The regions with the highest prevalence are in the south-east; the regions with the lowest in the north-west
46.7% of women aged 15–49 who have undergone FGM were cut between the ages of 5 and 9
The types of FGM ‘cut, no flesh removed’ and ‘cut, flesh removed’ are practised in almost equal measures
Almost all FGM is carried out by traditional cutters
4,938,838 (as at 9 June 2017), with a 1.88% growth rate (2016 est.)
85 deaths per 1,000 live births (2015)
858 deaths per 100,000 live births (2015)
40.2% of the total population aged 15 and over can read/write French or Arabic
FGM prevalence varies widely across Chad. The regions with the highest prevalence are in the south-east: Salamat (96.1% of women aged 15–49), Sila (93.2%) and Guéra (90%). The regions with the lowest prevalence are in the north-west: Lac (0.7%), Kanem (0.7%) and Bourkou/Tibesti (1.8%). Unusually, women aged 15-49 who live in urban areas are more likely to undergo FGM (40.1%) than those who live in rural areas (37.9%). Prevalence in the capital city of N’Djaména is 37.6% of women aged 15–49.
The prevalence of FGM among Muslim women aged 15–49 is 50.4%, compared to 40.1% for Catholics and 14.9% for Protestants.
The ethnic group with the highest prevalence among women aged 15–49 is the Dadajo/Kibet/Mouro, at 92.4%, followed by the Arabe (85.4%) and the Bidio/Migami/Kenga/Dangléat (83%). The ethnic group with the lowest prevalence is the Marba/Lélé/Mesmé, at 0.4%, followed by the Massa/Mousseye/Mousgoume (2.1%) and the Moundang and Karo/Zimé/Pévé (both 2.4%), although the extremely low sample size for all four of these ethnic groups makes these figures unreliable.
Between 2004 and 2014/15, the overall prevalence for women aged 15-49 fell from 44.9% to 38.4%. In 2004 it was reported that 34% of women who know about FGM believe it is required by their religion; by 2014/15, that figure was 30%. In 2004, 49.4% of women who know about FGM stated that it should continue; by 2014/15, that figure had fallen to 29.1%.
FGM Legislation in Chad
See Chad: The Law and FGM for more detail.
For the French translation, see Tchad: La Loi et Les MGF.
Research and resources for Chad