Background: 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.

Area
Total: 1.284 million km²
Land: 1,259,200 km²
Water: 24,800 km²
Comparative: almost nine times the size of New York state; slightly more than three times the size of California

Land boundaries
Total: 6,406 km
Border countries (6): (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

Land use
Agricultural land: 40% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 4.2% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 35.7% (2023 est.)
Forest: 3.1% (2023 est.)
Other: 57% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 300 km² (2012)

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 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 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 5,000 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 km² (150,000 sq mi), roughly the size of today's Caspian Sea

Population
Total: 19,093,595 (2024 est.)
Male: 9,464,699
Female: 9,628,896
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
Growth rate: 3.01% (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.

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)

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

Population growth rate: 3.01% (2024 est.)

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

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

Population distribution: the population is unevenly distributed due to contrasts in climate and physical geography; the highest density is found in the southwest, particularly around Lake Chad and points south; the dry Saharan zone to the north is the least densely populated, as shown in this population distribution map

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.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 748 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

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

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 60 years (2024 est.)
Male: 58.1 years
Female: 62 years

Total fertility rate: 5.24 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 22.1% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 56.2% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 48% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 43.6% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 93.7% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 81.6% of population (2022 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 18.2% (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 1.1% (2024 est.); 1.1% (2023 est.); 1.1% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

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

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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
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

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (left side), gold, and red

National anthem
Title: 'La Tchadienne' (The Chadian)
Lyrics/music: Louis GIDROL and his students/Paul VILLARD
History: adopted 1960

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 2 (1 natural, 1 mixed)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 3.7% (2024 est.); 4.1% (2023 est.); 12.9% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 3.7% (2024 est.); 4.1% (2023 est.); 12.9% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 61.3% (2024 est.)
Government consumption: 8.7% (2024 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 14.4% (2024 est.)
Investment in inventories: 3.4% (2024 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 28.1% (2024 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -17.2% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 32.2% (2024 est.)
Industry: 29.7% (2024 est.)
Services: 31.6% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

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

Industrial production growth rate: 5.1% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 6.6 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 1.1% (2024 est.); 1.1% (2023 est.); 1.1% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 1.1% (2024 est.); 1.1% (2023 est.); 1.1% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $2.129 billion (2020 est.)
Expenditures: $2.15 billion (2020 est.)
Note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Exports: $5.799 billion (2024 est.); $5.7 billion (2023 est.); $5.658 billion (2022 est.)
Note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: crude petroleum, gold, oil seeds, gum resins, cotton (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $3.557 billion (2024 est.); $3.271 billion (2023 est.); $2.898 billion (2022 est.)
Note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: jewelry, broadcasting equipment, packaged medicine, cars, refined petroleum (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

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.)
Access electrification - total population: 11.7% (2022 est.)
Access electrification - urban areas: 46.3%
Access electrification - rural areas: 1.3%
Generation sources fossil fuels: 94.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 2.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources 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 CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 2 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 2.054 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 1.502 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 5,000 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 12.1 million (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 68 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 13% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 0 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1

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.)

Airports: 44 (2025)