Economy—overview: Landlocked Chad's economic development suffers from it's geographic remoteness, drought, lack of infrastructure, and political turmoil. About 85% of the population depends on agriculture, including the herding of livestock. 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 Fund, and other sources is directed largely at the improvement of agriculture, especially livestock production. Lack of financing and low oil prices, however, are stalling the development of an oil field in the Doba Basin and the construction of a proposed oil pipeline through Cameroon.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$7.5 billion (1998 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: 2.9% (1998 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$1,000 (1998 est.)

GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 39%
industry: 15%
services: 46% (1997)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (1997 est.)

Labor force: NA

Labor force—by occupation: agriculture 85% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $198 million
expenditures: $218 million, including capital expenditures of $146 million (1998 est.)

Industries: cotton textiles, meat packing, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1995)

Electricity—production: 90 million kWh (1996)

Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity—consumption: 90 million kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture—products: cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels

Exports: $220 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports—commodities: cotton, cattle, textiles

Exports—partners: Portugal 30%, Germany 14%, Thailand, Costa Rica, South Africa, France (1997)

Imports: $252 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports—commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles

Imports—partners: France 41%, Nigeria 10%, Cameroon 7%, India 6% (1997)

Debt—external: $875 million (1995 est.)

Economic aid—recipient: $238.3 million (1995); note—$125 million committed by Taiwan (August 1997); $30 million committed by African Development Bank

Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine Francs (CFAF) per US$1—560.01 (December 1998), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year