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Chad is nearly twice the size of France, its colonial occupier from 1920 to 1960. Its population is currently estimated at 9.5m, most of whom, especially women, are employed in subsistence farming, livestock raising, the service sector and unpaid domestic work. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, despite recent exploitation of oil reserves and the huge potential of its solar energy. Estimates suggest that around 80% of the population live below the poverty line.
Chad’s oil reserves bring the consequences such revenue often involves for ‘developing’ nations. Complex ethnic tensions, unequal division of wealth/power within rapidly globalising economies can sharpen the potential for corruption. In 2010 Chad was rated as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
Overall, health indicators in Chad are among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, and the lifetime risk of maternal death is 1 in 14. These risks are heightened by precocious and intense fertility rates (6.3 children on average per woman, with 15- to 19-year-old girls contributing 15% of pregnancies).
