Tanzania
United Republic of Tanzania
Population
69.15M
Area
947,300 km²
GDP
$78.78B
GDP Per Capita
$3,700
Pop. Density
73/km²
Quick Facts
Currency
ShTanzanian shilling(TZS)
Calling Code
+255
Timezone
UTC+03:00
Languages
English, Swahili
Driving Side
left
Demonym
Tanzanian
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.
Historical Trends
GDP (USD)
↑323.4% since 2006Population
↑70.1% since 2006Life Expectancy at Birth
Latest: 67.0 yearsData source: World Bank Open Data
Geography20
Location
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique
Geographic coordinates
6 00 S, 35 00 E
Map references
Africa
Area
land: 885,800 sq km
water: 61,500 sq km
Area - comparative
more than six times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than twice the size of California
Land boundaries
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
Coastline
1,424 km
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate
varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands
Terrain
plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south
Elevation
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
mean elevation: 1,018 m
Natural resources
hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones (including tanzanite, found only in Tanzania), gold, natural gas, nickel
Land use
agricultural land
agricultural land: arable land
agricultural land: permanent crops
agricultural land: permanent pasture
forest
other
Irrigated land
1,840 sq km (2012)
Major lakes (area sq km)
salt water lake(s): Lake Rukwa - 5,760 sq km
Major rivers (by length in km)
note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Indian Ocean drainage: Zambezi (1,332,412 sq km)
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
Natural hazards
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
People & Society36
Population
male: 34,597,449
female: 34,548,015
Nationality
adjective: Tanzanian
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
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.)
Age structure
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)
Dependency ratios
youth dependency ratio: 76 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 5.8 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 17.3 (2025 est.)
Median age
male: 18.8 years
female: 19.4 years
Population growth rate
2.85% (2025 est.)
Birth rate
33.45 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
4.96 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (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
Urbanization
rate of urbanization: 4.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 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)
Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
19.9 years (2022 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
276 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male: 32.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 26.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth
male: 69 years
female: 72.6 years
Total fertility rate
4.45 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
2.19 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: urban
improved: rural
improved: total
unimproved: urban
unimproved: rural
unimproved: total
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of national budget): 5.1% of national budget (2022 est.)
Physician density
0.13 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Hospital bed density
0.6 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban
improved: rural
improved: total
unimproved: urban
unimproved: rural
unimproved: total
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
8.4% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer: 0.74 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.09 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.)
Tobacco use
male: 11.3% (2025 est.)
female: 2% (2025 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
11.4% (2022 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
59.2% (2022 est.)
Child marriage
women married by age 18: 29.1% (2022)
men married by age 18: 3.5% (2022)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% national budget): 13.4% national budget (2024 est.)
Literacy
male: 84.2% (2022 est.)
female: 73.1% (2022 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male: 9 years (2021 est.)
female: 9 years (2021 est.)
Government23
Country name
conventional long form
conventional short form
local long form
local short form
former
etymology
Government type
presidential republic
Capital
geographic coordinates: 6 48 S, 39 17 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: the name comes from the name of a nearby mountain; the origin of the mountain's name is unclear
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
Legal system
English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation
Constitution
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
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship
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
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
head of government
cabinet
election/appointment process
most recent election date
election results
2025: Samia Suluhu HASSAN reelected; percent of vote - Samia Suluhu HASSAN (CCM) 97.7%, others 2.3%
expected date of next election
Legislative branch
legislature name
legislative structure
number of seats
electoral system
scope of elections
term in office
most recent election date
parties elected and seats per party
percentage of women in chamber
expected date of next election
Judicial branch
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
subordinate courts: Resident Magistrates Courts; Kadhi courts (for Islamic family matters); district and primary courts
Political parties
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
Diplomatic representation in the US
chancery: 1232 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 884-1080
FAX: [1] (202) 797-7408
email address and website:
ubalozi@tanzaniaembassy-us.org
https://us.tzembassy.go.tz/
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
embassy
mailing address
telephone
FAX
email address and website
DRSACS@state.gov
https://tz.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
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
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)
National holiday
Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964)
Flag
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
National symbol(s)
Uhuru (freedom) torch, giraffe
National color(s)
green, yellow, blue, black
National anthem(s)
lyrics/music: collective/Enoch Mankayi SONTONGA
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
National heritage
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)
Economy32
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
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $233.786 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $222.506 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate
Real GDP growth rate 2023: 5.1% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 4.6% (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita
Real GDP per capita 2023: $3,600 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $3,500 (2022 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$78.78 billion (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 3.8% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 4.4% (2022 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
industry: 28.7% (2024 est.)
services: 28.4% (2024 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use
household consumption
government consumption
investment in fixed capital
investment in inventories
exports of goods and services
imports of goods and services
Agricultural products
maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, bananas, milk, sugarcane, rice, vegetables, beans, sunflower seeds (2023)
Industries
agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine); mining (diamonds, gold, and iron), salt, soda ash; cement, oil refining, shoes, apparel, wood products, fertilizer
Industrial production growth rate
5.2% (2024 est.)
Labor force
32.983 million (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate
Unemployment rate 2023: 2.6% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 2.6% (2022 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
male: 2.6% (2024 est.)
female: 4.2% (2024 est.)
Population below poverty line
26.4% (2018 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
Average household expenditures
on alcohol and tobacco: 1.3% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
highest 10%: 33.1% (2018 est.)
Remittances
Remittances 2022: 0.9% of GDP (2022 est.)
Remittances 2021: 0.8% of GDP (2021 est.)
Budget
expenditures: $13.583 billion (2024 est.)
Public debt
Taxes and other revenues
11.5% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Current account balance
Current account balance 2022: -$5.482 billion (2022 est.)
Current account balance 2021: -$2.374 billion (2021 est.)
Exports
Exports 2022: $11.986 billion (2022 est.)
Exports 2021: $9.874 billion (2021 est.)
Exports - partners
India 15%, UAE 14%, Uganda 12%, South Africa 10%, China 6% (2023)
Exports - commodities
gold, refined petroleum, dried legumes, refined copper, coal (2023)
Imports
Imports 2022: $16.674 billion (2022 est.)
Imports 2021: $11.61 billion (2021 est.)
Imports - partners
China 32%, India 13%, UAE 9%, Saudi Arabia 5%, Japan 4% (2023)
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, plastics, garments, fertilizers, wheat (2023)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2017: $5.888 billion (2017 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2016: $4.351 billion (2016 est.)
Debt - external
Exchange rates
Currency
Exchange rates 2024
Exchange rates 2023
Exchange rates 2022
Exchange rates 2021
Exchange rates 2020
Energy7
Electricity access
electrification - urban areas: 74.7%
electrification - rural areas: 36%
Electricity
consumption: 9.109 billion kWh (2023 est.)
imports: 157.688 million kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 2.039 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Electricity generation sources
solar: 0.3% 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.)
Coal
consumption: 740,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
exports: 1.602 million metric tons (2023 est.)
imports: 21 metric tons (2023 est.)
proven reserves: 1.41 billion metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum
Natural gas
consumption: 2.016 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
proven reserves: 6.513 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Energy consumption per capita
Communications6
Telephones - fixed lines
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2023 est.) less than 1
Telephones - mobile cellular
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 127 (2024 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
Internet users
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2023 est.)
Transportation5
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
5H
Airports
206 (2025)
Railways
standard gauge: 421 km (2022)
narrow gauge: 969 km (2022) 1.067 m gauge
broad gauge: 2,707 km (2022) 1.000 m guage
Merchant marine
by type: bulk carrier 4, container ship 17, general cargo 170, oil tanker 58, other 132
Ports
total ports
large
medium
small
very small
ports with oil terminals
key ports
Military & Security7
Military and security forces
Ministry of Home Affairs: Tanzania Police Force (Jeshi la Polisi Tanzania) (2025)
Military expenditures
Military Expenditures 2023: 1.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
Military Expenditures 2022: 1.2% of GDP (2022 est.)
Military Expenditures 2021: 1.1% of GDP (2021 est.)
Military Expenditures 2020: 1.2% of GDP (2020 est.)
Military and security service personnel strengths
approximately 25,000 active Defense Forces (2025)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the TPDF's inventory includes mostly British, Chinese, and Russian/Soviet-era armaments (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 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 - 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)
Transnational Issues1
Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 75,117 (2024 est.)