Chad

Broadcast media

1 state-owned TV station; state-owned radio network, Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne (RNT), operates national and regional stations; about 10 private radio stations; some stations rebroadcast programs from international broadcasters (2007)

Internet country code

.td

Internet users

total: 314,000 | percent of population: 2.7% (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 148

Telephone system

general assessment: inadequate system of radiotelephone communication stations with high maintenance costs and low telephone density | domestic: fixed-line connections for less than 1 per 100 persons coupled with mobile-cellular subscribership base of about 45 per 100 persons | international: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2015)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 17,029 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 177

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 5.466 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 115

Agriculture - products

cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, sesame, corn, rice, potatoes, onions, cassava (manioc, tapioca), cattle, sheep, goats, camels

Budget

revenues: $1.524 billion | expenditures: $2.037 billion (2015 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-4.7% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 155

Central bank discount rate

4.25% (31 December 2009) | 4.75% (31 December 2008) | country comparison to the world: 95

Commercial bank prime lending rate

15.5% (31 December 2015 est.) | 15.5% (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 34

Current account balance

-$1.392 billion (2015 est.) | -$1.242 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 135

Debt - external

$2.802 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $2.857 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 141

Distribution of family income - Gini index

43.3 (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49

Economy - overview

Chad’s landlocked location results in high transportation costs for imported goods and dependence on neighboring countries. Oil and agriculture are mainstays of Chad’s economy. Oil provides about 60% of export revenues, while cotton, cattle, livestock, and gum arabic provide the bulk of Chad's non-oil export earnings. The services sector contributes about one-third of GDP and has attracted foreign investment mostly through telecommunications and banking. | Nearly all of Chad’s fuel is provided by one domestic refinery, and unanticipated shutdowns occasionally result in shortages. The country regulates the price of domestic fuel, providing an incentive for black market sales. | Chad’s fiscal position is encumbered by declining oil prices, though high oil prices and strong local harvests supported the economy in recent years. Chad relies on foreign assistance and foreign capital for much public and private sector investment. Chad's investment climate remains challenging due to limited infrastructure, a lack of trained workers, extensive government bureaucracy, and corruption. Chad obtained a three-year extended credit facility from the IMF in 2014 and was granted debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative in April 2015.

Exchange rates

Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar - | 591.45 (2015 est.) | 494.42 (2014 est.) | 494.42 (2013 est.) | 510.53 (2012 est.) | 471.87 (2011 est.)

Exports

$3.965 billion (2015 est.) | $4.179 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 114

Exports - commodities

oil, livestock, cotton, sesame, gum arabic, shea butter

Exports - partners

US 58.5%, India 13.3%, Japan 11.3%, China 4.1% (2015)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$10.89 billion (2015 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$30.47 billion (2015 est.) | $29.94 billion (2014 est.) | $28.01 billion (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 130

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 68.8% | government consumption: 4.4% | investment in fixed capital: 31.2% | investment in inventories: 0.2% | exports of goods and services: 27.4% | imports of goods and services: -32% (2015 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 53.2% | industry: 13.6% | services: 33.1% (2015 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,600 (2015 est.) | $2,700 (2014 est.) | $2,500 (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 196

GDP - real growth rate

1.8% (2015 est.) | 6.9% (2014 est.) | 5.7% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 140

Gross national saving

21.1% of GDP (2015 est.) | 23% of GDP (2014 est.) | 19.9% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 125

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.6% | highest 10%: 30.8% (2003)

Imports

$3.071 billion (2015 est.) | $3.319 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 141

Imports - commodities

machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles

Imports - partners

France 16.5%, China 14.2%, Cameroon 11%, US 6.4%, India 6%, Belgium 5.7%, Italy 4.8% (2015)

Industrial production growth rate

-8% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 193

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.6% (2015 est.) | 1.7% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 151

Labor force

5.268 million (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 80% | industry and services: 20% (2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

46.7% (2011 est.)

Public debt

33.5% of GDP (2015 est.) | 33% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 134

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$382.9 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $1.089 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153

Stock of broad money

$1.976 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $1.751 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 157

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$NA (31 December 2010) | $4.5 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$1.034 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $1.153 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 160

Stock of narrow money

$1.604 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $1.788 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 136

Taxes and other revenues

14% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 201

Unemployment rate

NA%

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

300,000 Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 195

Crude oil - exports

105,000 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 36

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 170

Crude oil - production

120,000 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 45

Crude oil - proved reserves

1.5 billion bbl (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 38

Electricity - consumption

200 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 187

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 117

Electricity - from fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 8

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 165

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 63

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 165

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 128

Electricity - installed generating capacity

41,000 kW (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 198

Electricity - production

200 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 184

Electricity access

population without electricity: 10,477,071 | electrification - total population: 4% | electrification - urban areas: 14% | electrification - rural areas: 1% (2013)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 127

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 75

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 174

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 168

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es) | country comparison to the world: 122

Refined petroleum products - consumption

2,200 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 191

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 165

Refined petroleum products - imports

2,215 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 184

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 165

Area

total: 1.284 million sq km | land: 1,259,200 sq km | water: 24,800 sq km | country comparison to the world: 21

Area - comparative

slightly more than three times the size of California

Climate

tropical in south, desert in north

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation

mean elevation: 543 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: Djourab 160 m | highest point: Emi Koussi 3,415 m

Environment - current issues

inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal in rural areas contributes to soil and water pollution; desertification

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Geographic coordinates

15 00 N, 19 00 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

300 sq km (2012)

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

Land use

agricultural land: 39.6% | arable land 3.9%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 35.7% | forest: 9.1% | other: 51.3% (2011 est.)

Location

Central Africa, south of Libya

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

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

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

Terrain

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

Administrative divisions

23 regions (regions, singular - region); 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, Ouaddai, Salamat, Sila, Tandjile, Tibesti, Ville de N'Djamena, Wadi Fira

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)

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

Constitution

several previous; latest passed by referendum 31 March 1996, entered into force 8 April 1996; amended 2005 (2016)

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Chad | conventional short form: Chad | local long form: Republique du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad | local short form: Tchad/Tshad | 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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador James KNIGHT (since 6 September 2013) | embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena | mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena | telephone: [235] 2251-70-09 | FAX: [235] 2251-56-54

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Mahamat Nasser HASSANE (since 21 May 2014) | chancery: 2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 652-1312 | FAX: [1] (202) 758-0431

Executive branch

chief of state: President Idriss DEBY Itno, Lt. Gen. (since 4 December 1990) | head of government: Prime Minister Albert Pahimi PADACKE (since 15 February 2016) | cabinet: Council of Ministers; members appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister | 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 10 April 2016 (next to be held in April 2021); prime minister appointed by the president | election results: Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno reelected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY (MPS) 61.6%, Saleh KEBZABO (UNDR) 12.8%, Laokein Kourayo MEDAR 10.7%, Djimrangar DADNADJI (MPS) 5.1%, other 9.8%

Flag description

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, 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, which is relatively well-watered; yellow represents the sun, as well as the desert in the north of the country; red stands for progress, unity, and sacrifice | note: similar to the flag of Romania; also similar to the flags of Andorra and Moldova, both of which have a national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; design was based on the flag of France

Government type

presidential republic

Independence

11 August 1960 (from France)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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), MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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); Constitutional Council (consists of 3 judges and 6 jurists) | 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; Constitutional Council judges - 2 appointed by the president and 1 by the speaker of the National Assembly; jurists - 3 each by the president and by the speaker of the National Assembly; judges appointed for 9-year terms | subordinate courts: High Court of Justice; Courts of Appeal; tribunals; justices of the peace

Legal system

mixed legal system of civil and customary law

Legislative branch

description: unicameral National Assembly (188 seats; 118 directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 70 directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 4-year terms) | elections: National Assembly - last held on 13 February and 6 May 2011 (next to be held on 30 September 2015) | election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MPS 117, UNDR 10, RDP 9, URD 8, RNDT/Le Reveil 8, Viva-RNDP 5, FAR 4, PUR 2, UDR 2, PDSA 2, CTPD 2, other minor parties 19

National anthem

name: "La Tchadienne" (The Chadian) | lyrics/music: Louis GIDROL and his students/Paul VILLARD | note: adopted 1960

National holiday

Independence Day, 11 August (1960)

National symbol(s)

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

Political parties and leaders

Alliance for the Renaissance of Chad or ART (includes MPS, RDP, and Viva-RNDP) | Federation Action for the Republic or FAR [Ngarledjy YORONGAR] | National Rally for Development and Progress or Viva-RNDP [Dr. Nouradine Delwa Kassire COUMAKOYE] | National Union for Democracy and Renewal or UNDR [Saleh KEBZABO] | Party for Liberty and Development or PLD [Jean-Baptiste LAOKOLE] | Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS [Idriss DEBY] | Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Lol Mahamat CHOUA] | Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD [Sande NGARYIMBE]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Chad, part of France's African holdings until 1960, endured three decades of civil warfare, as well as invasions by Libya, before peace was restored in 1990. The government eventually drafted a democratic constitution and held flawed presidential elections in 1996 and 2001. In 1998, a rebellion broke out in northern Chad, which has sporadically flared up despite several peace agreements between the government and insurgents. In June 2005, President Idriss DEBY held a referendum successfully removing constitutional term limits and won another controversial election in 2006. Sporadic rebel campaigns continued throughout 2006 and 2007. The capital experienced a significant insurrection in early 2008, but has had no significant rebel threats since then, in part due to Chad's 2010 rapprochement with Sudan, which previously used Chadian rebels as proxies. In late 2015, the government imposed a state of emergency in the Lake Chad region following multiple attacks by the terrorist group Boko Haram throughout the year; Boko Haram also launched several bombings in N'Djamena in mid-2015. DEBY in 2011 was reelected to his fourth term in an election that international observers described as proceeding without incident. In January 2014, Chad began a two-year rotation on the UN Security Council.

Military branches

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), National Gendarmerie, National and Nomadic Guard of Chad (GNNT) (2013)

Military expenditures

NA% (2012) | 2.28% of GDP (2011)

Military service age and obligation

20 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service, with a 3-year service obligation; 18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary service; no minimum age restriction for volunteers with consent from a parent or guardian; women are subject to 1 year of compulsory military or civic service at age 21; while provisions for military service have not been repealed, they have never been fully implemented (2015)

Age structure

0-14 years: 43.63% (male 2,622,700/female 2,549,035) | 15-24 years: 21.18% (male 1,225,731/female 1,285,150) | 25-54 years: 28.31% (male 1,525,208/female 1,830,530) | 55-64 years: 3.87% (male 202,044/female 256,936) | 65 years and over: 3% (male 146,957/female 208,171) (2016 est.)

Birth rate

36.1 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 16

Child labor - children ages 5-14

total number: 1,475,960 | percentage: 48% (2010 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

28.8% (2015) | country comparison to the world: 13

Contraceptive prevalence rate

4.8% (2010)

Death rate

14 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 7

Demographic profile

Despite the start of oil production in 2003, 40% of Chad’s population lives below the poverty line. 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 – although the mortality rate is high and life expectancy is low. Chad has the world’s third highest maternal mortality rate. 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. Only about a quarter of women are literate, less than 5% use contraceptives, and more than 40% undergo genital cutting. | More than 300,000 refugees from Sudan and almost 70,000 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 nearly 60,000 of its citizens displaced in the eastern part of the country.

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 100.7% | youth dependency ratio: 95.8% | elderly dependency ratio: 4.9% | potential support ratio: 20.3% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 71.8% of population | rural: 44.8% of population | total: 50.8% of population | urban: 28.2% of population | rural: 55.2% of population | total: 49.2% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

2.9% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 160

Ethnic groups

Sara (Ngambaye/Sara/Madjingaye/Mbaye) 25.9%, Arab 12.6%, Kanembu/Bornu/Buduma 8.3%, Wadai/Maba/Masalit/Mimi 7%, Gorane 6.8%, Masa/Musseye/Musgum 4.7%, Bulala/Medogo/Kuka 3.6%, Bidiyo/Migaama/Kenga/Dangleat 3.6%, Marba/Lele/Mesme 2.9%, Dadjo/Kibet/Muro 2.5%, Mundang 2.5%, Gabri/Kabalaye/Nanchere/Somrai 2.4%, Zaghawa/Bideyat/Kobe 2.3%, Fulani/Fulbe/Bodore 2%, Tupuri/Kera 2%, Tama/Assongori/Mararit 1.6%, Baguirmi/Barma 1.3%, Karo/Zime/Peve 1.3%, Mesmedje/Massalat/Kadjakse 1%, other Chadian ethnicities 2.5%, Chadians of foreign ethnicities 0.6%, foreign nationals 2.5% (Sudanese 2%) (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

2.04% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 24

HIV/AIDS - deaths

8,500 (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 21

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

165,600 (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 25

Health expenditures

3.6% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 174

Infant mortality rate

total: 87 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 92.5 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 81.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 6

Languages

French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 50.2 years | male: 49 years | female: 51.5 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 224

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic | total population: 40.2% | male: 48.5% | female: 31.9% (2015 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever | vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever | water contact disease: schistosomiasis | respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis | animal contact disease: rabies (2016)

Major urban areas - population

N'DJAMENA (capital) 1.26 million (2015)

Maternal mortality rate

856 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 2

Median age

total: 17.6 years | male: 16.6 years | female: 18.6 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 218

Mother's mean age at first birth

17.9 | note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2014/15 est.)

Nationality

noun: Chadian(s) | adjective: Chadian

Net migration rate

-3.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 183

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

6.6% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 177

Physicians density

0.04 physicians/1,000 population (2006)

Population

11,852,462 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 77

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

Population growth rate

1.88% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

Religions

Muslim 58.4%, Catholic 18.5%, Protestant 16.1%, animist 4%, other 0.5%, none 2.4% (2009 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 31.4% of population | rural: 6.5% of population | total: 12.1% of population | urban: 68.6% of population | rural: 93.5% of population | total: 87.9% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 7 years | male: 9 years | female: 6 years (2011)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 0.95 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.83 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.79 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female | total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.45 children born/woman (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 26

Urbanization

urban population: 22.5% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 3.42% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

since 2003, ad hoc armed militia groups and the Sudanese military have driven hundreds of thousands of Darfur residents into Chad; Chad wishes to be a helpful mediator in resolving the Darfur conflict, and in 2010 established a joint border monitoring force with Sudan, which has helped to reduce cross-border banditry and violence; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty, which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 309,669 (Sudan); 69,436 (Central African Republic); 7,917 (Nigeria) (2016) | IDPs: 58,748 (majority are in the east) (2016)

Airports

59 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 82

Airports - with paved runways

total: 9 | over 3,047 m: 2 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 | under 914 m: 1 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 50 | over 3,047 m: 1 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 | 914 to 1,523 m: 22 | under 914 m: 11 (2013)

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 1 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 28,332 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: mt-km (2015)

Pipelines

oil 582 km (2013)

Roadways

total: 40,000 km | 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 (2011) | country comparison to the world: 87

Waterways

(Chari and Legone Rivers are navigable only in wet season) (2012)