Country profile · Central Africa
Chad
Chad is Africa's fifth-largest country. Most of it is desert, and its 21 million people are among the world's poorest. Mahamat Idriss Déby took power in April 2021 after his father was killed fighting rebels. He won a presidential election in 2024, and parliament has since scrapped term limits. Chad shelters about 1.6 million refugees, most of them fleeing Sudan's war.
Where Chad ranks
All rankings →Which alliances is Chad in?
All alliances →Who runs Chad?
Idriss Déby seized power in a 1990 rebellion and ruled for 30 years. On April 20, 2021 the army announced he had died of wounds from fighting rebels. A military council took over under his son, Mahamat Idriss Déby, born in 1984, who had commanded the presidential guard. A new constitution was approved in a December 2023 referendum, and Déby won the presidential election of May 6, 2024 with 61%. His Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) won 124 of the 188 seats in the National Assembly in December 2024, after most of the opposition boycotted the vote (chart). In October 2025 parliament scrapped presidential term limits and lengthened the term from five years to seven. Opponents have fared badly. Yaya Dillo, a cousin who led an opposition party, was killed by the army in February 2024. Succès Masra, the runner-up in 2024, was sentenced to 20 years in August 2025. Déby pardoned him in August 2026, but the conviction stands. Allamaye Halina has been prime minister since May 2024.
- Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) 124
- RNDT-Le Réveil 12
- Others 52
Photo (February 2022): Christophe Licoppe, European Commission, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
Who are Chad's allies and rivals?
For decades France was Chad's protector, with about 1,000 troops and bases in N'Djamena, Abéché and Faya. In November 2024 Chad ended the defense pact, and on January 30, 2025 France handed back its last base, ending about 65 years of French military presence. Ties have since warmed. On October 13, 2026 Déby met President Macron in Paris, and the two countries signed a declaration of intent to rebuild defense cooperation, without bases. The United Arab Emirates became a major backer. It supplied armored vehicles in 2023, lent $500 million in 2024 and runs hospitals in Amdjarass and Abéché. Déby met Putin in January 2024, but no Russian troops are known to be in Chad. In 2024 about 75 US special forces left at Chad's request. The United States has banned entry for Chadians since June 2025, and Chad stopped issuing visas to Americans. Chad blamed Sudan's army for air strikes inside Chad in August 2026. In July 2026 Chad gave notice it will leave the International Criminal Court.
Allies and partners
United Arab EmiratesArmored vehicles, a $500 million loan and hospitals in the east
FranceTroops left in 2025; defense ties being rebuilt since October 2026
CameroonChad's oil reaches the sea through a pipeline across Cameroon
ChinaTop supplier; China's CNPC co-owns the Djermaya oil refinery
Tensions
SudanChad blames Sudan's army for air strikes inside Chad in August 2026
NigerIts junta accused Chad over a coup attempt in August 2026
United StatesFull US entry ban since June 2025; Chad stopped visas for Americans
- Amdjarass UN experts found credible reports of UAE supplies for Sudan's RSF arriving here. The UAE and Chad deny it.
- Adré Main crossing for refugees from Darfur. About 400 people a day crossed here and at Tiné in September 2026.
- Doba Oil fields linked since 2003 by a 1,070 km pipeline to Kribi on Cameroon's coast.
- Lake Chad Boko Haram fighters on its islands killed 23 Chadian soldiers in May 2026.
- Chad
- Partner
- Tensions
Who does Chad trade with?
Chad does not report its trade to the UN, so the chart uses its partners' figures for 2023 (chart). The United Arab Emirates, China and Germany were the main buyers, and China, the UAE and Cameroon the main suppliers. Chad's own customs data for 2025 show the UAE as the top buyer, with 26%, and China as the top supplier, with 31%. Oil has flowed since 2003 through a 1,070 km pipeline to Kribi on Cameroon's coast. Output peaked at about 210,000 barrels a day in 2004 and was about 126,000 in 2025. Oil made up 54% of exports and 44% of government revenue in 2025 (World Bank). In March 2023 Chad nationalized the oil assets that Savannah Energy, a British company, had bought from ExxonMobil. It has paid no compensation, and Savannah claims more than $1 billion in arbitration. Gold is the fastest-growing export. Most of it leaves unofficially for the UAE. Chad is the world's second-largest exporter of gum arabic, after Sudan, and also sells cattle, cotton and sesame.
Sells to
Share of Chad's exports
- United Arab Emirates24.9%
- China18.4%
Germany16.7%
Netherlands12.2%- France10.1%
Buys from
Share of Chad's imports
- China22.9%
- United Arab Emirates18.6%
- Cameroon15.0%
Turkey9.4%- France7.7%
Goods, 2023, as reported by Chad's trading partners (Chad does not report). UN Comtrade.
Why are so many refugees in Chad?
Chad's east borders Darfur, the region of Sudan where the war has been fiercest since it began in April 2023. In 2023 the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias killed 10,000 to 15,000 people in El Geneina, mostly Masalit, by UN experts' estimate. Chad hosted 1,584,253 refugees in October 2026 (UNHCR), more than 1.3 million of them Sudanese. About 941,000 Sudanese arrived after April 2023, and more than 400,000 Chadians came back from Sudan. That is about one refugee for every 13 people in Chad, one of the highest ratios in the world (chart), and one in three in the east. After the RSF took El Fasher in October 2025, a new wave came. In September 2026 about 400 people a day were crossing. Aid is short. The UN's appeal for Sudanese refugees was 18% funded in September 2026, and WFP had halved food rations. Chad closed the border in February 2026 after attacks killed Chadian soldiers, but refugees still cross.
Refugees hosted per 1,000 people, 2025
Full ranking →
Mauritania
UNHCR Refugee Population Statistics Database
Why is Chad so poor?
Chad ranks 190th of 193 countries on the UN's Human Development Index. About 41% of people lived in extreme poverty in 2025 (World Bank), and only about one in eight had electricity in 2023. A Chadian born today can expect to live about 55 years, one of the shortest lives anywhere. Women have about six children each on average, the highest rate of any country by the UN's estimate (chart). Half of all Chadians are under 16. The UN expects the population to nearly double, to about 39 million, by 2050. Oil money since 2003 has not changed this. Most people farm or herd in a hot, dry land where droughts and floods hit harvests. About 3.2 million people faced acute hunger in the 2026 lean season. The IMF approved a $625 million loan in July 2025 but has paid out only about $38.5 million. Further payments are on hold. The economy grew 5.6% in 2025, and high oil prices in 2026 have raised government revenue.
Children per woman, highest rates, 2025
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Central African Republic
UN World Population Prospects 2024