Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Reto Stöckli

Chad: population and ages

Chad: 21.3 million people on 1 January 2026.

The UN projects growth until at least 2100, to 69.5 million.

Figures for 2026 are UN projections (medium variant). Estimates end in 2023.

Population, 1 January 2026
21,279,608
Median age
15.7
Births in 2026
909,765
Deaths in 2026
235,921
Life expectancy at birth
55.6
Children per woman
5.84
Under 15
46.0%
65 and over
2.1%
Population pyramid, Chad, 1 January 2026MaleFemale0102030405060708090100+0250K250K500K500K
Population pyramid, Chad, 1 January 2026 Projection

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Population over time

In mid-1950 there were 2.53 million people, so the population is now 8.5 times as large.

The UN projects 910,000 births and 236,000 deaths in 2026, 674,000 more births than deaths.

More people leave than move in: net migration in 2026 is projected at minus 112,000.

Population, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024020M40M60M80M1950197520002025205020752100
2026 Chad: 21.6M

Ages

The median age is 15.7, which is 15.4 years below the world’s 31.1.

46% of the people are under 15 and 2.1% are 65 or older (world: 24% and 11%).

In the UN projection, children under 15 outnumber people aged 65 and over in every year to 2100.

Women have 5.8 children on average at today’s rates (world: 2.2), against 6.1 in 1950.

Life expectancy at birth is 55.6 years, below the world’s 73.8. In 1950 it was 35.2.

Median age, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024010203040501950197520002025205020752100WorldChad
2026 Chad: 16World: 31

See how the pyramid changes from 1950 to 2100

Births, deaths and the years ahead

For mid-2050 the UN projects 38.9 million people, 80% more than now, with a median age of 19.8.

Births and deaths per year, 1950 to 2100Projected from 20240500K1M1.5M1950197520002025205020752100BirthsDeaths
2026 Births: 909.8KDeaths: 235.9K

Compare Chad with other countries

Development and urbanisation

In 2025, 32% of the people lived in cities, 21% in towns and semi-dense areas and 48% in rural areas. For 2050 the UN projects 33% in cities.

Degree of urbanisation: one rule for every country, a city has at least 50,000 people at 1,500 or more per km². National definitions of “urban” differ.

IndicatorLatest valueYear
People using the internet12.6%2024
Access to electricity13.4%2024
Adult literacy (ages 15 and over)30.6%2019
52.2%2024
13.1%2024
11.0%2024
Human Development Index0.4162023

Each value is the latest one published, with the year it refers to. Countries publish in different years. Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators (ITU, SDG 7.1.1, UNESCO UIS), UNDP, Human Development Report, UN, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.

Longevity, ageing and the future

By the death rates of 2023, life expectancy at birth was 55.1 years. People who had reached 65 could expect 12.8 more years for women and 11.7 for men.

On 1 January 2026, there are 4.1 people aged 65 or more for every 100 aged 15 to 64. For 2050, the UN projects 5.4.

For 2100 the UN projects a population of 69.5 million, with a 95 percent prediction interval of 29.5 million to 270 million.

Life expectancy at birth is a period measure. It sums up the death rates of one year and is not a forecast of how long the babies born that year will live.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, life tables, probabilistic projections, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

International migrants

In mid-2024, 1.27 million international migrants lived here, 6.3% of the population.

In mid-2024, 292,000 people from here lived in other countries.

Largest countries of origin
CountryPeople
Sudan1,071,034
Central African Republic115,460
Cameroon40,472
Nigeria14,802
Niger4,073
Largest countries of destination
CountryPeople
Sudan179,139
Nigeria33,524
Cameroon30,917
Central African Republic11,328
Republic of the Congo10,439

Counted by country of birth. Refugees are included. A migrant stock counts people living outside their country at mid-year, not journeys or yearly moves. Sources: International Migrant Stock 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

Cities

Cities of 50,000 people or more here, by the UN degree of urbanisation: 37.

CityPopulation 2025
N'Djaména1,934,909
Abéché443,793
Moundou281,943
Sarh276,978
Mongo223,205
Am Timan212,167
Koumra181,741
Doba176,643
Karyari172,650
Faya-Largeau168,302

Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

All cities

Data and sources

Chad every ten years
YearPopulation (1 July)Median ageBirthsDeathsLife expectancyChildren per woman
19502,525,45420.3118,65174,17335.26.06
19603,049,83818.9139,99577,99139.26.25
19703,727,82817.5175,47487,81141.46.53
19804,515,45215.6223,597101,12943.56.91
19905,982,83315.2315,229123,26845.17.22
20008,512,09314.6439,131151,95947.97.25
201012,312,57514.6603,058186,88150.16.99
202017,224,67914.9753,575212,34053.16.35
203024,207,47916.0945,060253,92156.25.44
204031,307,34217.51,044,668305,17557.74.55
205038,857,68619.81,153,892366,07159.23.85
206046,632,97422.01,208,711435,58460.63.32
207053,842,12624.51,214,841514,71961.92.92
208060,327,43827.01,215,738606,67263.02.64
209065,661,96229.41,183,426703,33664.22.43
210069,546,60731.71,135,470805,33165.32.27

Rows from 2024 on are UN projections (medium variant), shown in italics.

The UN estimates every country and area within its present borders for every year since 1950, also for years before it became independent or took its present shape. Figures for earlier years therefore describe the people who lived on today’s territory.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

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