Chad Population

Chad has very high fertility and a young, fast-growing population in one of the harshest corners of the Sahel. It also hosts large numbers of refugees from neighbouring conflicts, adding to the strain on scarce resources. Rapid growth against a backdrop of poverty and instability defines its demographic outlook.

Chad is home to about 21.3 million people in 2026, the 64th largest population of any country. In Middle Africa, where it lies, that future is driven by fertility, longevity and the movement of people across its borders. It packs in roughly 17 people per square kilometre.

The defining marker in Chad's future is its peak, expected around 2100 at about 69.4 million. After that the population eases back toward 69.4 million by 2100, having passed through 38.5 million at mid-century. It is projected to pass the 50 million mark around 2066.

Fertility is high, around 6.03 births per woman, the engine of rapid, sustained growth. Net outward migration also weighs on the total, with more people leaving than arriving.

The median age is set to climb from about 16 today to roughly 32 by 2100, while life expectancy, near 55 years, keeps rising. For now it remains one of the world's youngest populations, with a large generation about to reach working age. An older population gradually reshapes the labour force, pension systems and healthcare demand.

The trajectory above is the UN's medium scenario. Wars, policy shifts, economic change and migration can all move the numbers, but the broad shape, growth followed by an eventual peak, is robust across the main variants.