Chad: country facts, travel advice and health

Airalo: buy a data-only eSIM for Chad before landing.easySim: another eSIM option for mobile data on arrival.Holafly: an eSIM data plan that can be set up before the trip.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Chad

Central African CFA Franc · XAF

Euros and US dollars are often accepted as payment, so carrying some can help.

Ecobank cash machines accept Visa and Mastercard for withdrawals.

Away from expat spots, expect to pay 300 to 500 CFA francs for a soft drink.

Budget a fee of 5,000 CFA francs per person at each desert site visited.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect Central African CFA Franc in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Sat, 28 Nov 2026 · Republic Day

Tue, 1 Dec 2026 · Freedom and Democracy Day

Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day

Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day

Mon, 8 Feb 2027–8 Mar · Ramadan (expected date)

Mon, 8 Mar 2027 · International Women's Day

Tue, 9 Mar 2027 · Eid al-Fitr (expected date)

Mon, 29 Mar 2027 · Easter Monday

Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day

Sun, 16 May 2027 · Eid al-Adha (expected date)

Wed, 11 Aug 2027 · Independence Day

Mon, 1 Nov 2027 · All Saints' Day

Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗Source: Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Chad say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

Travel warning for some regions

Calm

Caution ●

Serious

Don’t go

Some regions differ, see the official page.

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Do not travel

Calm

Caution

Serious

Don’t go ●

Level 4 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 27 Apr 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

Advises against all travel to parts of the country

Some regions differ, see the official page.

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 6 Aug 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Malaria and altitude risk. Shots: hepatitis A and B, typhoid, polio, meningitis (dry season), yellow fever.

Vaccinations

Be current on routine shots; hepatitis A, hepatitis B and typhoid are advised, plus a polio booster, meningococcal vaccine for the meningitis belt in the dry season, and yellow fever for areas south of the Sahara.

Malaria

Risk

Altitude

Altitude sickness can be a risk in some parts of the country.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

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Must-see · 1N'Djamena

The capital and biggest city, where most trips begin.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

More than 200 ethnic groups live in Chad, one of the most diverse mixes on Earth.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: La Tchadienne. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

2 World Heritage sites in Chad, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

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Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $21.5 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $1,022Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	crude petroleum, gold, oil seeds, gum resins, cotton (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	21 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	16.9 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	60 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Muslim 52.1%, Protestant 23.9%, Roman Catholic 20%, animist 0.3%, other Christian 0.2%, none 2.8%, unspecified 0.7% (2014-15 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	1,284,000 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	tropical in south, desert in northSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in southSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	presidential republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+235Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 25 Oct 2026 ↗Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).