Population: 7,557,436 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 1,675,394; female 1,667,717)
15-64 years: 53% (male 1,953,251; female 2,034,883)
65 years and over: 3% (male 99,783; female 126,408) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.65% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 43.06 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 16.57 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 115.27 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 48.56 years
male: 46.13 years
female: 51.09 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.69 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Chadian(s)
adjective: Chadian

Ethnic groups: Muslims (Arabs, Toubou, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Kanembou, Baguirmi, Boulala, Zaghawa, and Maba), non-Muslims (Sara, Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye, Moundang, Moussei, Massa), nonindigenous 150,000 (of whom 1,000 are French)

Religions: Muslim 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs (mostly animism) 25%

Languages: French (official), Arabic (official), Sara and Sango (in south), more than 100 different languages and dialects

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic
total population: 48.1%
male: 62.1%
female: 34.7% (1995 est.)