Population: Estimated at 5 million to 5.2 million in 1985, most of which concentrated in capital and southern third of country.

Education and Literacy: Education compulsory until age twelve, but only about 40 percent of primary-school-aged children attended in late 1980s. Overall literacy rate about 15 percent in 1982.

Health and Welfare: Years of civil strife, drought, and overall impoverishment have kept health care at low level. Few existing medical facilities concentrated in capital and major cities in south. Life expectancy in late 1970s about forty-three years for women and thirty-nine years for men.

Languages: French and Arabic official languages, Sara common in south, more than 100 others spoken.

Ethnic Groups: More than 200 distinct ethnic groups Toubou common in north, Arabs in sahelian zone, Sara in soudanian zone.

Religion: More than half of population Muslim rest adhere to traditional African religions or Christianity.

Data as of December 1988