geography
Lake Chad, once one of Africa's largest lakes, has shrunk by roughly 90% since the 1960s due to climate change and irrigation demands.
Chad
Republic of Chad
Population, GDP, and key facts about Chad — updated for 2026.
Capital · N'DJAMENAContinent · AFRICAISO · TCD
Chad quick facts
- Population
- 20,299,123
- Area
- 1,284,000 km²
- Population density
- 15 people/km²
- GDP
- US$ 19.9 Billion
- GDP per capita
- US$ 980.7
- Capital
- N'Djamena
- Currency
- Central African CFA franc (Fr, XAF)
- Languages
- Arabic, French
Chad at human scale
Where does Chad rank in the world?
Compare Chad with other countries
🇹🇩 vs 🇿🇲Compare Chad vs Zambia1.1× difference in population🇹🇩 vs 🇳🇪Compare Chad vs Niger1.3× difference in population🇹🇩 vs 🇰🇿Compare Chad vs Kazakhstan
Compare Chad with any country →Everything we know about Chad
Countries near Chad
How many countries do you think Chad could fit?
Pour other countries into Chad's own outline, by real area, and see how many it takes to fill it up.
Fill the Country →Frequently asked questions about Chad
What is the capital of Chad?
The capital of Chad is N'Djamena.
What is Chad's population?
Chad has a population of 20,299,123.
What is Chad's GDP per capita?
Chad's GDP per capita is US$ 980.7.
What is the currency of Chad?
The currency of Chad is the Central African CFA franc (XAF).
Is Chad bigger than Zambia?
Chad is about 1.7× the size of Zambia by land area.
Data from the World Bank, updated September 2026.