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. TipVisit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.Definitions and Notes
Geography
Location
Central Africa, south of Libya
Geographic coordinates
15 00 N, 19 00 E
Map references
Africa
Area
total : 1.284 million sq km
land: 1,259,200 sq km
water: 24,800 sq km
comparison ranking: total 22
Area – comparative
almost nine times the size of New York state; slightly more than three times the size of California
Area comparison map:
Land boundaries
total: 6,406 km
border countries (6): 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
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Climate
tropical in south, desert in north
Terrain
broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south
Elevation
highest point: Emi Koussi 3,445 m
lowest point: Djourab 160 m
mean elevation: 543 m
Natural resources
petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt
Land use
agricultural land: 40% (2022 est.)
arable land: 4.2% (2022 est.)
permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
permanent pasture: 35.7% (2022 est.)
forest: 3.2% (2022 est.)
other: 56.8% (2022 est.)
Irrigated land
300 sq km (2012)
Major lakes (area sq km)
fresh water lake(s): Lake Chad (endorheic lake shared with Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon) – 10,360-25,900 sq km
note – area varies by season and year to year
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)
Major aquifers
Lake Chad Basin, Nubian Aquifer System
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
Natural hazards
hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues
Geography – note
note 1: Chad is the largest of Africa’s 16 landlocked countries
note 2: a wide variety of animals lived in modern-day Chad during the African Humid Period, including elephants, giraffes, hippos, and antelope; the last remnant of this “Green Sahara” exists in the Lakes of Ounianga in northern Chad, a series of 18 interconnected freshwater, saline, and hypersaline lakes
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
People and Society
Population
total: 19,093,595 (2024 est.)
male: 9,464,699
female: 9,628,896
comparison rankings: total 65; female 65; male 65
Nationality
noun: Chadian(s)
adjective: Chadian
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.)
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.
French audio sample:
Arabic audio sample:
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.)
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)
2024 population pyramid:
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 93.6 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 88.7 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 4.9 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio: 20.6 (2024 est.)
Median age
total: 16.7 years (2024 est.)
male: 16.3 years
female: 17.2 years
comparison ranking: total 225
Population growth rate
3.01% (2024 est.)
comparison ranking: 8
Birth rate
39.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
comparison ranking: 7
Death rate
9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
comparison ranking: 60
Net migration rate
-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
comparison ranking: 101
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
Urbanization
urban population: 24.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 4.1% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas – population
1.592 million N’DJAMENA (capital) (2023)
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
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
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
Maternal mortality ratio
1,063 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
comparison ranking: 2
Infant mortality rate
total: 62.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
male: 68.1 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 56.7 deaths/1,000 live births
comparison ranking: total 7
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 60 years (2024 est.)
male: 58.1 years
female: 62 years
comparison ranking: total population 222
Total fertility rate
5.24 children born/woman (2024 est.)
comparison ranking: 6
Gross reproduction rate
2.57 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
8.1% (2019)
Drinking water source
improved:
urban: 90.2% of population
rural: 51.9% of population
total: 60.9% of population
unimproved:
urban: 9.8% of population
rural: 48.1% of population
total: 39.1% of population (2020 est.)
Health expenditure
5.2% of GDP (2021)
7.3% of national budget (2022 est.)
Physician density
0.09 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Hospital bed density
0.4 beds/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved:
urban: 57.5% of population
rural: 4.9% of population
total: 17.3% of population
unimproved:
urban: 42.5% of population
rural: 95.1% of population
total: 82.7% of population (2020 est.)
Obesity – adult prevalence rate
6.1% (2016)
comparison ranking: 171
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 0.55 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0.37 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.01 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.)
comparison ranking: total 162
Tobacco use
total: 6.5% (2025 est.)
male: 11.8% (2025 est.)
female: 1.3% (2025 est.)
comparison ranking: total 154
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
18.9% (2022)
comparison ranking: 19
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
70.6% (2023 est.)
Child marriage
women married by age 15: 24.2% (2019)
women married by age 18: 60.6% (2019)
men married by age 18: 8.1% (2019)
Education expenditure
3.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
16.5% national budget (2023 est.)
comparison ranking: Education expenditure (% GDP) 145
Literacy
total population: 30.6% (2019 est.)
male: 44.5% (2019 est.)
female: 18.6% (2019 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 7 years
male: 9 years
female: 6 years (2015)
Environment
Environment – current issues
inadequate supplies of potable water; soil and water pollution from improper waste disposal in rural areas and poor farming practices; desertification
Environment – international agreements
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
Climate
tropical in south, desert in north
Land use
agricultural land: 40% (2022 est.)
arable land: 4.2% (2022 est.)
permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
permanent pasture: 35.7% (2022 est.)
forest: 3.2% (2022 est.)
other: 56.8% (2022 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 24.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 4.1% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Air pollutants
particulate matter emissions: 41.15 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 1.02 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 30.69 megatons (2020 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually: 1,358,851 tons (2010 est.)
Major lakes (area sq km)
fresh water lake(s): Lake Chad (endorheic lake shared with Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon) – 10,360-25,900 sq km
note – area varies by season and year to year
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)
Major aquifers
Lake Chad Basin, Nubian Aquifer System
Total water withdrawal
municipal: 100 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 100 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 670 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Total renewable water resources
45.7 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Government
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Chad
conventional short form: Chad
local long form: République du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad
local short form: Tchad/Tshad
etymology: named for Lake Chad, which lies along the country’s western border; taken from a local word meaning “large body of water” or “lake”
note: the only country whose name is composed of a single syllable with a single vowel
Government type
presidential republic
Capital
name: N’Djamena
geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 15 02 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: said to derive its name from a local word meaning “place of rest”
Administrative divisions
23 provinces; 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
Legal system
mixed system of civil and customary law
Constitution
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
amendment process: 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
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship
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
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state: President Mahamat Idriss DÉBY (since 6 May 2024)
head of government: Prime Minister Allamaye HALINA (since 23 May 2024)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (no term limits)
most recent election date: 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%
Legislative branch
legislature name: Parliament
legislative structure: bicameral
Legislative branch – lower chamber
chamber name: National Assembly (Conseil national de transition)
number of seats: 188 (all directly elected)
electoral system: mixed system
scope of elections: full renewal
term in office: 5 years
most recent election date: 12/29/2024
parties elected and seats per party: Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) (124); Rally of Chadian Nationalists/Awakening (RNDT/ Le Réveil) (12); Others (27); Other (25)
percentage of women in chamber: 33.5%
expected date of next election: December 2029
Legislative branch – upper chamber
chamber name: Senate (Senate)
number of seats: 69 (46 indirectly elected; 23 appointed)
scope of elections: full renewal
term in office: 6 years
most recent election date: 2/25/2025
percentage of women in chamber: 36.2%
expected date of next election: February 2031
Judicial branch
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
Political parties
Chadian Convention for Peace and Development or CTPD
Federation Action for the Republic or FAR
National Rally for Development and Progress or Viva-RNDP
National Union for Democracy and Renewal or UNDR
Party for Unity and Reconstruction or PUR
Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS
Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP
Rally of Chadian Nationalists/Awakening or RNDT/Le Reveil
Social Democratic Party for a Change-over of Power or PDSA
Union for Democracy and the Republic or UDR
Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD
Transformers
note 1: 19 additional parties each contributed one member
note 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
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador KITOKO GATA Ngoulou (since 30 June 2023)
chancery: 2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 652-1312
FAX: [1] (202) 578-0431
email address and website:
[email protected]
https://chadembassy.us/
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Rick SWART (since 28 February 2025)
embassy: Rond-Point Chagoua, B.P. 413, N’Djamena
mailing address: 2410 N’Djamena Place, Washington DC 20521-2410
telephone: [235] 6885-1065
FAX: [235] 2253-9102
email address and website:
[email protected]
https://td.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
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
Independence
11 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday
Independence Day, 11 August (1960)
Flag description
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 of the Pan-African colors; blue symbolizes the sky, hope, and the south of the country; gold represents the sun and the desert in the north; red stands for progress, unity, and sacrifice
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 France’s flag
National symbol(s)
goat (north), lion (south)
National color(s)
blue, yellow, red
National anthem
name: “La Tchadienne” (The Chadian)
lyrics/music: Louis GIDROL and his students/Paul VILLARD
note: adopted 1960
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites: 2 (1 natural, 1 mixed)
selected World Heritage Site locales: Lakes of Ounianga (n); Ennedi Massif: Natural and Cultural Landscape (m)
Economy
Economic overview
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
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$32.446 billion (2023 est.)
$31.161 billion (2022 est.)
$30.311 billion (2021 est.)
note: data in 2021 dollars
comparison ranking: 146
Real GDP growth rate
4.12% (2023 est.)
2.8% (2022 est.)
-1.17% (2021 est.)
note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
comparison ranking: 74
Real GDP per capita
$1,700 (2023 est.)
$1,700 (2022 est.)
$1,700 (2021 est.)
note: data in 2021 dollars
comparison ranking: 211
GDP (official exchange rate)
$13.149 billion (2023 est.)
note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
8.9% (2024 est.)
10.8% (2023 est.)
5.8% (2022 est.)
note: annual % change based on consumer prices
comparison ranking: 180
GDP – composition, by sector of origin
agriculture: 25.1% (2023 est.)
industry: 44.4% (2023 est.)
services: 28.7% (2023 est.)
note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
comparison rankings: services 212; industry 20; agriculture 21
GDP – composition, by end use
household consumption: 74.6% (2023 est.)
government consumption: 4.2% (2023 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 25.8% (2023 est.)
investment in inventories: 0% (2023 est.)
exports of goods and services: 43.5% (2023 est.)
imports of goods and services: -48.1% (2023 est.)
note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection
Agricultural products
sorghum, groundnuts, millet, beef, cereals, yams, sugarcane, maize, cassava, milk (2023)
note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
Industries
oil, cotton textiles, brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate
3.27% (2023 est.)
note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
comparison ranking: 96
Labor force
6.6 million (2024 est.)
note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
comparison ranking: 72
Unemployment rate
1.1% (2024 est.)
1.1% (2023 est.)
1.1% (2022 est.)
note: % of labor force seeking employment
comparison ranking: 10
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 1.5% (2024 est.)
male: 2.1% (2024 est.)
female: 0.7% (2024 est.)
note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment
comparison ranking: total 194
Population below poverty line
42.3% (2018 est.)
note: % of population with income below national poverty line
Gini Index coefficient – distribution of family income
37.4 (2022 est.)
note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
comparison ranking: 58
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 2.8% (2022 est.)
highest 10%: 29.5% (2022 est.)
note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
Remittances
0% of GDP (2023 est.)
0% of GDP (2022 est.)
0% of GDP (2021 est.)
Budget
revenues: $2.29 billion (2020 est.)
expenditures: $2.12 billion (2020 est.)
Public debt
52.5% of GDP (2017 est.)
comparison ranking: 97
Taxes and other revenues
13.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
comparison ranking: 150
Current account balance
-$558 million (2017 est.)
-$926 million (2016 est.)
comparison ranking: 121
Exports
$5.721 billion (2023 est.)
$6.114 billion (2022 est.)
$4.565 billion (2021 est.)
note: GDP expenditure basis – exports of goods and services in current dollars
comparison ranking: 136
Exports – partners
UAE 26%, China 19%, Germany 17%, Netherlands 13%, France 10% (2023)
note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Exports – commodities
crude petroleum, gold, oil seeds, gum resins, cotton (2023)
note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
Imports
$6.321 billion (2023 est.)
$5.009 billion (2022 est.)
$5.211 billion (2021 est.)
note: GDP expenditure basis – imports of goods and services in current dollars
comparison ranking: 143
Imports – partners
China 28%, UAE 23%, Turkey 10%, France 9%, India 5% (2023)
note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Imports – commodities
jewelry, broadcasting equipment, packaged medicine, cars, refined petroleum (2023)
note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$1.05 billion (2023 est.)
$1.013 billion (2022 est.)
$211.591 million (2021 est.)
note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
comparison ranking: 147
Debt – external
$2.286 billion (2023 est.)
note: present value of external debt in current US dollars
comparison ranking: 93
Exchange rates
Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar –
Exchange rates:
606.345 (2024 est.)
606.57 (2023 est.)
623.76 (2022 est.)
554.531 (2021 est.)
575.586 (2020 est.)
Energy
Electricity access
electrification – total population: 11.7% (2022 est.)
electrification – urban areas: 46.3%
electrification – rural areas: 1.3%
Electricity
installed generating capacity: 167,000 kW (2023 est.)
consumption: 282.103 million kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 109.04 million kWh (2023 est.)
comparison rankings: transmission/distribution losses 50; consumption 185; installed generating capacity 178
Electricity generation sources
fossil fuels: 94.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
solar: 0.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
wind: 2.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
biomass and waste: 2.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Coal
imports: 20 metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum
total petroleum production: 124,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 15,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 1.5 billion barrels (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
2.054 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 2 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 2.054 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
comparison ranking: total emissions 159
Energy consumption per capita
1.502 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
comparison ranking: 191
Communications
Telephones – fixed lines
total subscriptions: 5,000 (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1
comparison ranking: total subscriptions 203
Telephones – mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 12.1 million (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 68 (2022 est.)
comparison ranking: total subscriptions 84
Broadcast media
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)
Internet country code
.td
Internet users
percent of population: 13% (2023 est.)
Broadband – fixed subscriptions
total: 0 (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1
comparison ranking: total 213
Transportation
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
TT
Airports
44 (2025)
comparison ranking: 96
Military and Security
Military and security forces
Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale du Tchad, ANT): Ground Forces (l’Armee de Terre, AdT), Chadian Air Force (l’Armee de l’Air Tchadienne, AAT), Chadian National Gendarmerie; General Direction of the Security Services of State Institutions (Direction Generale des Services de Securite des Institutions de l’Etat, GDSSIE)
Ministry of Public Security and Immigration: National Nomadic Guard of Chad (GNNT) (2025)
note 1: the GDSSIE 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); it reports directly to the president
note 2: the Chadian National Police are under the Ministry of Public Security and Immigration; border security duties are shared by the ANT, Customs (Ministry of Public Security and Immigration), the National Gendarmerie, and the GNNT
Military expenditures
3% of GDP (2024 est.)
2.9% of GDP (2023 est.)
2.6% of GDP (2022 est.)
2.5% of GDP (2021 est.)
2.9% of GDP (2020 est.)
Military and security service personnel strengths
estimated 35-40,000 active Chadian National Army (2025)
note: in 2021, Chad pledged to increase the size of the military to 60,000
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
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 service age and obligation
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)
Military deployments
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)
Military – note
internal security is the primary focus of the Chadian National Army, and it is actively engaged in counterinsurgency operations against multiple terrorist and rebel groups; the terrorist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in West Africa operate in the Lake Chad Basin area; meanwhile, a number of anti-government militias 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 between the FACT and government forces (2025)
Terrorism
Terrorist group(s)
Terrorist group(s): Boko Haram; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham – West Africa (ISIS-WA)
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
Transnational Issues
Refugees and internally displaced persons
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)
IDPs: 215,918 (majority are in the east) (2023)
Trafficking in persons
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/
Illicit drugs
NA
