2020 Edition

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.

Area

land

885,800 sq km

total

947,300 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

Climate

varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Coastline

1,424 km

Elevation

highest point

Kilimanjaro (highest point in Africa) 5,895 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

mean elevation

1,018 m

Geographic coordinates

6 00 S, 35 00 E

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

Irrigated land

1,840 sq km (2012)

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

total

4,161 km

Land use

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.)

forest

50.1% (2023 est.)

other

5.3% (2023 est.)

Location

Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique

Major lakes (area 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

salt water lake(s)

Lake Rukwa - 5,760 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

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage

Congo (3,730,881 sq km), (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)

Indian Ocean drainage

Zambezi (1,332,412 sq km)

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 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

Natural resources

hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones (including tanzanite, found only in Tanzania), gold, natural gas, nickel

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

Terrain

plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south

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)

Alcohol consumption per capita

beer

0.74 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

6.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.38 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

7.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

33.45 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

11.4% (2022 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

59.2% (2022 est.)

Death rate

4.96 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

5.8 (2025 est.)

potential support ratio

17.3 (2025 est.)

total dependency ratio

81.8 (2025 est.)

youth dependency ratio

76 (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.)

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

Gross reproduction rate

2.19 (2025 est.)

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.)

Hospital bed density

0.6 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

26.9 deaths/1,000 live births

male

32.3 deaths/1,000 live births

total

28.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 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.

Life expectancy at birth

female

72.6 years

male

69 years

total population

70.8 years (2024 est.)

Literacy

female

73.1% (2022 est.)

male

84.2% (2022 est.)

total population

78.2% (2022 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)

Maternal mortality ratio

276 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Median age

female

19.4 years

male

18.8 years

total

18.8 years (2025 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

19.9 years (2022 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Tanzanian

noun

Tanzanian(s)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

8.4% (2016)

Physician density

0.13 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

Population

female

34,548,015

male

34,597,449

total

69,145,464 (2025 est.)

Population growth rate

2.85% (2025 est.)

Religions

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

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

9 years (2021 est.)

male

9 years (2021 est.)

total

9 years (2021 est.)

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

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

total population

1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Tobacco use

female

2% (2025 est.)

male

11.3% (2025 est.)

total

6.5% (2025 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.45 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

4.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

37.4% of total population (2023)

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

Capital

etymology

the name comes from the name of a nearby mountain; the origin of the mountain's name is unclear

geographic coordinates

6 48 S, 39 17 E

name

Dodoma

time difference

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

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

history

several previous; latest adopted 25 April 1977

Country name

conventional long form

United Republic of Tanzania

conventional short form

Tanzania

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

former

German East Africa, Trust Territory of Tanganyika, Republic of Tanganyika, People's Republic of Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

local long form

Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania

local short form

Tanzania

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charg&eacute; d&rsquo;Affaires Andrew LENTZ (since January 2025)

email address and website

DRSACS@state.gov https://tz.usembassy.gov/

embassy

686 Old Bagamoyo Road, Msasani, P.O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam

FAX

[255] (22) 229-4721

mailing address

2140 Dar es Salaam Place, Washington, DC 20521-2140

telephone

[255] (22) 229-4000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1232 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037

chief of mission

Ambassador Elsie Sia KANZA (since 1 December 2021)

email address and website

ubalozi@tanzaniaembassy-us.org https://us.tzembassy.go.tz/

FAX

[1] (202) 797-7408

telephone

[1] (202) 884-1080

Executive branch

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%

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

head of government

President Samia Suluhu HASSAN (since 19 March 2021)

most recent election date

29 October 2025

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

Government type

presidential republic

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)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

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)

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

Legal system

English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation

Legislative branch

electoral system

plurality/majority

expected date of next election

October 2030

legislative structure

unicameral

legislature name

National Assembly (Bunge)

most recent election date

10/29/2025

number of seats

403 (272 directly elected; 120 indirectly elected; 10 appointed; 1 other)

parties elected and seats per party

Revolutionary Party of Tanzania (CCM) (383); ACT-Wazalendo (2)

percentage of women in chamber

39.5%

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

5 years

National anthem(s)

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

title

"Mungu ibariki Afrika" (God Bless Africa)

National color(s)

green, yellow, blue, black

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)

total World Heritage Sites

7 (3 cultural, 3 natural, 1 mixed)

National holiday

Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964)

National symbol(s)

Uhuru (freedom) torch, giraffe

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, bananas, milk, sugarcane, rice, vegetables, beans, sunflower seeds (2023)

Average household expenditures

on alcohol and tobacco

1.3% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on food

26.2% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$13.583 billion (2024 est.)

revenues

$11.716 billion (2024 est.)

Current account balance

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.)

Debt - external

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

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.)

Exports

Exports 2021

$9.874 billion (2021 est.)

Exports 2022

$11.986 billion (2022 est.)

Exports 2023

$13.98 billion (2023 est.)

Exports - commodities

gold, refined petroleum, dried legumes, refined copper, coal (2023)

Exports - partners

India 15%, UAE 14%, Uganda 12%, South Africa 10%, China 6% (2023)

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

19.8% (2024 est.)

government consumption

9.2% (2024 est.)

household consumption

52.9% (2024 est.)

imports of goods and services

-21.7% (2024 est.)

investment in fixed capital

41.4% (2024 est.)

investment in inventories

-1.6% (2024 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

23.4% (2024 est.)

industry

28.7% (2024 est.)

services

28.4% (2024 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$78.78 billion (2024 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2018

40.5 (2018 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

33.1% (2018 est.)

lowest 10%

2.9% (2018 est.)

Imports

Imports 2021

$11.61 billion (2021 est.)

Imports 2022

$16.674 billion (2022 est.)

Imports 2023

$16.059 billion (2023 est.)

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, plastics, garments, fertilizers, wheat (2023)

Imports - partners

China 32%, India 13%, UAE 9%, Saudi Arabia 5%, Japan 4% (2023)

Industrial production growth rate

5.2% (2024 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

Inflation rate (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.)

Labor force

32.983 million (2024 est.)

Population below poverty line

26.4% (2018 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2016

38% of GDP (2016 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

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.)

Real GDP growth rate

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.)

Real GDP per capita

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.)

Remittances

Remittances 2021

0.8% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

0.9% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

1% of GDP (2023 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

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.)

Taxes and other revenues

11.5% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2022

2.6% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

2.6% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2024

2.6% (2024 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

4.2% (2024 est.)

male

2.6% (2024 est.)

total

3.3% (2024 est.)

Coal

consumption

740,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

exports

1.602 million metric tons (2023 est.)

imports

21 metric tons (2023 est.)

production

2.341 million metric tons (2023 est.)

proven reserves

1.41 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Electricity

consumption

9.109 billion kWh (2023 est.)

imports

157.688 million kWh (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity

1.818 million kW (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

2.039 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - rural areas

36%

electrification - total population

45.8% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

74.7%

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

0.7% 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.)

solar

0.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2023

4.091 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

2.016 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

production

2.016 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

proven reserves

6.513 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

refined petroleum consumption

85,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

2 (2023 est.)

total

1.66 million (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

Internet users

percent of population

29% (2023 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

(2023 est.) less than 1

total subscriptions

76,000 (2023 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

127 (2024 est.)

total subscriptions

86.8 million (2024 est.)

Airports

206 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

5H

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 4, container ship 17, general cargo 170, oil tanker 58, other 132

total

381 (2023)

Ports

key ports

Chake Chake, Dar Es Salaam, Tanga, Zanzibar

large

0

medium

1

ports with oil terminals

4

small

3

total ports

8 (2024)

very small

4

Railways

broad gauge

2,707 km (2022) 1.000 m guage

narrow gauge

969 km (2022) 1.067 m gauge

standard gauge

421 km (2022)

total

4,097 km (2022)

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&rsquo;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 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 and security service personnel strengths

approximately 25,000 active Defense Forces (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 equipment inventories and acquisitions

the TPDF's inventory includes mostly British, Chinese, and Russian/Soviet-era armaments (2025)

Military expenditures

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 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)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

75,117 (2024 est.)

refugees

218,123 (2024 est.)

Terrorist group(s)

al-Shabaab; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

1.687 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from consumed natural gas

3.954 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

12.066 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

total emissions

17.707 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 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

Geoparks

global geoparks and regional networks

Ngorongoro Lengai (2023)

total global geoparks and regional networks

1

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

Methane emissions

agriculture

1,176.8 kt (2019-2021 est.)

energy

568.3 kt (2022-2024 est.)

other

1,226.8 kt (2019-2021 est.)

waste

168.3 kt (2019-2021 est.)

Particulate matter emissions

14.5 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Total renewable water resources

96.27 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

4.632 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial

25 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

municipal

527 million cubic meters (2022 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.)