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Country page · Sub-Saharan Africa

If you were born in Chad

1 in 148 babies · 0.68% of births · about 908,704 a year

Right now, about 0.68% of the world's babies are born in Chad — 1 in 148, or roughly 908,704 a year and 2,490 a day. Life expectancy there is 55.2 years.

1 in 148 chance of being born here, by births
0.68% of the world's births
908,704 babies born each year

How the 1 in 148 is calculated

This number is not based on population. It uses births: Chad has about 908,704 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.68% — 1 in 148. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.

Population and births

Chad has 21,003,705 people — 0.26% of the 8,185,260,817 people in this 172-country group, ranking 63rd of 172 by population. Its 908,704 births a year are 0.68% of the world's births, so its birth share is 2.64× its population share. A ratio below 1 usually means an older age structure than the group average; above 1 means younger. Population is the 2025 estimate; births use the latest birth rate (2024).

Measure Value Share of world World rank
Population (2025) 21,003,705 0.26% 63rd of 172
Births per year (2024) 908,704 0.68% 35th of 172
Birth share ÷ population share 2.64× — —

How the population is changing

Chad is changing by 3.41% a year. About 908,704 babies are born and 232,721 people die each year, a natural change of +676K; net migration is -123.1K. Population density is 16 people per km². About 5.8M people live in cities. 46.0% of the population is under 15 and 2.1% is 65 or older.

Measure Value Year
Annual population growth 3.41% 2025
Deaths per year 232,721 2024
Natural change (births − deaths) +675,983 2024
Net migration -123,104 2025
Population density 16 /km² 2024
Urban population 5,789,856 2025
Age 0–14 46.0% 2025
Age 15–64 51.9% 2025
Age 65+ 2.1% 2025

Components use the latest available year for each series and may not add exactly to the published growth rate.

Countries by population

Median age and the 2050 outlook

Chad's median age is 15.8 years, against a world median of 30.9. The UN projects 19.8 years by 2050, 38,857,686 people (85.0% more than in 2025), and life expectancy at birth of 59.2 years (women 61.4, men 57.1).

Year Population (UN WPP 2024)
1970 3,727,828
2000 8,512,093
2030 24,207,479
2050 38,857,686

Median age, 2050 population and 2050 life expectancy: UN WPP 2024. The population table above uses the World Bank snapshot; the projection table above uses UN WPP 2024.

Age structure in 2025

Male and female shares of the total population in Chad, by age group.

Male Female

UN WPP 2024, 2025 estimate. Male and female shares are of the total population, so they add to 100%.

Life in Chad, in numbers

Indicator Value Year World rank
Life expectancy women 57.2 · men 53.4 55.2 years 2024 171st highest of 172 countries
Chance of dying before 5 97.3 / 1,000 9.7% 2024 167th lowest of 170 countries
Chance of dying before 1 56.3 / 1,000 5.6% 2024 161st lowest of 170 countries
Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births 748 2023 169th lowest of 170 countries
Children per woman 6.03 2024 172nd lowest of 172 countries
Expected years of schooling 7.3 years 2015 160th highest of 168 countries
Tertiary enrollment 4.4% 2020 155th highest of 168 countries
Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP $2,903 2025 156th highest of 170 countries
Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal 37.40 2022 64th highest of 157 countries
People living in cities 27.6% 2025 160th highest of 172 countries
People working in farming 71.7% 2025 168th lowest of 171 countries
People using the internet 12.6% 2024 168th highest of 172 countries
Homicide per 100,000 people — — —
Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending 51.7% 2023 138th lowest of 168 countries
Adults living with HIV 0.90% 2024 38th highest of 142 countries
People who smoke 7.4% 2024 13th lowest of 151 countries

Chance of reaching each age

Of 100 babies born in Chad, about 90.3% reach age 5 and 17.5% reach 80. The world averages are 96.5% and 48.3%.

Age This country World
5 90.3% 96.5%
20 84.1% 95.1%
40 73.6% 92.0%
60 56.6% 82.9%
80 17.5% 48.3%

UN WPP 2024 life table, 2025, both sexes combined.

How to read these numbers

Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.

Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate. World and regional figures are weighted by population; the under-5 rate is weighted by births.

Chad compared with Sub-Saharan Africa

Life expectancy in Chad is 55.2 years, against a Sub-Saharan Africa average of 62.8. The under-5 death rate is 9.7%, versus 7.1% across the region. Income per person is $2,903, against $5,782 regionally; expected schooling is 7.3 years against 9.4. 27.6% of people live in cities, against 44.7% in the region.

Indicator Chad Sub-Saharan Africa World
Life expectancy 55.2 years old 62.8 years old 73.4 years old
Under-5 deaths 9.7% 7.1% 3.8%
Income per person (PPP) $2,903 $5,782 $25,560
Expected schooling 7.3 years 9.4 years 12.5 years
People in cities 27.6% 44.7% 57.8%

What a life there looks like

Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 55.2 years on average, with roughly 97.3 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 7.3 years of school, and income per person is around $2,903. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.

If you play as someone born in Chad

The game draws Chad in about 1 of every 148 births. From there the life runs year by year: 55.2 years of life expectancy on average, a 9.7% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $2,903 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.

Frequently asked questions

What are the odds of being born in Chad?
About 0.68% of the world's births happen in Chad — 1 in 148, or roughly 908,704 babies a year.
What is life expectancy in Chad?
The latest figure is 55.2 years (women 57.2, men 53.4). The chance of dying before age 5 is about 9.7%.
How many babies are born in Chad each year?
About 908,704 — roughly 2,490 a day and 104 an hour.
What is the population of Chad?
About 21,003,705 people — 0.26% of the 8,185,260,817 people in this 172-country group, ranking 63rd of 172 by population. Its birth share is 0.68%, or 2.64× its population share.
Is the chance of being born in Chad the same as its share of the population?
No. The game weights every draw by births, not population. Chad has 0.26% of the people in this group but 0.68% of its births, so its birth share is 2.64× its population share.
Is Chad a good country to be born in, in the game?
The game does not rank countries. Being born in Chad simply applies its real statistics: life expectancy, mortality, income and schooling shape the odds, but luck and choices still decide how the life goes.

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated Oct 25, 2026.

How the numbers are calculated