Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Chad
Chad: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 27.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
27.6%
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
216th
of 236 countries
All-time high
27.6%
in 2025
All-time low
4.5%
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Chad, 1950–2025
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Chad recorded 27.6% for share of population living in urban and rural areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 20.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Chad peaked at 27.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 1950.
That places Chad 216th out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Chad, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 4.5% | — |
| 1951 | 4.6% | +1.5% |
| 1952 | 4.7% | +2.3% |
| 1953 | 4.8% | +3.1% |
| 1954 | 5.0% | +3.7% |
| 1955 | 5.2% | +4.2% |
| 1956 | 5.4% | +4.5% |
| 1957 | 5.7% | +4.8% |
| 1958 | 6.0% | +4.9% |
| 1959 | 6.3% | +5.0% |
| 1960 | 6.6% | +5.0% |
| 1961 | 6.9% | +5.0% |
| 1962 | 7.3% | +4.9% |
| 1963 | 7.6% | +4.7% |
| 1964 | 8.0% | +4.8% |
| 1965 | 8.4% | +5.6% |
| 1966 | 8.9% | +6.1% |
| 1967 | 9.5% | +6.3% |
| 1968 | 10.1% | +6.3% |
| 1969 | 10.7% | +6.1% |
| 1970 | 11.3% | +5.7% |
| 1971 | 11.9% | +5.2% |
| 1972 | 12.5% | +4.9% |
| 1973 | 13.3% | +6.9% |
| 1974 | 14.5% | +8.3% |
| 1975 | 15.7% | +8.4% |
| 1976 | 16.8% | +7.4% |
| 1977 | 17.8% | +5.7% |
| 1978 | 18.4% | +3.4% |
| 1979 | 18.7% | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 19.1% | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 19.4% | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 19.7% | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 20.0% | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 20.2% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 20.4% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 20.6% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 20.8% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 21.0% | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 21.1% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 21.2% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 21.3% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 21.4% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 21.4% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 21.5% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 21.5% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 21.5% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 21.6% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 21.6% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 21.6% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 21.7% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 21.7% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 21.7% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 21.7% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 21.7% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 21.8% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 21.8% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 21.8% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 21.8% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 21.8% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 21.8% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 22.0% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 22.1% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 22.3% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 22.5% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 22.8% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 23.1% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 23.5% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 23.8% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 24.3% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 24.7% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 25.2% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 25.8% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 26.3% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 26.9% | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 27.6% | +2.4% |
Chad compared with similar countries
- Chad's 27.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 34.5%, 80% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Chad's 27.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.9%, 61% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.2% | 4.5% | 6.3% | 10 |
| 1960s | 8.4% | 6.6% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 15.1% | 11.3% | 18.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.2% | 19.1% | 21.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.5% | 21.2% | 21.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.7% | 21.7% | 21.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.8% | 21.8% | 24.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.1% | 24.7% | 27.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Chad
- 213 Saint Lucia 29.1% compare
- 214 Burkina Faso 28.9% compare
- 215 East Timor 28.8% compare
- 217 Eswatini 26.7% compare
- 218 Guyana 26.5% compare
- 219 Tajikistan 26.2% compare
More population data for Chad
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.4609 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.608 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.4609 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.4414 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 36,452 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.87 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3799 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.5% (2100)
- Population density 55.23 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 5.48 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Chad?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Chad was 27.6% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Chad?
- The highest recorded value was 27.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Chad?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 1950.
- How does Chad rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Chad ranks 216th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Chad?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Chad data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.