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, however, is stalling the development of a southern oil field and the construction of a proposed oil pipeline through Cameroon.

GDP purchasing power parity - $4.3 billion (1997 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 5.5% (1997 est.)

GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $600 (1997 est.)

GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 48%
industry: 18%
services: 34% (1995)

Inflation rate - consumer price index 15% (1997 est.)

Labor force NA
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 - capacity 29,000 kW (1995)

Electricity - production 80 million kWh (1995)

Electricity - consumption per capita 14 kWh (1995)

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

Exports
total value: $259 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: cotton, cattle, textiles
partners: Portugal 30%, Germany 18%, South Africa 16%, France 7%

Imports
total value: $301 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: machinery and transportation equipment 39%, industrial goods 20%, petroleum products 13%, foodstuffs 9%; textiles; note - excludes military equipment
partners: France 34%, Cameroon 24%, Nigeria 7%, US 6%

Debt - external $875 million (1995 est.)

Economic aid
recipient: $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 CFA Francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 608.36 (January 1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993)
note: beginning 12 January 1994 the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948

Fiscal year calendar year

NOTE: The information regarding Chad on this page is re-published from the 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Chad Economy 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Chad Economy 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.