PopulationTracker

Chad population

Current population of Chad

21,794,868

Live estimate, extrapolated from the latest official figures

Births today
518
Deaths today
132
Change today (UTC)
+408
World rank
64th of 218
0.26% of world population
Population
21,003,705
2025 estimate
Annual growth
+3.41%
2025
Density
15 /km²
2023
Land area
1,259,200 km²
Urban population
28%
2025
Median age
15.8 yrs
2025 (UN WPP)
Fertility rate
6.03
births per woman, 2024
Life expectancy
55.2 yrs
2024
Net migration
−123,104
2025
Capital
N'Djamena
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa

Population of Chad: overview

Chad has a population of 21,003,705 according to the latest official estimates (2025), the 64th largest in the world. Chad is part of the Sub-Saharan Africa region and its capital is N'Djamena.

The population is growing rapidly, at 3.41% per year — among the fastest rates recorded anywhere. In absolute terms that meant roughly 704,582 additional people over the past year. That growth comes despite net emigration of about 123,104 people in 2025.

The country is sparsely settled, with only about 15 people per km², spread across 1,259,200 km² of land. It is one of the least urbanized countries in the world — just 28% of people live in cities.

With a median age of just 15.8 years, Chad has one of the youngest populations in the world. Fertility remains high at 6.03 children per woman. Life expectancy at birth is 55.2 years (2024).

The UN projects strong growth ahead: 38.86 million people by 2050, about 85% more than today. The 2030 projection is 24,207,479.

Chad population, 1960–2025 and projections

010M20M30M40M19601980200020202040projected2025: 21M1960: 3,049,8381961: 3,111,9471962: 3,175,5981963: 3,240,9051964: 3,307,4791965: 3,374,2201966: 3,440,9031967: 3,508,5121968: 3,578,2311969: 3,651,1131970: 3,727,8281971: 3,807,3161972: 3,893,2521973: 3,985,9091974: 4,078,3561975: 4,167,2341976: 4,251,2971977: 4,331,6671978: 4,411,3661979: 4,505,3841980: 4,515,4531981: 4,520,9591982: 4,738,4831983: 4,979,1301984: 5,045,1451985: 5,096,2691986: 5,251,0691987: 5,438,3091988: 5,625,6021989: 5,819,5861990: 5,982,8331991: 6,205,6761992: 6,474,6561993: 6,629,1461994: 6,783,4501995: 7,089,0641996: 7,410,1081997: 7,670,3661998: 7,938,8401999: 8,222,7052000: 8,512,0932001: 8,804,1242002: 9,116,1922003: 9,487,8332004: 9,920,0362005: 10,328,0922006: 10,706,4242007: 11,081,6602008: 11,476,2962009: 11,893,7542010: 12,312,5752011: 12,754,9972012: 13,210,9982013: 13,691,0792014: 14,188,6782015: 14,647,6212016: 15,114,6552017: 15,622,7592018: 16,156,5312019: 16,685,2232020: 17,224,6792021: 17,828,2732022: 18,455,3162023: 19,319,0642024: 20,299,1232025: 21,003,7052030: 24,207,4792050: 38,857,686
Population of Chad by year
YearPopulationGrowth rateAnnual change
202521,003,705+3.41%+704,582
202420,299,123+4.95%+980,059
202319,319,064+4.57%+863,748
202218,455,316+3.46%+627,043
202117,828,273+3.44%+603,594
202017,224,679+3.18%+539,456
201916,685,223+3.22%+528,692
201816,156,531+3.36%+533,772
201715,622,759+3.31%+508,104
201615,114,655+3.14%+467,034
201514,647,621+3.18%+458,943
201414,188,678+3.57%+497,599
201012,312,575+3.46%+418,821
200510,328,092+4.03%+408,056
20008,512,093+3.46%+289,388
19957,089,064+4.41%+305,614
19905,982,833+2.77%+163,247
19855,096,269+1.01%+51,124
19804,515,453+0.22%+10,069
19754,167,234+2.16%+88,878
19703,727,828+2.08%+76,715
19653,374,220+2.00%+66,741
19603,049,838––

Recent years annually, earlier years at five-year steps. Annual change compares against the immediately preceding year.

Chad population forecast

United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant.

Projected population of Chad
YearProjected populationvs today
203024,207,479+15.3%
205038,857,686+85.0%

Chad population pyramid (2025)

Age and sex structure from UN World Population Prospects 2024: 46.0% of Chad's population is under 15, 51.9% is of working age (15–64), and 2.1% is 65 or older. Hover any bar for the group's size.

MaleFemale
0%2%2%4%4%6%6%8%8%10%10%0-4 male: 1,940,962 (9.2%)0-4 female: 1,886,368 (9.0%)0-45-9 male: 1,589,181 (7.6%)5-9 female: 1,549,517 (7.4%)10-14 male: 1,361,196 (6.5%)10-14 female: 1,326,419 (6.3%)10-1415-19 male: 1,148,985 (5.5%)15-19 female: 1,120,017 (5.3%)20-24 male: 952,114 (4.5%)20-24 female: 938,446 (4.5%)20-2425-29 male: 812,015 (3.9%)25-29 female: 808,113 (3.8%)30-34 male: 658,645 (3.1%)30-34 female: 658,693 (3.1%)30-3435-39 male: 513,535 (2.4%)35-39 female: 518,413 (2.5%)40-44 male: 405,526 (1.9%)40-44 female: 413,986 (2.0%)40-4445-49 male: 337,103 (1.6%)45-49 female: 348,216 (1.7%)50-54 male: 271,820 (1.3%)50-54 female: 285,060 (1.4%)50-5455-59 male: 199,239 (0.9%)55-59 female: 215,006 (1.0%)60-64 male: 141,870 (0.7%)60-64 female: 158,205 (0.8%)60-6465-69 male: 94,369 (0.4%)65-69 female: 108,688 (0.5%)70-74 male: 58,680 (0.3%)70-74 female: 70,321 (0.3%)70-7475-79 male: 29,997 (0.1%)75-79 female: 37,401 (0.2%)80-84 male: 13,245 (0.1%)80-84 female: 17,552 (0.1%)80-8485-89 male: 4,561 (0.0%)85-89 female: 6,628 (0.0%)90-94 male: 1,067 (0.0%)90-94 female: 1,704 (0.0%)90-9495-99 male: 295 (0.0%)95-99 female: 373 (0.0%)100+ male: 91 (0.0%)100+ female: 86 (0.0%)100+

Chad population FAQ

What is the population of Chad in 2026?

Chad's population is estimated at about 21.79 million in 2026, extrapolated from the latest official figure of 21,003,705 (2025). Chad ranks 64th in the world by population.

Is the population of Chad growing or shrinking?

Chad's population is growing at about 3.41% per year, an increase of roughly 704,582 people over the past year.

How densely populated is Chad?

Chad has about 15 people per square kilometre across a land area of 1,259,200 km².

What share of the world's population lives in Chad?

Chad is home to about 0.26% of the world's population.

What is Chad's projected population in 2050?

United Nations medium-variant projections put Chad's population at 38,857,686 in 2050, passing through 24,207,479 in 2030.

What is the median age in Chad?

The median age in Chad is 15.8 years (2025 estimate) — half the population is younger and half older than that.

Sources: World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0); median age and projections from UN World Population Prospects 2024. Live figures are estimates extrapolated from the latest official data — see methodology.