Population and Demographics

There are more than 200 ethnic groups in Chad. Those in the north and east are generally Muslim; most southerners are animists or Christians, although such a north/south division glosses over the complex and nuanced tribal and religious relationships in Chad.

Through their long religious and commercial relationships with Sudan and Egypt, many of the peoples in Chad's eastern and central regions have become more or less Arabised, speaking Chadian Arabic (although typically not literary Arabic) and engaging in many other Arab cultural practices as well. More than 75% of the Chadian population is rural.

It is estimated that Chad's population is:

• 51% Muslim
• 35% Christian
• 7% adherents of traditional faiths
• 7% of other faiths or are nonreligious

The largest Christian churches are the Roman Catholic Church, the Assemblées Chrétiennes du Tchad, the Eglise Baptiste du Tchad and the Eglises Evangeliques au Tchad.