Urban population in Tanzania
Tanzania: Urban population was 36.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Tanzania, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Tanzania recorded 36.9% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Tanzania peaked at 36.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 1960.
That places Tanzania 181st out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4.9% | — |
| 1961 | 4.9% | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 4.9% | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 4.9% | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 5.0% | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 5.0% | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 5.0% | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 5.0% | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 5.2% | +3.1% |
| 1969 | 5.6% | +8.1% |
| 1970 | 6.3% | +11.5% |
| 1971 | 7.1% | +13.1% |
| 1972 | 8.0% | +13.4% |
| 1973 | 9.1% | +12.8% |
| 1974 | 10.1% | +11.7% |
| 1975 | 11.2% | +10.3% |
| 1976 | 12.1% | +8.7% |
| 1977 | 13.0% | +7.1% |
| 1978 | 13.7% | +5.3% |
| 1979 | 14.2% | +4.1% |
| 1980 | 14.8% | +3.7% |
| 1981 | 15.3% | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 15.7% | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 16.2% | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 16.6% | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 17.0% | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 17.4% | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 17.8% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 18.2% | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 18.6% | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 18.9% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 19.3% | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 19.6% | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 19.9% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 20.2% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 20.5% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 20.8% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 21.1% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 21.5% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 21.8% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 22.2% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 22.6% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 23.0% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 23.5% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 24.1% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 24.7% | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 25.4% | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 26.1% | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 26.8% | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 27.5% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 28.2% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 28.9% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 29.5% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 30.1% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 30.6% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 31.2% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 31.8% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 32.3% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 32.8% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 33.3% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 33.9% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 34.4% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 34.8% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 35.5% | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 36.2% | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 36.9% | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.0% | 4.9% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 10.5% | 6.3% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.7% | 14.8% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.4% | 18.9% | 21.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.6% | 22.2% | 27.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.9% | 28.2% | 33.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.3% | 33.9% | 36.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More climate change data for Tanzania
- Share co2 vs population 2.58 (2100)
- Urban population 26.02 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 4.8% (2025)
- Population, total 70.55 million (2025)
- Population growth 2.9% (2025)
- Annual Net Emissions/Removals 102.53 (2024)
- Temperature change with respect to a baseline climatology 1.33 (2024)
- Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use 0.292 tonnes per person (2024)
- Share global cumulative co2 including land 0.276 (2024)
- Cumulative co2 including land 7.59 billion (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Tanzania?
- Urban population in Tanzania was 36.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 36.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 1960.
- How does Tanzania rank for urban population?
- Tanzania ranks 181st out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tanzania data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.