Chad Demographics

What is the population of Chad?

Population	16,877,357
Population Growth Rate	1.95%
Urban Population	21.8%
Population in Major Urban Areas	N'DJAMENA (capital) 1.079 million
Nationality Noun	Chadian(s)
Nationality Adjective	Chadian
Ethnic Groups	200 distinct groups; in the north and center: Arabs, Gorane (Toubou, Daza, Kreda), Zaghawa, Kanembou, Ouaddai, Baguirmi, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Boulala, and Maba, most of whom are Muslim; in the south: Sara (Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye), Moundang
Languages Spoken	French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in the south), and more than 120 different languages and dialects

Chad Learning

What is school like in Chad?

Classroom

For the Chadian children who live in refugee camps as displaced from other countries or as the internally displaced, they can only get up to four years of education. Even with the little schooling they get, there still is a great problem because of a lack of facilities and resources. Materials are not sent in by anyone so the teachers, most of who are volunteers must try and improvise. The classrooms are inadequate. There is always very little financing from the poor Chadian government for education. On average you will find a class having close to 100 students per teacher. Very few children proceed to secondary education and the standards there are even worse than the primary sections.

The greatest impediment to the education of children has been the disruption caused by the civil war which leads to a lack of security in conflict areas and becomes difficult for the government to post teachers and even for children themselves to attend school.

Learning

The primary school course begins at the age of six and is run for six years where children learn in what is basically the French Model of Education. There is very little if any emphasis on pre-primary education. The courses of study in primary school usually involve reading, writing, spelling, grammar, mathematics, history, geography, science as well as drawing. Even though six is the official age for starting primary school in some areas you will get children beginning up to the age of 12. It is suspected that only about 40% of school-age children manage to attend school. There are a smaller number of children who attend private schools but this could account for only about 2% of the population and mainly in the urban centers like the capital city, N’djamena.

Most villages have only temporary grass shelters that serve as schools and which are usually not strong enough to stand for a long time. Thus there is always a need to rebuild them. The other challenge is that because they are made of grass or straw, they easily become fodder for animals, both domestic and wild and it is never surprising to find that animals got into a classroom at night and made a real mess out of the class. There are other times when children come to school and find animals asleep on the earthen floor of their classes. It is therefore also extremely hard for the children to maintain the cleanliness of their classes.

You will find a great majority of children living in refugee camps, both those who are internally displaced as well as the refugee children from the neighboring Darfur in the Sudan. These children, therefore, find themselves reading under extremely difficult conditions. There is usually a lot of tension between villagers and refugees and this extends all the way to the few resources available to children.

To School

The trip to school is taken on foot and the distance to school will depend on where the child comes from and how far it is from their home. They sometimes can walk distances of up to 8 kilometers to reach the nearest school. Many schools are in great disrepair due to the fact that sometimes rebels attack and pull down school buildings. Once in school children begin classes which go on until 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. daily. The children who live in refugee camps usually have a longer break time of about one hour between 9:00 and 10:00 and they can run home briefly. The curriculum in most schools includes mathematics, environmental studies, geography, and Arabic. After the break, they will go back for another one or two hours and go back home until the next school day.

Chad Health Information

What are the health conditions in Chad?

Animal Contact Disease (s)	Rabies
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 15-49	4.8%
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population	14.85
Drinking Water Source - percent of rural population improved	44.8%
Drinking Water Source - percent of total population unimproved	49.3%
Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved	71.8%
Food or Waterborne Disease (s)	Bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
Health Expenditures - percent of GDP	4.3%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate	3.4%
HIV/Aids Deaths	14,400
Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population	.43
Infant Mortality Rate - female deaths/1,000 live births	86.01
Infant Mortality Rate - male deaths/1,000 live births	97.64
Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births	91.94
Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk	Very high
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births	1,100
Mean Age for Mother's First Birth	18.2
Obesity - adult prevalence rate	2.7%
People Living with HIV/AIDS	210,000
Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population	.04
Respiratory disease (s)	Meningococcal meningitis
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of total population unimproved	88.1%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved	31.4%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of rural population improved	6.5%
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman	4.8
Underweight - percent of children under five years	33.9%
Vectorborne Disease (s)	Malaria and dengue fever
Water contact disease (s)	Schistosomiasis

Chad Life Expectancy

How long do people live in Chad?

Life Expectancy at Birth	49 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - female	50 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - male	47 Years
Median Age	17 Years
Median Age - female	18 Years
Median Age - male	15 Years

Chad Infant Mortality - per 1,000 live births

Chad median age, birth rate and death rates

Birth Rate - births/1,000 population	38
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population	14.85
Median Age	17 Years
Median Age - female	18 Years
Median Age - male	15 Years
Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population	-3.64
Population Growth Rate	1.95%
Sex Ratio 0-14 Years - male/female	1.03
Sex Ratio 15-24 Years - male/female	.94
Sex Ratio 25-54 Years - male/female	.83
Sex Ratio 55-64 Years - male/female	.93
Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female	1.04
Sex Ratio of Total Population - male/female	.93
Sex Ratio Over 64 Years - male/female	.072

Chad Medical Information

What are the health conditions in Chad?

Medical Facilities and Health Information

Medical facilities in Chad are extremely limited. Medicines are in short supply or unavailable, including many over-the-counter preparations sold in the United States. Travelers should carry any needed, properly labeled, medicines with them. In the event of major injury or illness, visitors generally will require medical evacuation.

There are two medical clinics in the capital of N’Djamena which offer "international standard" medical care: International SOS and Europ-Assistance. These are not walk-in clinics and advance membership is required to access services. This information is provided for informational purposes only and in no way constitutes an endorsement, expressed or implied, by the United States Department of State

Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease. Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the type that predominates in Chad, is resistant to the antimalarial drug chloroquine. Because travelers to Chad are at high risk for contracting malaria, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise that travelers should take one of the following antimalarial drugs: mefloquine (Lariam - TM), doxycycline, or atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone -TM). Travelers who become ill with a fever or flu-like illness while traveling in a malaria-risk area, and up to one year after returning home, should seek prompt medical attention and tell the physician their travel history and what antimalarials they have been taking. For additional information on malaria, including protective measures, visit the CDC Travelers’ Health website.

Other widespread illnesses in Chad include diarrhea and upper respiratory infections. HIV/AIDS is becoming an increasingly serious problem as infection rates are at alarming levels (up to 25 percent in high-risk groups). Meningitis outbreaks usually occur annually and several other diseases (cholera, diphtheria, chicken pox, typhoid) periodically appear.

Chad Education

What is school like in Chad?

Education Expenditures - percent of GDP	2.3%
Literacy - female	39.3%
Literacy - male	56%
Literacy - total population	25.7%
Literacy Definition	Age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic
School Life Expectancy - female	6 Years
School Life Expectancy - male	9 Years
Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)	7 Years

Chad Literacy

Can people in Chad read?

Literacy - female	39.3%
Literacy - male	56%
Literacy - total population	25.7%
Literacy Definition	Age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic
Predominant Language	French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in the south), and more than 120 different languages and dialects

Chad Crime

Is Chad a safe place to visit?

Crime Information

U.S. citizens and many foreigners are perceived to be wealthy and should take precautions to avoid becoming crime victims. You should not leave cash or valuables unsecured in your hotel room, nor should you wear expensive jewelry or show large amounts of cash. You should dress modestly, walk outside only during daylight hours, and lock your car doors. Petty crimes such as purse snatching, pick-pocketing, and theft from vehicles do occur, particularly in areas frequented by expatriates. The potential for violent crime against expatriates remains a concern. Carjacking, burglary, and vehicle thefts increase during times of political instability. Historically, expatriate residences have been targeted for armed robbery, and some foreigners have been assaulted in the process, although there have been no recent incidents reported.

Chad Penalties for Crime

Criminal Penalties

While you are traveling in Chad, you are subject to its laws even if you are a U.S. citizen. Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different than our own. In some places, you may be taken in for questioning if you don’t have your passport with you. In some places, it is illegal to take pictures of certain buildings. In some places driving under the influence could land you immediately in jail. These criminal penalties will vary from country to country. There are also some things that might be legal in the country you visit, but still illegal in the United States. You can be prosecuted under U.S. law if you buy pirated goods. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime prosecutable in the United States. If you break local laws in Chad, your U.S. passport won’t help you avoid arrest or prosecution. It’s very important to know what’s legal and what’s not where you are going.

Based on the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, bilateral agreements with certain countries, and customary international law, if you are arrested in Chad, you have the option to request that the police, prison officials, or other authorities alert the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate of your arrest, and to have communications from you forwarded to the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

Chad Population Comparison

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