Largest Cities and Urban Localities by Population in Chad

These figures are from the 2009 census, 17 years old.

62 cities and urban localities in Chad, ranked by population at the census of May 20, 2009 (by National Institute of Statistics and Economic and Demographic Studies, Chad). 4 more places have only a figure from 1993, listed below without a rank.

RankCity or Urban LocalityPopulation
1Ndjamena951,418
2Moundou137,251
3Abéché97,963
4Sarh97,224
5Kélo57,859
6Am Timan52,270
7Doba49,647
8Pala49,461
9Bongor44,578
10Goz Beïda41,248
11Koumra37,867
12Mongo37,628
13Bol35,963
14Mao35,468
15Iriba33,572
16Faya-Largeau30,800
17Bitkine29,302
18Bébédjia28,195
19Massakory27,954
20Oum Hadjer26,552
21Moussoro24,564
22Biltine23,472
23Léré22,899
24Fianga22,162
25Goré21,650
26Ati20,902
27Amdjarass20,850
28Gounou Gaya20,814
29Massaguet19,876
30Laï18,945
31Bokoro18,262
32Guélendeng16,320
33Kyabé15,960
34Adré15,361
35Maro14,888
36Mandélia13,558
37Benoye12,097
38Moïssala12,094
39Fada12,065
40Bousso11,710
41Mangalmé11,155
42Bédjondo11,086
43Baïbokoum9,250
44Melfi9,045
45Beïnamar9,029
46Krim Kim7,904
47Aboudeïa7,523
48Ngouri7,339
49Bodo6,717
50Kirdimi6,540
51Béboto6,523
52Abdi6,432
53Haraze6,158
54Nokou6,153
55Am-Dam5,409
56Yao5,346
57Salal4,996
58Guéréda4,618
59Massenya3,227
60Bardaï2,854
61Mondo1,126
62Zouar866
—Dourbali13,020(1993 census)
—Béré10,799(1993 census)
—Ngama9,159(1993 census)
—Goundi7,402(1993 census)

Source: National Institute of Statistics and Economic and Demographic Studies, Chad (2009 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff.

Why don't these match official city populations?Official figures typically count only the population within administrative boundaries. UN urban area figures cover the entire built-up area, which can include multiple cities and towns.

Tokyo

33,338,852

Urban area

9,953,160

23 wards

Essen

2,709,375

Urban area

573,618

City of Essen

Ankara

3,630,865

Urban area

5,186,002

Metropolitan municipality

What counts as an urban area? The UN uses satellite imagery to map built-up land, and treats each continuous stretch of built-up land as an urban area. This means that urban areas can extend beyond official city boundaries, and may include multiple cities and towns within a single urban area.

Can an urban area be smaller than its city? Yes. While most cities have urban areas larger than their administrative boundaries, some cities have extensive administrative limits that include sparsely populated areas.

37 urban areas in Chad with 50,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by the UN's population estimates for 2026.

RankUrban AreaPopulation Estimate (2026)Yearly ChangeLand Area (km²)Density (P/km²)World RankProjections (2030)Projections (2050)
1N'Djaména1,981,353+2.34%2438,1602522,167,1303,044,505
2Abéché456,785+2.84%479,8021,235508,755758,215
3Moundou286,831+1.70%319,3132,049306,384430,417
4Sarh282,389+1.92%338,4552,076304,032412,889
5Mongo227,434+1.86%1713,3782,612244,351346,384
6Am Timan216,408+1.96%239,4092,765233,374318,197
7Koumra186,329+2.46%209,5073,273204,682288,086
8Doba180,158+1.95%228,1153,388194,216257,665
9Karyari176,107+1.96%1017,6113,476189,933293,867
10Faya-Largeau173,150+2.80%1610,6883,539192,543301,229
11Pala158,340+2.42%198,4223,873173,684244,676
12Ati152,922+2.34%1410,9234,016167,224229,739
13Umm Hajar152,646+3.24%1311,5644,025172,426288,733
14Moussoro150,594+3.53%1411,0734,082171,828296,411
15Bongor149,400+1.91%159,7014,106160,827219,250
16Kelo147,907+2.15%236,5454,160160,646209,461
17Biltine134,008+4.00%187,4454,601155,463271,935
18Adré126,659+3.14%139,7434,881142,586223,878
19Tiné-Djagaraba117,595+4.55%167,1705,299138,993218,984
20Bitkine111,193+1.92%1011,1195,611119,719162,863
21Kyabé94,877+3.03%118,3236,591106,384152,191
22Léré92,908+2.38%165,7356,750101,742143,935
23Mao88,547+4.56%127,1417,112104,685187,310
24Dourbali81,321+2.92%6.2013,1167,76690,807146,856
25Fianga80,064+2.70%126,4577,89288,708142,538
26Bebedjia79,934+3.35%145,5517,90990,654139,123
27Laï79,608+1.99%9.208,6537,93785,942115,766
28Goz Beïda79,180+3.64%117,1987,98390,721142,293
29Bokoro78,899+2.24%8.009,8628,01985,967116,360
30Melfi66,781+1.64%4.0016,6959,39371,173101,262
31Mangalmé66,181+1.84%4.0016,5459,48971,040106,869
32Goré65,093+3.16%9.606,7819,64873,323103,178
33Bénoye58,981+3.92%8.606,85810,59668,232108,959
34Guélendeng57,980+2.68%7.407,83510,75464,19893,993
35Roro54,696+1.98%5.0010,93911,37659,018101,119
36Haraze54,294+1.90%5.0010,85911,47258,42382,547
37Gounou Gaya53,314+1.67%6.008,88611,65656,86873,754

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision, Online Edition.

See also