THE WORLD FACTBOOK — Reference Edition 2026

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.

Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique
Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S, 35 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 947,300 sq km
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: 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
Coastline: 1,424 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
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: highest point: Kilimanjaro (highest point in Africa) 5,895 m
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: 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.)
Irrigated land: 1,840 sq km (2012)
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 kmnote: [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)
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: 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

Population: total: 69,145,464 (2025 est.)
male: 34,597,449
female: 34,548,015
Nationality: noun: Tanzanian(s)
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: 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.)
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)
Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 81.8 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 76 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 5.8 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 17.3 (2025 est.)
Median age: total: 18.8 years (2025 est.)
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: urban population: 37.4% of total population (2023)
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: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
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: total: 28.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 32.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 26.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.8 years (2024 est.)
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: urban: 81.1% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 49% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 60.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 18.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 51% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 39.2% of population (2022 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.)
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: urban: 89.6% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 27.2% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 50.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 10.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 72.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 49.9% of population (2022 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 8.4% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita: total: 7.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
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: total: 6.5% (2025 est.)
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 15: 5.2% (2022)
women married by age 18: 29.1% (2022)
men married by age 18: 3.5% (2022)
Education expenditure: Education expenditure (% GDP): 3.2% of GDP (2024 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 13.4% national budget (2024 est.)
Literacy: total population: 78.2% (2022 est.)
male: 84.2% (2022 est.)
female: 73.1% (2022 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total: 9 years (2021 est.)
male: 9 years (2021 est.)
female: 9 years (2021 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
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
Climate: varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands
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.)
Urbanization: urban population: 37.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 4.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: total emissions: 17.707 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.)
from consumed natural gas: 3.954 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions: 14.5 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Methane emissions: energy: 568.3 kt (2022-2024 est.)
agriculture: 1,176.8 kt (2019-2021 est.)
waste: 168.3 kt (2019-2021 est.)
other: 1,226.8 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.)
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.)
Total renewable water resources: 96.27 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Geoparks: total global geoparks and regional networks: 1
global geoparks and regional networks: Ngorongoro Lengai (2023)

Country name: conventional long form: United Republic of Tanzania
conventional short form: Tanzania
local long form: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania
local short form: Tanzania
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
Government type: presidential republic
Capital: name: Dodoma
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: 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
International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Samia Suluhu HASSAN (since 19 March 2021)
head of government: President Samia Suluhu HASSAN (since 19 March 2021)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among members of the National Assembly
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
most recent election date: 29 October 2025
election results: 2025: Samia Suluhu HASSAN reelected; percent of vote - Samia Suluhu HASSAN (CCM) 97.7%, others 2.3%
expected date of next election: October 2030
Legislative branch: legislature name: National Assembly (Bunge)
legislative structure: unicameral
number of seats: 403 (272 directly elected; 120 indirectly elected; 10 appointed; 1 other)
electoral system: plurality/majority
scope of elections: full renewal
term in office: 5 years
most recent election date: 10/29/2025
parties elected and seats per party: Revolutionary Party of Tanzania (CCM) (383); ACT-Wazalendo (2)
percentage of women in chamber: 39.5%
expected date of next election: October 2030
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
Political parties: Alliance for Change and Transparency (Wazalendo) or ACT-WazalendoCivic United Front (Chama Cha Wananchi) or CUFParty of Democracy and Development (Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo) or CHADEMARevolutionary Party of Tanzania (Chama Cha Mapinduzi) or CCM
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Elsie Sia KANZA (since 1 December 2021)
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.orghttps://us.tzembassy.go.tz/
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Andrew LENTZ (since January 2025)
embassy: 686 Old Bagamoyo Road, Msasani, P.O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam
mailing address: 2140 Dar es Salaam Place, Washington, DC 20521-2140
telephone: [255] (22) 229-4000
FAX: [255] (22) 229-4721
email address and website: DRSACS@state.govhttps://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: 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 bluemeaning: 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): title: "Mungu ibariki Afrika" (God Bless Africa)
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: 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)

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) 2024: $246.706 billion (2024 est.)
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 2024: 5.5% (2024 est.)
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 2024: $3,700 (2024 est.)
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) 2024: 3.1% (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 3.8% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 4.4% (2022 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 23.4% (2024 est.)
industry: 28.7% (2024 est.)
services: 28.4% (2024 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use: household consumption: 52.9% (2024 est.)
government consumption: 9.2% (2024 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 41.4% (2024 est.)
investment in inventories: -1.6% (2024 est.)
exports of goods and services: 19.8% (2024 est.)
imports of goods and services: -21.7% (2024 est.)
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 2024: 2.6% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023: 2.6% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 2.6% (2022 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): total: 3.3% (2024 est.)
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: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2018: 40.5 (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.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.9% (2018 est.)
highest 10%: 33.1% (2018 est.)
Remittances: Remittances 2023: 1% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 0.9% of GDP (2022 est.)
Remittances 2021: 0.8% of GDP (2021 est.)
Budget: revenues: $11.716 billion (2024 est.)
expenditures: $13.583 billion (2024 est.)
Public debt: Public debt 2016: 38% of GDP (2016 est.)
Taxes and other revenues: 11.5% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Current account balance: Current account balance 2023: -$2.958 billion (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: -$5.482 billion (2022 est.)
Current account balance 2021: -$2.374 billion (2021 est.)
Exports: Exports 2023: $13.98 billion (2023 est.)
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 2023: $16.059 billion (2023 est.)
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 2018: $5.05 billion (2018 est.)
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: Debt - external 2023: $17.513 billion (2023 est.)
Exchange rates: Currency: Tanzanian shillings (TZS) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2024: 2,597.9 (2024 est.)
Exchange rates 2023: 2,383.043 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2022: 2,303.034 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2021: 2,297.764 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2020: 2,294.146 (2020 est.)

Electricity access: electrification - total population: 45.8% (2022 est.)
electrification - urban areas: 74.7%
electrification - rural areas: 36%
Electricity: installed generating capacity: 1.818 million kW (2023 est.)
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: fossil fuels: 74.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
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: production: 2.341 million metric tons (2023 est.)
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: refined petroleum consumption: 85,000 bbl/day (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.)
Energy consumption per capita: Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 4.091 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

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.)
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.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions: total: 1.66 million (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2023 est.)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 5H
Airports: 206 (2025)
Railways: total: 4,097 km (2022)
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: total: 381 (2023)
by type: bulk carrier 4, container ship 17, general cargo 170, oil tanker 58, other 132
Ports: total ports: 8 (2024)
large: 0
medium: 1
small: 3
very small: 4
ports with oil terminals: 4
key ports: Chake Chake, Dar Es Salaam, Tanga, Zanzibar

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 ForcesMinistry of Home Affairs: Tanzania Police Force (Jeshi la Polisi Tanzania) (2025)
Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2024: 1.3% of GDP (2024 est.)
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)

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees: 218,123 (2024 est.)
IDPs: 75,117 (2024 est.)

Tanzania