Transitional Military Council dissolved the National Assembly in September 2021 and replaced it with the National Transitional Council (CNT) in October 2022; the CNT serves as an interim parliament for the country and is tasked with preparations for elections in late 2024

lyrics/music

Louis GIDROL and his students/Paul VILLARD

name

"La Tchadienne" (The Chadian)

note

note: adopted 1960

selected World Heritage Site locales

Lakes of Ounianga (n); Ennedi Massif: Natural and Cultural Landscape (m)

total World Heritage Sites

2 (1 natural, 1 mixed)

Independence Day, 11 August (1960)

goat (north), lion (south); national colors: blue, yellow, red

Chadian Convention for Peace and Development or CTPDFederation Action for the Republic or FARNational Rally for Development and Progress or Viva-RNDPNational Union for Democracy and Renewal or UNDRParty for Unity and Reconstruction or PURPatriotic Salvation Movement or MPS Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDPRally of Chadian Nationalists/Awakening or RNDT/Le ReveilSocial Democratic Party for a Change-over of Power or PDSAUnion for Democracy and the Republic or UDRUnion for Renewal and Democracy or URDTransformers

note

note 1:  19 additional parties each contributed one membernote 2:  on 5 October 2021, Interim President Mahamat Idriss DEBY appointed 93 members to the interim National Transitional Council (NTC); 30% of the NTC members were retained from parties previously represented in the National Assembly

18 years of age; universal

sorghum, groundnuts, millet, cereals, beef, sugarcane, yams, maize, cassava, milk (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

expenditures

$2.12 billion (2020 est.)

revenues

$2.29 billion (2020 est.)

Current account balance 2016

-$926 million (2016 est.)

Current account balance 2017

-$558 million (2017 est.)

Debt - external 2022

$2.352 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

oil-dependent economy challenged by market fluctuations, regional instability, refugee influx, and climate vulnerability; high levels of extreme poverty and food insecurity; recent growth driven by oil and agricultural recovery; debt-restructuring agreement under G20 Common Framework

Currency

Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

585.911 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

575.586 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

554.531 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

623.76 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

606.57 (2023 est.)

Exports 2020

$2.863 billion (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$4.565 billion (2021 est.)

Exports 2022

$6.503 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars

crude petroleum, gold, oil seeds, gum resins, cotton (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Germany 25%, China 21%, UAE 20%, Taiwan 12%, France 10% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

exports of goods and services

43.5% (2023 est.)

government consumption

4.2% (2023 est.)

household consumption

74.6% (2023 est.)

imports of goods and services

-48.1% (2023 est.)

investment in fixed capital

25.8% (2023 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture

25.1% (2023 est.)

industry

44.4% (2023 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

28.7% (2023 est.)

$13.149 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2022

37.4 (2022 est.)

note

note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

highest 10%

29.6% (2022 est.)

lowest 10%

2.8% (2022 est.)

note

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Imports 2020

$4.502 billion (2020 est.)

Imports 2021

$5.211 billion (2021 est.)

Imports 2022

$5.028 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars

vaccines, jewelry, electric generators, broadcasting equipment, packaged medicine (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

China 25%, UAE 20%, France 7%, US 7%, Belgium 7% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

3.27% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

oil, cotton textiles, brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

-0.77% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

5.79% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

10.84% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

5.806 million (2023 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

42.3% (2018 est.)

note

note: % of population with income below national poverty line

Public debt 2017

52.5% of GDP (2017 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$30.311 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$31.161 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$32.446 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2021

-1.17% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

2.8% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

4.12% (2023 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2021

$1,800 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$1,800 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$1,800 (2023 est.)

Remittances 2021

0% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

0% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

0% of GDP (2023 est.)

note

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2019

$310.032 million (2019 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2020

$390.675 million (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$211.591 million (2021 est.)

13.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2021

1.51% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

1.1% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

1.08% (2023 est.)

female

0.7% (2023 est.)

male

2.1% (2023 est.)

note

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total

1.5% (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

2.064 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

2.064 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

consumption

301.523 million kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

90,000 kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

48.261 million kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - rural areas

1.3%

electrification - total population

11.7% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

46.3%

biomass and waste

2.9% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

fossil fuels

94.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

wind

2.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Total energy consumption per capita 2022

1.649 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

1.5 billion barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

15,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

total petroleum production

124,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

1 state-owned TV station; 2 privately-owned TV stations; state-owned radio network, Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne (RNT), operates national and regional stations; over 10 private radio stations; some stations rebroadcast programs from international broadcasters (2017)

.td

percent of population

18% (2021 est.)

total

3.06 million (2021 est.)

domestic

fixed-line connections less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership base of about 60 per 100 persons (2021)

general assessment

the telecom infrastructure is particularly poor; fixed, mobile and internet is well below African averages; Chad’s telecom market offers some potential for investors to develop services given the low starting base; the country’s first 3G/LTE mobile license was awarded in April 2014; Chad finally gained access to international fiber bandwidth in 2012 its national backbone infrastructure remains underdeveloped; the World Bank-funded Central African Backbone (CAB) project takes in Chad, while the country is also party to a Trans-Saharan Backbone project which will link a fiber cable to Nigeria and Algeria (2022)

international

country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

(2022 est.) less than 1

total subscriptions

5,000 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

68 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

12.087 million (2022 est.)

42 (2024)

TT

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

3

number of registered air carriers

2 (2020)

582 km oil (2013)

note

note: consists of 25,000 km of national and regional roads and 15,000 km of local roads; 206 km of urban roads are paved

total

40,000 km (2018)

12,400 km (2022) (Chari and Logone Rivers are navigable only in wet season) Chari is 11,400 km Legone is 1,000 km

the ANT has combat experience against insurgents and terrorist groups; it also has a tradition of involvement in domestic politics; over the past decade, the ANT has received foreign military assistance, particularly from France, which maintains a military base in N’Djamena; the ANT's operational focus is on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations; it is engaged with the Boko Haram and Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in West Africa terrorist groups in the Lake Chad Basin area; in addition, the ANT conducts frequent operations against internal anti-government militias and armed dissident groups a number of rebel groups operate in northern Chad, some from bases in southern Libya, including the FACT (Front pour le Changement et la Concorde au Tchad), the Military Command Council for the Salvation of the Republic le Conseil de Commandement Militaire pour le salut de la République or CCSMR), the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (le Union des Forces pour la Démocratie et le Développement or UFDD), and the Union of Resistance Forces (le Union des Forces de la Résistance UFR); former Chadian President Idriss DEBY was killed in April 2021 during fighting in the northern part of the country between the FACT and the Chadian Army (2023)

Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale du Tchad, ANT): Land Forces (l'Armee de Terre, AdT), Chadian Air Force (l'Armee de l'Air Tchadienne, AAT), General Direction of the Security Services of State Institutions (Direction Generale des Services de Securite des Institutions de l'Etat, GDSSIE); National Gendarmerie; Ministry of Public Security and Immigration: National Nomadic Guard of Chad (GNNT) (2023)

note

note 1: the GDSSIE, formerly known as the Republican Guard, is the presidential guard force and is considered to be Chad's elite military unit; it is reportedly a division-sized force with infantry, armor, and special forces/anti-terrorism regiments (known as the Special Anti-Terrorist Group or SATG, aka Division of Special Anti-Terrorist Groups or DGSAT)note 2: the Chadian National Police are under the Ministry of Public Security and Immigration; border security duties are shared by the Army, Customs (Ministry of Public Security and Immigration), the Gendarmerie, and the GNNT

limited and varied available information; estimated 35-40,000 Chadian Army personnel; estimated 10,000 National Gendarmerie and Nomadic Guard personnel (2023)

note

note:  in 2021, Chad pledged to increase the size of the military to 60,000

Chad has committed approximately 1,000-1,500 troops to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) against Boko Haram and other terrorist groups operating in the general area of the Lake Chad Basin and along Nigeria's northeast border; national MNJTF troop contingents are deployed within their own territories, although cross‐border operations are conducted periodically (2024)

the ANT is armed with a mix of older, secondhand, and some more modern weapons and equipment from a wide variety of suppliers, including Brazil, China, France, Russia/former Soviet Union, Turkey, Ukraine, and the US (2024)

Military Expenditures 2019

2% of GDP (2019 est.)

Military Expenditures 2020

2.9% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

2.5% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military Expenditures 2022

2.6% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military Expenditures 2023

2.9% of GDP (2023 est.)

20 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service for men with an 18-36 month service obligation (information varies); women are subject to 12 months of compulsory military or civic service at age 21; 18-35 for voluntary service (18-25 for officer recruits); soldiers released from active duty are in the reserves until the age of 50 (2023)

NA

IDPs

215,918 (majority are in the east) (2023)

refugees (country of origin)

694,569 (Sudan) (includes refugees since 15 April 2023), 26,692 (Cameroon) (2023); 134,015 (Central African Republic), 21,381 (Nigeria) (2024)

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List — Chad does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so, therefore Chad was upgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; for more details, go to:  https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/chad/

Boko Haram; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - West Africa (ISIS-WA)

note

note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

carbon dioxide emissions

1.02 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

30.69 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

41.15 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

tropical in south, desert in north

inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal in rural areas and poor farming practices contribute to soil and water pollution; desertification

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

Marine Dumping-London Convention

widespread lack of access

due to civil insecurity and high food prices - according to the latest analysis, about 1.86 million people are projected to experience acute food insecurity during the June to August 2023 lean season period; this would be an improvement compared to the previous year, mostly due to the higher year-on-year cereal output in 2022 after the below average 2021 production; acute food insecurity is underpinned by persisting insecurity in the Lac and Tibesti regions, which had displaced over 380 000 people by April 2023; furthermore, elevated food prices due to high fuel costs and localized crop losses during the 2022 floods are aggravating food insecurity (2023)

agricultural land

39.6% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 3.9% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 35.7% (2018 est.)

forest

9.1% (2018 est.)

other

51.3% (2018 est.)

Lake Chad Basin, Nubian Aquifer System

fresh water lake(s)

Lake Chad (endorheic lake shared with Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon) - 10,360-25,900 sq kmnote - area varies by season and year to year

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km)Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

3.81% of GDP (2018 est.)

45.7 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural

670 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial

100 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal

100 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

rate of urbanization

4.1% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

24.4% of total population (2023)

municipal solid waste generated annually

1,358,851 tons (2010 est.)