Chad vs Niger
Chad and Niger are almost exactly the same size.
ChadNigerChad moved onto Niger · Equal-area projection
1.01×
Chad is 1.01× the area of Niger.
 Chad |  Niger | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 1,284,000 km²#20 of 194 | 1,267,000 km²#21 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNiger: 1.33× the population | 21,003,705#64 of 194 · 2025 | 27,917,831#54 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNiger: 1.35× the density | 16 / km²#177 of 194 | 22 / km²#163 of 194 |
| Urban populationChad: 1.5× the urban share | 28%#175 of 192 · 2025 | 18%#188 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 6.03 per woman#1 of 192 · 2024 | 5.94 per woman#5 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthChad: 0.19 points higher | +3.41%#6 of 192 · 2025 | +3.22%#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateChad: 1.05× the birth rate | 43.3 per 1,000#2 of 192 · 2024 | 41.4 per 1,000#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateChad: 1.28× the death rate | 11.1 per 1,000#24 of 192 · 2024 | 8.7 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Niger: 0.2 points higher | 46.0%#4 of 192 · 2025 | 46.2%#3 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Niger: 0.5 points higher | 2.1%#189 of 192 · 2025 | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNiger: 5.6 per 1,000 higher | −5.9 per 1,000#175 of 192 · 2025 | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNiger: 4.21× the refugees for its size | 0.73 per 1,000#67 of 190 · 2025 | 3.07 per 1,000#34 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNiger: 6.2 years longer | 55.2 years#191 of 192 · 2024 | 61.4 years#182 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNiger: 1.17× the infant mortality | 56.3 per 1,000 births#10 of 191 · 2024 | 65.6 per 1,000 births#3 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsChad: 2.25× the doctors per person | 0.09 per 1,000#168 of 178 · 2023 | 0.04 per 1,000#177 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | 4.4%#142 of 145 · 2020 | — |
| Human Development IndexNiger: 0.003 higher | 0.416#187 of 190 · 2023 | 0.419#185 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaChad: 1.29× the income per person | $970#171 of 185 · 2025 | $750#176 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPAbout the same economy | $21.47B2025 | $21.65B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Chad: 1.33× the output per person | $2,903#172 of 184 · 2025 | $2,177#176 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNiger: 1.4 points higher | +5.6%#38 of 187 · 2025 | +7.0%#18 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationChad: 0.6 points higher | −3.9%#173 of 176 · 2025 | −4.5%#174 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentChad: 2.75× the unemployment | 1.1%#172 of 178 · 2025 | 0.4%#176 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNiger: 1.53× the share in extreme poverty | 39.5%#20 of 149 · 2022 | 60.5%#9 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Chad: 4.5 higher | 37.4#56 of 149 · 2022 | 32.9#95 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureNiger: 1.3 points higher | 71.7% of jobs#4 of 178 · 2025 | 73.0% of jobs#2 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNiger: 0.8 points higher | 8.5% of jobs#162 of 178 · 2025 | 9.3% of jobs#159 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesChad: 2.1 points higher | 19.8% of jobs#176 of 178 · 2025 | 17.7% of jobs#177 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNiger: 1.2 points higher | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 | 1.2% of GDP#122 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsChad: 13.6 points higher | 29.4% of GDP#105 of 168 · 2025 | 15.8% of GDP#144 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingChad: 1.49× the military spending | 3.2% of GDP#26 of 155 · 2025 | 2.1% of GDP#54 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNiger: 1.24× the share online | 13%#182 of 184 · 2024 | 16%#179 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsChad: 1.2× the mobile subscriptions | 73 per 100#155 of 191 · 2024 | 61 per 100#175 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaChad: 3.75× the forest share | 3% of land#170 of 192 · 2024 | 1% of land#181 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personChad: 1.17× the CO₂ per person | 0.14 t a year#177 of 185 · 2024 | 0.12 t a year#178 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNiger: 9.6 points higher | 70.0%#29 of 190 · 2022 | 79.6%#18 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityNiger: 7.9 points higher | 13.4%#191 of 192 · 2024 | 21.3%#187 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Niger: 1.52× the air pollution | 43.0 µg/m³#18 of 191 · 2023 | 65.2 µg/m³#5 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landThe same | 21.0% of land#78 of 191 · 2025 | 21.0% of land#78 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNiger: 9.8 points higher | 4.2% of land#135 of 190 · 2024 | 14.0% of land#77 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNiger: 2.56× the water stress | 4.3%#126 of 176 · 2022 | 11.0%#88 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationChad: 2.13× the rain and snow | 322 mm#153 of 180 · 2022 | 151 mm#169 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityChad: 0.20 higher | −1.57#174 of 193 · 2025 | −1.77#180 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNiger: 0.60 higher | −1.34#177 of 193 · 2025 | −0.74#136 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Military or transitionalformerly, semi-presidential republic |
| Capital | N'Djamena | Niamey |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Official languages | French, Arabic | Hausa |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +235 | +227 |
| Region | Middle Africa, Africa | Western Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Chad sits at about 15° N and is stretched to 1.07× its true area; Niger at 17° N is stretched to 1.1×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Chad bigger than Niger?
- Yes. Chad and Niger are almost exactly the same size. Chad covers 1,284,000 km² and Niger covers 1,267,000 km².
- How many times does Niger fit into Chad?
- About 1.0 times: Chad has 1.01× the area of Niger.
- Why do Chad and Niger look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Chad is drawn about 1.07× its true area there and Niger about 1.1×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Chad or Niger?
- Niger: 27,917,831 people against 21,003,705. Density: Chad 16 per km², Niger 22 per km².
- Which is richer, Chad or Niger?
- By gross national income per person, Chad: $970 against $750 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.29× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Chad or Niger?
- In Niger: life expectancy at birth is 61.4 years, against 55.2 — 6.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Chad and Niger have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Chad: presidential republic; Niger: military or transitional.