Tanzania

Presidential RepublicPop69.1MGDP (PPP)$246.7BCI38Beta CP−2.6↓Beta

Tanzania

⌘K

Overview

Background: Tanzania contains some of Africa’s most iconic national parks and famous paleoanthropological sites, and its diverse cultural heritage reflects the multiple ethnolinguistic groups that live in the country. Its long history of integration into trade networks spanning the Indian Ocean and the African interior led to the development of Swahili as a common language in much of east Africa and the introduction of Islam into the region. A number of independent coastal and island trading posts in what is now Tanzania came under Portuguese control after 1498 when they began to take control of much of the coast and Indian Ocean trade. By 1700, the Sultanate of Oman had become the dominant power in the region after ousting the Portuguese, who were also facing a series of local uprisings. During the next hundred years, Zanzibar -- an archipelago off the coast that is now part of Tanzania -- became a hub of Indian Ocean trade, with Arab and Indian traders establishing and consolidating trade routes with communities in mainland Tanzania that contributed to the expansion of the slave trade. Zanzibar briefly became the capital of the Sultanate of Oman before it split into separate Omani and Zanzibar Sultanates in 1856. Beginning in the mid-1800s, European explorers, traders, and Christian missionaries became more active in the region. The Germans eventually established control over mainland Tanzania -- which they called Tanganyika -- and the British established control over Zanzibar. Tanganyika came under British administration after the German defeat in World War I.
Tanganyika gained independence from Great Britain in 1961, and Zanzibar followed in 1963 as a constitutional monarchy. In Tanganyika, Julius NYERERE, a charismatic and idealistic socialist, established a one-party political system that centralized power and encouraged national self-reliance and rural development. In 1964, a popular uprising overthrew the Sultan in Zanzibar and either killed or expelled many of the Arabs and Indians who had dominated the isles for more than 200 years. Later that year, Tanganyika and Zanzibar combined to form the United Republic of Tanzania, but Zanzibar retained considerable autonomy. Their two ruling parties combined to form the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party in 1977, which has since won every presidential election. Tanzania held its first multi-party elections in 1995, but CCM candidates have continued to dominate politics. The ruling party has claimed victory in four contentious elections since 1995, despite international observers' claims of voting irregularities. In 2001, 35 people died in Zanzibar when soldiers fired on protestors. John MAGUFULI won the 2015 and 2020 presidential elections, and the CCM won over two-thirds of the seats in Parliament in both elections. MAGUFULI died in 2021 while in office and was succeeded by his vice president, Samia Suluhu HASSAN.

Geography

Area

Land: 885,800 sq km
Note: note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar
Water: 61,500 sq km
Total: 947,300 sq km

Climate: varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands
Terrain: plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south

Land Use

Other: 5.3% (2023 est.)
Forest: 50.1% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: 44.6% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 15.2% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 2.3% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 27.1% (2023 est.)

Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique
Coastline: 1,424 km

Elevation

Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Kilimanjaro (highest point in Africa) 5,895 m
Mean elevation: 1,018 m

Irrigated land: 1,840 sq km (2012)
Map references: Africa

Land Boundaries

Total: 4,161 km
Border countries: Burundi 589 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 479 km; Kenya 775 km; Malawi 512 km; Mozambique 840 km; Rwanda 222 km; Uganda 391 km; Zambia 353 km

Maritime Claims

Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards: flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought

volcanism: limited volcanic activity; Ol Doinyo Lengai (2,962 m) has emitted lava in recent years; other historically active volcanoes include Kieyo and Meru
Geography note: Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa and one of only three mountain ranges on the continent that has glaciers (the others are Mount Kenya in Kenya and the Ruwenzori Mountains on the Uganda-Democratic Republic of the Congo border); Tanzania is bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the world's second-deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) in the southwest
Natural resources: hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones (including tanzanite, found only in Tanzania), gold, natural gas, nickel
Area comparative: more than six times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than twice the size of California
Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S, 35 00 E
Population distribution: the largest and most populous East African country; population distribution is extremely uneven, but greater population clusters occur in the northern half of country and along the east coast, as shown in this population distribution map

Major Lakes (Area Sq Km)

Salt water lake(s): Lake Rukwa - 5,760 sq km
Fresh water lake(s): Lake Victoria (shared with Uganda and Kenya) - 62,940 sq km; Lake Tanganyika (shared with Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Zambia) - 32,000 sq km; Lake Malawi (shared with Mozambique and Malawi) - 22,490

Major Watersheds (Area Sq Km)

Indian ocean drainage: Zambezi (1,332,412 sq km)
Atlantic ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 sq km), (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)

Major rivers (BY length in km): Nile (shared with Rwanda [s], Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt [m]) - 6,650 km

note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

People & Society

Literacy

Male: 84.2% (2022 est.)
Female: 73.1% (2022 est.)
Total population: 78.2% (2022 est.)

Languages

Languages: Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic, many local languages
Major language sample(s): The World Factbook, Chanzo cha Lazima Kuhusu Habari ya Msingi. (Kiswahili)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Christian 63.1%, Muslim 34.1%, folk religion 1.1%, Buddhist <1%, Hindu <1%, Jewish <1%, other <1%, unspecified 1.6% (2020 est.)

Sex Ratio

At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0 14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15 64 years: 1 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female

Birth rate: 33.45 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate: 4.96 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Median Age

Male: 18.8 years
Total: 18.8 years (2025 est.)
Female: 19.4 years

Population

Male: 34,597,449
Total: 69,145,464 (2025 est.)
Female: 34,548,015

Nationality

Noun: Tanzanian(s)
Adjective: Tanzanian

Tobacco Use

Male: 11.3% (2025 est.)
Total: 6.5% (2025 est.)
Female: 2% (2025 est.)

Urbanization

Urban population: 37.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 4.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Age Structure

0 14 years: 41.2% (male 14,039,292/female 13,740,439)
15 64 years: 55.4% (male 18,677,388/female 18,708,390)
65 years and over: 3.4% (2024 est.) (male 975,224/female 1,321,388)

Ethnic groups: mainland - African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, African, mixed Arab and African

Child Marriage

Men married BY age 18: 3.5% (2022)
Women married BY age 15: 5.2% (2022)
Women married BY age 18: 29.1% (2022)

Dependency Ratios

Total dependency ratio: 81.8 (2025 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 76 (2025 est.)
Potential support ratio: 17.3 (2025 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.8 (2025 est.)

Physician density: 0.13 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

Health Expenditure

Health expenditure (as % of GDP): 3.4% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget): 5.1% of national budget (2022 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density: 0.6 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.45 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Drinking Water Source

Improved: rural: rural: 49% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: total: total: 60.8% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: urban: urban: 81.1% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: rural: rural: 51% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: total: total: 39.2% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: urban: urban: 18.9% of population (2022 est.)

Education Expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP): 3.2% of GDP (2024 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 13.4% national budget (2024 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

Male: 32.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Total: 28.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
Female: 26.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Population growth rate: 2.85% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate: 2.19 (2025 est.)
Population distribution: the largest and most populous East African country; population distribution is extremely uneven, but greater population clusters occur in the northern half of country and along the east coast, as shown in this population distribution map

Life Expectancy at Birth

Male: 69 years
Female: 72.6 years
Total population: 70.8 years (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 276 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Sanitation Facility Access

Improved: rural: rural: 27.2% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: total: total: 50.1% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: urban: urban: 89.6% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: rural: rural: 72.8% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: total: total: 49.9% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: urban: urban: 10.4% of population (2022 est.)

Alcohol Consumption Per Capita

Beer: 0.74 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine: 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Total: 7.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits: 0.38 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols: 6.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Major urban areas population: 262,000 Dodoma (legislative capital) (2018), 7.776 million DAR ES SALAAM (administrative capital), 1.311 million Mwanza, 800,000 Zanzibar (2023)
Obesity adult prevalence rate: 8.4% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth: 19.9 years (2022 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15 49): 59.2% (2022 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 11.4% (2022 est.)

School Life Expectancy (Primary to Tertiary Education)

Male: 9 years (2021 est.)
Total: 9 years (2021 est.)
Female: 9 years (2021 est.)

Government

Civica · structure

How power is organised

ExecutiveLegislative

Flag: description: divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band, from the lower left corner to the upper right corner; the upper triangle (left side) is green, and the lower is blue

meaning: colors come from the flags of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; green stands for natural vegetation, gold for rich mineral deposits, black for the Swahili people, and blue for lakes and rivers, as well as the Indian Ocean

Capital

Name: Dodoma
Etymology: the name comes from the name of a nearby mountain; the origin of the mountain's name is unclear
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Geographic coordinates: 6 48 S, 39 17 E

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Citizenship

Citizenship BY birth: no
Citizenship BY descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Tanzania; if a child is born abroad, the father must be a citizen of Tanzania
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Constitution

History: several previous; latest adopted 25 April 1977
Amendment process: proposed by the National Assembly; passage of amendments to constitutional articles including those on sovereignty of the United Republic, the authorities and powers of the government, the president, the Assembly, and the High Court requires two-thirds majority vote of the mainland Assembly membership and of the Zanzibar House of Representatives membership; House of Representatives approval of other amendments is not required

Country Name

Former: German East Africa, Trust Territory of Tanganyika, Republic of Tanganyika, People's Republic of Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar
Etymology: the country's name is a combination of the first letters of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the two states that merged to form Tanzania in 1964
Local long form: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania
Local short form: Tanzania
Conventional long form: United Republic of Tanzania
Conventional short form: Tanzania

Independence: 26 April 1964 (Tanganyika united with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar); 29 October 1964 (renamed United Republic of Tanzania); notable earlier dates: 9 December 1961 (Tanganyika became independent from UK-administered UN trusteeship); 10 December 1963 (Zanzibar became independent from UK)
Legal system: English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation
Government type: presidential republic

Judicial Branch

Highest court(s): Court of Appeal of the United Republic of Tanzania (consists of the chief justice and 14 justices); High Court of the United Republic for Mainland Tanzania (consists of the principal judge and 30 judges organized into commercial, land, and labor courts); High Court of Zanzibar (consists of the chief justice and 10 justices)
Subordinate courts: Resident Magistrates Courts; Kadhi courts (for Islamic family matters); district and primary courts
Judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal and High Court justices appointed by the national president after consultation with the Judicial Service Commission for Tanzania, a judicial body of high-level judges and 2 members appointed by the national president; Court of Appeal and High Court judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 60, but terms can be extended; High Court of Zanzibar judges appointed by the national president after consultation with the Judicial Commission of Zanzibar; judges can serve until mandatory retirement at age 65

Executive Branch

Note: note 1: Zanzibar elects a president as head of government for internal matters; election held on 28 October 2020; Hussein MWINYI (CCM) 76.3%, Maalim Seif SHARIF (ACT-Wazalendo) 19.9%, other 3.8%

note 2: the president is both chief of state and head of government

note 3: after the death of President John MAGUFULI in March 2021, Vice President Samia Suluhu HASSAN assumed the presidency
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among members of the National Assembly
Chief of state: President Samia Suluhu HASSAN (since 19 March 2021)
Election results: 2025: Samia Suluhu HASSAN reelected; percent of vote - Samia Suluhu HASSAN (CCM) 97.7%, others 2.3%
Head of government: President Samia Suluhu HASSAN (since 19 March 2021)
Most recent election date: 29 October 2025
Election/appointment process: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the president
Expected date of next election: October 2030

National holiday: Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964)
National color(s): green, yellow, blue, black

National Heritage

Total world heritage sites: 7 (3 cultural, 3 natural, 1 mixed)
Selected world heritage site locales: Ngorongoro Conservation Area (m); Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara (c); Serengeti National Park (n); Selous Game Reserve (n); Kilimanjaro National Park (n); Stone Town of Zanzibar (c); Kondoa Rock-Art Sites (c)

Political parties: Alliance for Change and Transparency (Wazalendo) or ACT-Wazalendo
Civic United Front (Chama Cha Wananchi) or CUF
Party of Democracy and Development (Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo) or CHADEMA
Revolutionary Party of Tanzania (Chama Cha Mapinduzi) or CCM

Legislative Branch

Note: note: the Attorney General fills the "other" seat as an ex-officio member
Term in office: 5 years
Number of seats: 403 (272 directly elected; 120 indirectly elected; 10 appointed; 1 other)
Electoral system: plurality/majority
Legislature name: National Assembly (Bunge)
Scope of elections: full renewal
Legislative structure: unicameral
Most recent election date: 10/29/2025
Expected date of next election: October 2030
Percentage of women in chamber: 39.5%
Parties elected and seats per party: Revolutionary Party of Tanzania (CCM) (383); ACT-Wazalendo (2)

National Anthem(s)

Title: "Mungu ibariki Afrika" (God Bless Africa)
History: adopted 1961; the anthem, which is also a popular African popular song in Africa, shares the melody of Zambia's anthem and is  part of South Africa's anthem
Lyrics/music: collective/Enoch Mankayi SONTONGA

National symbol(s): Uhuru (freedom) torch, giraffe
Administrative divisions: 31 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Geita, Iringa, Kagera, Kaskazini Pemba (Pemba North), Kaskazini Unguja (Zanzibar North), Katavi, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Kusini Pemba (Pemba South), Kusini Unguja (Zanzibar Central/South), Lindi, Manyara, Mara, Mbeya, Mjini Magharibi (Zanzibar Urban/West), Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza, Njombe, Pwani (Coast), Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Singida, Songwe, Tabora, Tanga

Diplomatic Representation in the US

Fax: [1] (202) 797-7408
Chancery: 1232 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
Telephone: [1] (202) 884-1080
Chief of mission: Ambassador Elsie Sia KANZA (since 1 December 2021)
Email address and website: ubalozi@tanzaniaembassy-us.org

https://us.tzembassy.go.tz/

Diplomatic Representation from the US

Fax: [255] (22) 229-4721
Embassy: 686 Old Bagamoyo Road, Msasani, P.O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam
Telephone: [255] (22) 229-4000
Mailing address: 2140 Dar es Salaam Place, Washington, DC  20521-2140
Chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Andrew LENTZ (since January 2025)
Email address and website: DRSACS@state.gov

https://tz.usembassy.gov/

International organisations: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, EAC, EADB, EITI, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Legislature

TANZANIA · LEGISLATURE

National Assembly

403 seats · hover a seat for the party

Total seats

403

Majority line

203

Largest party

Revolutionary Party of Tanzania (CCM)

Parties

All political parties3 parties · 403 seats · click to dim in hemicycle

Leaders

Current

SH
Samia Suluhu Hassan
- Head of StateSince 2021
- Head of GovernmentDate unknown

Economy

Budget

Note: note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
Revenues: $11.716 billion (2024 est.)
Expenditures: $13.583 billion (2024 est.)

Exports

Civica canonical (reconciled): $15.6B

Note: note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Exports 2021: $9.874 billion (2021 est.)
Exports 2022: $11.986 billion (2022 est.)
Exports 2023: $13.98 billion (2023 est.)

Imports

Civica canonical (reconciled): $17.1B

Note: note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Imports 2021: $11.61 billion (2021 est.)
Imports 2022: $16.674 billion (2022 est.)
Imports 2023: $16.059 billion (2023 est.)

Industries: agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine); mining (diamonds, gold, and iron), salt, soda ash; cement, oil refining, shoes, apparel, wood products, fertilizer
Labor force: 32.983 million (2024 est.)

Public Debt

Civica canonical (reconciled): 38% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2016: 38% of GDP (2016 est.)

Remittances

Note: note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Remittances 2021: 0.8% of GDP (2021 est.)
Remittances 2022: 0.9% of GDP (2022 est.)
Remittances 2023: 1% of GDP (2023 est.)

Exchange Rates

Currency: Tanzanian shillings (TZS) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2020: 2,294.146 (2020 est.)
Exchange rates 2021: 2,297.764 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2022: 2,303.034 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2023: 2,383.043 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2024: 2,597.9 (2024 est.)

Debt External

Note: note: present value of external debt in current US dollars
Debt external 2023: $17.513 billion (2023 est.)

Economic overview: emerging lower middle-income East African economy; resource-rich and growing tourism; strong post-pandemic recovery from hospitality, electricity, mining, and transit sectors; declining poverty; stable inflation; gender-based violence economic and labor force disruptions

Unemployment Rate

Civica canonical (reconciled): 1.6%

Note: note: % of labor force seeking employment
Unemployment rate 2022: 2.6% (2022 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023: 2.6% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2024: 2.6% (2024 est.)

Exports partners: India 15%, UAE 14%, Uganda 12%, South Africa 10%, China 6% (2023)
Imports partners: China 32%, India 13%, UAE 9%, Saudi Arabia 5%, Japan 4% (2023)

Real GDP Per Capita

Civica canonical (reconciled): $4,221

Note: note: data in 2021 dollars
Real GDP per capita 2022: $3,500 (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $3,600 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2024: $3,700 (2024 est.)

Real GDP Growth Rate

Civica canonical (reconciled): 5.5%

Note: note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 4.6% (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2023: 5.1% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2024: 5.5% (2024 est.)

Agricultural products: maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, bananas, milk, sugarcane, rice, vegetables, beans, sunflower seeds (2023)
Exports commodities: gold, refined petroleum, dried legumes, refined copper, coal (2023)
Imports commodities: refined petroleum, plastics, garments, fertilizers, wheat (2023)

Current Account Balance

Civica canonical (reconciled): -$2.4B

Note: note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
Current account balance 2021: -$2.374 billion (2021 est.)
Current account balance 2022: -$5.482 billion (2022 est.)
Current account balance 2023: -$2.958 billion (2023 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 11.5% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $78.78 billion (2024 est.)

GDP Composition, BY End Use

Note: note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection
Household consumption: 52.9% (2024 est.)
Government consumption: 9.2% (2024 est.)
Investment in inventories: -1.6% (2024 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 41.4% (2024 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 19.8% (2024 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -21.7% (2024 est.)

Population below poverty line: 26.4% (2018 est.)

Average Household Expenditures

On food: 26.2% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
On alcohol and tobacco: 1.3% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

Inflation Rate (Consumer Prices)

Civica canonical (reconciled): 3.1%

Note: note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 4.4% (2022 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 3.8% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024: 3.1% (2024 est.)

Industrial production growth rate: 5.2% (2024 est.)

Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)

Civica canonical (reconciled): $246.706 billion (2024 est.)

Note: note: data in 2021 dollars
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $222.506 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $233.786 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024: $246.706 billion (2024 est.)

Youth Unemployment Rate (Ages 15 24)

Male: 2.6% (2024 est.)
Note: note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment
Total: 3.3% (2024 est.)
Female: 4.2% (2024 est.)

Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold

Note: note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2016: $4.351 billion (2016 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2017: $5.888 billion (2017 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2018: $5.05 billion (2018 est.)

GDP Composition, BY Sector of Origin

Note: note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
Industry: 28.7% (2024 est.)
Services: 28.4% (2024 est.)
Agriculture: 23.4% (2024 est.)

Note: note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
Lowest 10%: 2.9% (2018 est.)
Highest 10%: 33.1% (2018 est.)

Gini Index Coefficient Distribution of Family Income

Note: note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
Gini index coefficient distribution of family income 2018: 40.5 (2018 est.)

Energy

Coal

Exports: 1.602 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 21 metric tons (2023 est.)
Production: 2.341 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Consumption: 740,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.41 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum

Refined petroleum consumption: 85,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Electricity

Imports: 157.688 million kWh (2023 est.)
Consumption: 9.109 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 1.818 million kW (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 2.039 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Natural Gas

Production: 2.016 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 2.016 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 6.513 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Electricity Access

Electrification rural areas: 36%
Electrification urban areas: 74.7%
Electrification total population: 45.8% (2022 est.)

Energy Consumption Per Capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 4.091 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Electricity Generation Sources

Solar: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Fossil fuels: 74.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Hydroelectricity: 24.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Biomass and waste: 0.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Communications

Internet Users

Percent of population: 29% (2023 est.)

Broadcast media: about 45 TV stations, with 13 national that broadcast free-to-air TV; 196 radio stations, most operating at the district level, but also including 5 independent national stations and 1 state-owned national radio station; international broadcasts widely available through satellite TV; 3 major satellite TV providers (2020)
Internet country code: .tz

Telephones Fixed Lines

Total subscriptions: 76,000 (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2023 est.) less than 1

Telephones Mobile Cellular

Total subscriptions: 86.8 million (2024 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 127 (2024 est.)

Broadband Fixed Subscriptions

Total: 1.66 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2023 est.)

Transport

Ports

Large: 0
Small: 3
Medium: 1
Key ports: Chake Chake, Dar Es Salaam, Tanga, Zanzibar
Very small: 4
Total ports: 8 (2024)
Ports with oil terminals: 4

Airports: 206 (2025)

Railways

Total: 4,097 km (2022)
Broad gauge: 2,707 km (2022) 1.000 m guage
Narrow gauge: 969 km (2022) 1.067 m gauge
Standard gauge: 421 km (2022)

Merchant Marine

Total: 381 (2023)
BY type: bulk carrier 4, container ship 17, general cargo 170, oil tanker 58, other 132

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 5H

Environment

Climate: varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Geoparks

Global geoparks and regional networks: Ngorongoro Lengai (2023)
Total global geoparks and regional networks: 1

Land Use

Other: 5.3% (2023 est.)
Forest: 50.1% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: 44.6% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 15.2% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 2.3% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 27.1% (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Urban population: 37.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 4.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Methane Emissions

Other: 1,226.8 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Waste: 168.3 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Energy: 568.3 kt (2022-2024 est.)
Agriculture: 1,176.8 kt (2019-2021 est.)

Waste and Recycling

Municipal solid waste generated annually: 9.277 million tons (2024 est.)
Percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 12.3% (2022 est.)

Environmental issues: water pollution; improper management of liquid waste; indoor air pollution from burning wood or charcoal for cooking and heating; soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; coral reef destruction; illegal hunting and animal trade, especially ivory; loss of biodiversity; solid waste disposal

Total Water Withdrawal

Municipal: 527 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Industrial: 25 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Agricultural: 4.632 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Total emissions: 17.707 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 3.954 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 1.687 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 12.066 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Particulate matter emissions: 14.5 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Total renewable water resources: 96.27 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

International Environmental Agreements

Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
Signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Military & Security

Military note: the chief concerns of the Tanzania Defense Forces (TDPF) are maritime piracy and smuggling, border security, terrorism, animal poaching, and spillover from instability in neighboring countries, particularly Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); it participates in multinational training exercises, regional peacekeeping deployments, and has ties with a variety of foreign militaries, including those of China, India, and the US; it has contributed troops to the UN’s Force Intervention Brigade in the DRC; the TPDF also participated in the former Southern African Development Community intervention force in Mozambique, which assisted the Mozambique military in combating fighters affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); the regional force withdrew in 2024, but the TPDF continues to maintain troops in Mozambique as part of a separate bilateral security agreement; since 2020, the TPDF has reinforced the border with Mozambique following several cross-border attacks by ISIS fighters (2025)
Military deployments: 520 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); more than 1,000 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO and Southern African Development Community regional force); 125 Lebanon (UNIFIL); approximately 300 Mozambique (under bi-lateral agreement to assist with combatting an insurgency) (2025)

Military Expenditures

Civica canonical (reconciled): 1.2%

Military expenditures 2020: 1.2% of GDP (2020 est.)
Military expenditures 2021: 1.1% of GDP (2021 est.)
Military expenditures 2022: 1.2% of GDP (2022 est.)
Military expenditures 2023: 1.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
Military expenditures 2024: 1.3% of GDP (2024 est.)

Military and security forces: Tanzania People's Defense Forces (TPDF or Jeshi la Wananchi la Tanzania, JWTZ): Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air Force, Nation Building Army (Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa, JKT), Reserve Forces

Ministry of Home Affairs: Tanzania Police Force (Jeshi la Polisi Tanzania) (2025)
Military service age and obligation: generally 18-25 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women, but may go up to 35 years of age depending on education levels and for medical specialists; no conscription (2026)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions: the TPDF's inventory includes mostly British, Chinese, and Russian/Soviet-era armaments (2025)
Military and security service personnel strengths: approximately 25,000 active Defense Forces (2025)

Terrorism

Terrorist group(s): al-Shabaab; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)

Transnational Issues

Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons

Idps: 75,117 (2024 est.)
Refugees: 218,123 (2024 est.)

Scores & Rankings

ScoreValueGlobal rankTrendAs of

Civica Index38.0 / 100as of 2024-Q4120 / 1902024-Q4

Civica Pulse−2.6as of 2026-05-06—2026-05-06

V-Dem Liberal Democracy0.37as of 2024-Q484 / 1702024-Q4

Freedom House StatusNot Free (33/100)as of 2024-Q4—2024-Q4

Press Freedom (RSF)Partly free (55/100)as of 2024—2024

Cite this page

Cite this pageAPA · BibTeX · Chicago · JSON

Civica. (2026). Civica Atlas — Tanzania — vintage 2026-Q1: Tanzania factbook. Civica Atlas. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://civicaatlas.org/factbook/tanzania

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Sources: FAO FAOSTAT, ILO ILOSTAT, IMF (WEO), UN Statistics Division, UNDP HDR, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, V-Dem, WHO Global Health Observatory, World Bank, WTO Stats, CIA World Factbook, Wikidata

Tanzania

Area

Land Use

Elevation

Land Boundaries

Maritime Claims

Major Lakes (Area Sq Km)

Major Watersheds (Area Sq Km)

Literacy

Languages

Sex Ratio

Median Age

Population

Nationality

Tobacco Use

Urbanization

Age Structure

Child Marriage

Dependency Ratios

Health Expenditure

Drinking Water Source

Education Expenditure

Infant Mortality Rate

Life Expectancy at Birth

Sanitation Facility Access

Alcohol Consumption Per Capita

School Life Expectancy (Primary to Tertiary Education)

How power is organised

Capital

Citizenship

Constitution

Country Name

Judicial Branch

Executive Branch

National Heritage

Legislative Branch

National Anthem(s)

Diplomatic Representation in the US

Diplomatic Representation from the US

National Assembly

Current

Samia Suluhu Hassan

Budget

Exports

Imports

Public Debt

Remittances

Exchange Rates

Debt External

Unemployment Rate

Real GDP Per Capita

Real GDP Growth Rate

Current Account Balance

GDP Composition, BY End Use

Average Household Expenditures

Inflation Rate (Consumer Prices)

Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)

Youth Unemployment Rate (Ages 15 24)

Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold

GDP Composition, BY Sector of Origin

Household Income or Consumption BY Percentage Share

Gini Index Coefficient Distribution of Family Income

Coal

Petroleum

Electricity

Natural Gas

Electricity Access

Energy Consumption Per Capita

Electricity Generation Sources

Internet Users

Telephones Fixed Lines

Telephones Mobile Cellular

Broadband Fixed Subscriptions

Ports

Railways

Merchant Marine

Geoparks

Land Use

Urbanization

Methane Emissions