Chad at its true size
Chad covers 1,284,000 km², number 20 of 194 countries by area. Home to 21,003,705 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 1,284,000 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 21,003,705 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 16 per km² |
| Capital | N'Djamena |
| Local time in N'Djamena | |
| Time zone | UTC+1 IANA |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) Wikidata |
| Languages | French, Arabic |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Middle Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +235 |
| Codes | TD · TCD · 148 |
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Where Chad ranks
Among the independent states, in 43 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#64 of 19421 million people#23 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#177 of 19416 people per km²#48 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#175 of 19228% urban#48 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#1 of 1926.03 births per woman#1 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#6 of 192+3.41% a year#1 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#2 of 19243.3 births per 1,000 people#2 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#24 of 19211.1 deaths per 1,000 people#2 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#4 of 19246.0% under 15#4 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#189 of 1922.1% aged 65 and over#53 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#175 of 192−5.9 per 1,000 people#54 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#67 of 1900.73 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#27 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#191 of 19255.2 years#53 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#10 of 19156.3 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#10 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#168 of 1780.09 doctors per 1,000 people#42 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#142 of 1454.4% gross enrolment#27 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#187 of 190an index of 0.416#51 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#171 of 185$970 a person#40 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#182 of 18413% online#50 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#172 of 184$2,903 a person#42 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#38 of 187+5.6% a year#20 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#173 of 176−3.9% a year#49 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#172 of 1781.1% of the labour force#51 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#20 of 14939.5% under $3.00 a day#20 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#56 of 149a Gini index of 37.4#28 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#4 of 17871.7% of jobs#4 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#162 of 1788.5% of jobs#42 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#176 of 17819.8% of jobs#51 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#162 of 1840.0% of GDP#49 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#105 of 16829.4% of GDP#25 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#26 of 1553.2% of GDP#8 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#155 of 19173 subscriptions per 100 people#36 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#177 of 1850.14 tonnes a person#48 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#170 of 1923% forest#47 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#29 of 19070.0% renewable#25 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#191 of 19213.4% with electricity#53 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#18 of 19143.0 µg/m³#6 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#78 of 19121.0% of the land protected#20 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#135 of 1904.2% of the land arable#38 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#126 of 1764.3% of its available fresh water#31 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#153 of 180322 mm a year#42 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Chad’s area, lit up on the map →
- Peru1.0×Chad and Peru are almost exactly the same size.
- Niger1.01×Chad and Niger are almost exactly the same size.
- Angola1.03×Chad and Angola are almost exactly the same size.
- Mali1.04×Chad is 4% larger than Mali.
- South Africa1.05×Chad is 5% larger than South Africa.
- Colombia1.12×Chad is 12% larger than Colombia.
How many times does Chad fit into…
- Russia: about 13 times
- Canada: about 7.8 times
- United States: about 7.7 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Chad shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Chari1,400 km
- Ouham676 km
Lakes
- Lake Chad1,540 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Chad. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Chad
- How big is Chad?
- Chad covers 1,284,000 km², which makes it number 20 of 194 countries by area. About 21,003,705 people live there (2025), 16 per km².
- Is Chad bigger than Peru?
- Chad and Peru are almost exactly the same size. Chad: 1,284,000 km²; Peru: 1,285,216 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Chad?
- Chad lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Chad?
- Chad shares a land border with Sudan, Libya, Niger, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Cameroon.