Population growth in Tanzania
Tanzania: Population growth was 2.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population growth in Tanzania, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth in Tanzania is 2.9%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Tanzania peaked at 3.8% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 1996.
Tanzania ranks 16th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Population growth in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.9% | — |
| 1962 | 2.9% | +1.7% |
| 1963 | 2.9% | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 3.0% | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 3.0% | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 3.1% | +0.9% |
| 1967 | 3.1% | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 3.2% | +4.5% |
| 1969 | 3.4% | +4.6% |
| 1970 | 3.4% | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 3.5% | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 3.6% | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 3.6% | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 3.6% | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 3.6% | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 3.6% | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 3.6% | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 3.5% | -2.4% |
| 1979 | 3.4% | -4.7% |
| 1980 | 3.2% | -6.0% |
| 1981 | 3.1% | -3.5% |
| 1982 | 3.1% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 3.3% | +7.5% |
| 1984 | 3.3% | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 3.3% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3.3% | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 3.3% | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 3.0% | -7.1% |
| 1989 | 2.7% | -12.0% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | -2.3% |
| 1991 | 2.5% | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 2.5% | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 3.1% | +25.6% |
| 1994 | 3.8% | +22.5% |
| 1995 | 3.1% | -18.1% |
| 1996 | 1.8% | -41.7% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | +10.3% |
| 1998 | 2.6% | +30.2% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 2.8% | +6.1% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 2.6% | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 2.7% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 2.8% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 2.8% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 2.7% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | -8.7% |
| 2010 | 2.5% | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | +10.0% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 3.0% | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | +5.9% |
| 2016 | 3.4% | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 3.3% | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 3.2% | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 3.0% | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 3.0% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 3.0% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 2.9% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 2.9% | -0.7% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 2.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.7%, 1.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 2.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.3%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth in Tanzania changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | -41.7% | 3.1% | 1.8% |
| 1998 | +30.2% | 2.0% | 2.6% |
| 1993 | +25.6% | 2.5% | 3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.1% | 2.9% | 3.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.1% | 2.7% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 1.8% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.0% | 2.5% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 2.9% | 3.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More climate change data for Tanzania
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.6683 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.3295 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.5126 °C (2026)
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 2.6% (2100)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 2.9 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 4.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.3688 units per person (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate -140.91 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Tanzania?
- Population growth in Tanzania was 2.9% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 1994.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 1996.
- How does Tanzania rank for population growth?
- Tanzania ranks 16th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tanzania data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.