The economy of Chad suffers from the landlocked country's geographic remoteness, drought, lack of infrastructure, and political turmoil. About 85% of the population depends on agriculture, including livestock herding. Of Africa's Francophone countries, Chad benefited least from the 50% devaluation of their currencies in January 1994. Financial aid from the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and other sources is directed mainly at improving agriculture, especially livestock production. Because of a lack of financing, the development of oil fields near Doba, originally due to finish in 2000, was delayed until 2003. It was finally developed and is now operated by ExxonMobil. Regarding gross domestic product, Chad ranks 147th globally with $11.051 billion as of 2018.

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Economy of Chad

A tailor in Chad
Currency	Central African CFA franc (XAF)
Fiscal year	Calendar year
Trade organisations	AU, AfCFTA, WTO
Statistics
GDP	$11.051 billion (nominal, 2018 est.)[1] $30.507 billion (PPP, 2018 est.)[1]
GDP growth	−3.0% (2017) 2.6% (2018) 3.0% (2019e) 5.5% (2020f)[2]
GDP per capita	$885 (nominal, 2018 est.)[1] $2,442 (PPP, 2018 est.)[1]
GDP by sector	agriculture: 52.7% industry: 6.7% services: 40.6% (2011 est.)
Inflation (CPI)	4.037% (2018 est.)[1]
Population below poverty line	66.2% (2019 est.)
Human Development Index	0.394 low (2022)[3] (189th) 0.251 low IHDI (2021)[4]
Labour force	7.300 million (2018)
Labour force by occupation	agriculture: 80% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing); industry and services: 20% (2006 est.)
Main industries	oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials
External
Exports	$1.695 billion (2018 est.)
Export goods	oil, cattle, cotton, gum arabic
Main export partners	United States 58.5%  India 13.3%  Japan 11.3%  China 4.1% (2015)[5]
Imports	$2.262 billion (2018 est.)
Import goods	machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles
Main import partners	France 16.5%  China 14.2%  Cameroon 11%  United States 6.4%  India 6%  Belgium 5.7%  Italy 4.8% (2015)[6]
FDI stock	$567 million (2019 est.)
Gross external debt	$3.569 billion (2019 est.)
Public finances
Revenues	$2.501 billion (2011 est.)
Expenses	$3.482 billion (2011 est.)
Economic aid	$238.3 million (recipient) note – $125 million committed by Taiwan (1997); $30 million committed by African Development Bank; ODA $150 million (2001[update])
Foreign reserves	$147.7 million (2019 est.)
Main data source: CIA World Fact Book All values, unless otherwise stated, are in US dollars.

Close

Chad produced in 2018:

• 969 thousand tons of sorghum;
• 893 thousand tons of peanut butter;
• 756 thousand tons of millet;
• 484 thousand tonnes of yam (8th largest producer in the world);
• 475 thousand tons of sugarcane;
• 437 thousand tons of maize;
• 284 thousand tons of cassava;
• 259 thousand tons of rice;
• 255 thousand tons of sweet potato;
• 172 thousand tons of sesame seed;
• 151 thousand tons of beans;
• 120 thousand tons of cotton;

In addition to smaller productions of other agricultural products. ^[7]

The following table shows the leading economic indicators from 1980–2017.

GDP: purchasing power parity – $28.62 billion (2017 est.)

GDP – real growth rate: -3.1% (2017 est.)

GDP – per capita: $2,300 (2017 est.)

Gross national saving: 15.5% of GDP (2017 est.)

GDP – composition by sector:
agriculture: 52.3% (2017 est.)
industry: 14.7% (2017 est.)
services: 33.1% (2017 est.)

Population below poverty line:: 46.7% (2011 est.)

Distribution of family income – Gini index: 43.3 (2011 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.9% (2017 est.)

Labor force: 5.654 million (2017 est.)

Labor force – by occupation: agriculture 80%, industry and services 20% (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: 1.337 billion (2017 est.)
expenditures: 1.481 billion (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): -1.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt: 52.5% of GDP (2017 est.)

Industries: oil, cotton textiles, brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate: -4% (2017 est.)

electrification: total population: 4% (2013)

electrification: urban areas: 14% (2013)

electrification: rural areas: 1% (2013)

Electricity – production: 224.3 million kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity – production by source:
fossil fuel: ~98%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other renewable: ~3% (2017)

Electricity – consumption: 208.6 million kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity – exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity – imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)

Agriculture – products: cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, sesame, corn, rice, potatoes, onions, cassava (manioc, tapioca), cattle, sheep, goats, camels

Exports: $2.464 billion (2017 est.)

Exports – commodities: oil, livestock, cotton, sesame, gum arabic, shea butter

Exports – partners: US 38.7%, China 16.6%, Netherlands 15.7%, UAE 12.2%, India 6.3% (2017)

Imports: $2.16 billion (2017 est.)

Imports – commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles

Imports – partners: China 19.9%, Cameroon 17.2%, France 17%, US 5.4%, India 4.9%, Senegal 4.5% (2017)

Debt – external: $1.724 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $22.9 million (31 December 2017 est.)

• Chad
• Economy of Africa
• Petroleum industry in Chad
• United Nations Economic Commission for Africa