Map of Tanzania | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background:


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

Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S, 35 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 947,300 km²
Land: 885,800 km²
Water: 61,500 km²
Note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar
Comparative: more than six times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than twice the size of California
Country comparison total: 4,161 km
Country comparison border countries: (8) 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

Land boundaries
Total: 4,161 km
Border countries: (8) 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: 43.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 14.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 2.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 27.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land forest: 37.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land other: 19% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,840 km² (2012)

Major rivers
By length in km: Nile (shared with Rwanda [s], Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt [m]) - 6,650 km
By length in km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 km²), (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 km²); Indian Ocean drainage: Zambezi (1,332,412 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 530 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 4.63 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 96.3 billion m³ (2019 est.)

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


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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
Total: 67,462,121
Male: 33,691,904
Female: 33,770,217 (2024 est.)
Growth rate: 2.72% (2024 est.)
Below poverty line: 26.4% (2018 est.)
Below poverty line note: % of population with income below national poverty line

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: 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 samples: Gheos World Guide Chanzo cha Lazima Kuhusu Habari ya Msingi. (Kiswahili); Gheos World Guide, 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.)
Note: Zanzibar is almost entirely Muslim

Demographic profile

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: 87.7
Youth dependency ratio: 81.9
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.9
Potential support ratio: 20.4 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 19.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 18.8 years
Female: 19.4 years

Population growth rate: 2.72% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 32.5 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 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)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution; improper management of liquid waste; indoor air pollution caused by the burning of fuel wood or charcoal for cooking and heating is a large environmental health issue; soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of coral reefs threatens marine habitats; wildlife threatened by illegal hunting and trade, especially for ivory; loss of biodiversity; solid waste disposal
International 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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 15.36 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 11.97 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 59.08 megatons (2020 est.)

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.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 19.9 years (2022 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 15-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 238 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 29.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 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: 4.27 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 38.4% (2015/16)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 95.1% of population
Unimproved rural: 40.6% of population
Unimproved total: 28% of population (2020 est.)
Unimproved urban: 4.9% of population

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density: 0.7 beds/1,000 population

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 89.4% of population
Improved rural: 29.2% of population
Improved total: 50.4% of population
Unimproved urban: 10.6% of population
Unimproved rural: 70.8% of population
Unimproved total: 49.6% of population (2020 est.)

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 8.4% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 7.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0.74 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.38 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 6.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 8.7% (2020 est.)
Male: 14% (2020 est.)
Female: 3.4% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 12.1% (2022)

Education expenditures: 3.3% of GDP (2021 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write Kiswahili (Swahili), English, or Arabic
Total population: 81.8%
Male: 85.5%
Female: 78.2% (2021)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 9 years
Male: 9 years
Female: 9 years (2021)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 3.5% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 2.6% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 4.4% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment


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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
Note: Dodoma was designated the national capital in 1996; Dar es Salaam, the original national capital, is the country's largest city and commercial center
Geographic coordinates: 6 48 S, 39 17 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: Dodoma, in the native Gogo language, means 'it has sunk'; supposedly, one day during the rainy season, an elephant drowned in the area; the villagers in that place were so struck by what had occurred, that ever since the locale has been referred to as the place where 'it (the elephant) sunk'

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

Dependent areas

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)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest adopted 25 April 1977
Note: drafting of a new constitution by the National Assembly in 2014 had stalled, and not until 2021, when President HASSAN expressed the need for broad government reform was there a renewed mandate for a new constitution; a task force drafted and submitted a report in October 2,202 with broad government reform recommendations, including a six-pronged approach to a new constitution; the president as recently as mid-2023 reaffirmed her commitment to a new constitution; Tanzania's political opposition in early 2024, called for protests rallying countrywide support for action on this issue
Amendments: 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; amended several times, last in 2017

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

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
Elections/appointments: 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); election last held on 28 October 2020 (next to be held in October 2025); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: 2020: John MAGUFULI reelected president; percent of vote - John MAGUFULI (CCM) 84.4%, Tundu LISSU (CHADEMA) 13%, other 2.6%
Note: 3: following the death of President John MAGUFULI in March 2021, then Vice President Samia Suluhu HASSAN assumed the presidency

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Parliament (Bunge) (393 seats; 264 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 113 women indirectly elected by proportional representation vote, 5 indirectly elected by simple majority vote by the Zanzibar House of Representatives, 10 appointed by the president, and 1 seat reserved for the attorney general; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: Tanzania National Assembly - last held on 28 October 2020 (next to be held in October 2025)
Elections results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CCM 350, Chadema 20, ACT-Wazalendo 4, CUF 3; composition - men 246, women 147, percentage women 37.4%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: 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 and leaders: 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

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us: chief of mission: Ambassador Elsie Sia KANZA (since 1 December 2021)
In the us chancery: 1232 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20,037
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 884-1080
In the us fax: [1] (202) 797-7,408
In the us email address and website: ubalozi@tanzaniaembassy-us.org; [link]
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Michael A. BATTLE Sr. (since 27 February 2023)
From the us embassy: 686 Old Bagamoyo Road, Msasani, P.O. Box 9,123, Dar es Salaam
From the us mailing address: 2,140 Dar es Salaam Place, Washington, DC 20,521-2,140
From the us telephone: [255] (22) 229-4,000
From the us fax: [255] (22) 229-4,721
From the us email address and website: DRSACS@state.gov; [link]

Flag description: divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is blue; the banner combines colors found on the flags of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; green represents the natural vegetation of the country, gold its rich mineral deposits, black the native Swahili people, and blue the country's many lakes and rivers, as well as the Indian Ocean

National symbols: Uhuru (Freedom) torch, giraffe; national colors: green, yellow, blue, black

National anthem
Name: 'Mungu ibariki Afrika' (God Bless Africa)
Lyrics/music: collective/Enoch Mankayi SONTONGA
Note: adopted 1961; the anthem, which is also a popular song in Africa, shares the same melody with that of Zambia but has different lyrics; the melody is also incorporated into South Africa's anthem

National heritage
Total world heritage sites: 7 (3 cultural, 3 natural, 1 mixed)
Selected world heritage site locales:


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Economy 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: $234.05 billion (2023 est.); $222.506 billion (2022 est.); $212.79 billion (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: 5.19% (2023 est.); 4.57% (2022 est.); 4.32% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: $3,600 (2023 est.); $3,500 (2022 est.); $3,500 (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 53.8% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 8.1% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 42% (2023 est.)
Investment in inventories: -1.7% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 17.8% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -20% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 23.7% (2023 est.)
Industry: 27.7% (2023 est.)
Services: 28.9% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products: cassava, maize, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, bananas, milk, rice, vegetables, beans, sunflower seeds (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

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: 3.9% (2023 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 31.219 million (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 2.61% (2023 est.); 2.61% (2022 est.); 2.81% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 3.5% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 2.6% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 4.4% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Population below poverty line: 26.4% (2018 est.)
Note: % of population with income below national poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $9.114 billion (2014 est.)
Expenditures: $8.926 billion (2014 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 11.47% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Public debt: 37% of GDP (2017 est.)

Revenue
From forest resources: 2.19% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0.02% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.8% (2023 est.); 4.35% (2022 est.); 3.69% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: -$5.384 billion (2022 est.); -$2.388 billion (2021 est.); -$1.459 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Exports: $11.986 billion (2022 est.); $9.874 billion (2021 est.); $8.555 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: India 27%, UAE 11%, South Africa 9%, Kenya 5%, Rwanda 5% (2022)
Partners note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Commodities: gold, raw copper, refined copper, copper ore, coconuts/Brazil nuts/cashews (2022)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $16.674 billion (2022 est.); $11.61 billion (2021 est.); $9.151 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: China 30%, India 18%, UAE 11%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 5%, Saudi Arabia 2% (2022)
Partners note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Commodities: refined petroleum, refined copper, garments, fertilizers, plastics (2022)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $5.05 billion (2018 est.); $5.888 billion (2017 est.); $4.351 billion (2016 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Debt external: $15.913 billion (2022 est.)
Note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 45.8% (2022 est.)
Access electrification urban areas: 74.7%
Access electrification rural areas: 36%
Installed generating capacity: 1.677 million kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 7.931 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Imports: 148.53 million kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 1.238 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 67.4% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 31.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0.8% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Coal
Production: 2.511 million metric tons (2022 est.)
Consumption: 802,000 metric tons (2022 est.)
Exports: 1.71 million metric tons (2022 est.)
Imports: 100 metric tons (2022 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.41 billion metric tons (2022 est.)

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 58,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 1.808 billion m³ (2022 est.)
Consumption: 1.808 billion m³ (2022 est.)
Proven reserves: 6.513 billion m³ (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 12.804 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 1.762 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 7.494 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 3.547 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 3.221 million Btu/person (2022 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 85,000 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 60.192 million (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 92 (2022 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 1.3% of GDP (2023 est.); 1.2% of GDP (2022 est.); 1.1% of GDP (2021 est.); 1.2% of GDP (2020 est.); 1.1% of GDP (2019 est.)

Military and security forces: Tanzania People's Defense Forces (TPDF or Jeshi la Wananchi la Tanzania, JWTZ): Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air Force, National Building Army (Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa, JKT), People's Militia (Reserves); Ministry of Home Affairs: Tanzania Police Force (2024)
Note 1: the National Building Army (aka National Services) is a paramilitary organization under the Defense Forces that provides six months of military and vocational training to individuals as part of their two years of public service; after completion of training, some graduates join the regular Defense Forces while the remainder become part of the People's (or Citizen's) Militia
Note 2: the Tanzania Police Force includes the Police Field Force (aka Field Force Unit), a special police division with the responsibility for controlling unlawful demonstrations and riots

Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; 6-year commitment (2-year contracts afterwards); selective conscription for 2 years of public service (2024)

Space program

Terrorist groups: Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - Mozambique (ISIS-M)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 11 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 91
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,481,557 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 390,000 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 5H

Airports: 206 (2024)

Heliports

Pipelines: 311 km gas, 891 km oil, 8 km refined products (2013)

Railways

Roadways
Total: 145,203 km
Paved: 11,201 km
Unpaved: 134,002 km (2022)

Waterways: 1,594 km (2022) (Lake Tanganyika 673 km, Lake Victoria 337 km, and Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) 584 km are the principal avenues of commerce with neighboring countries; the rivers are not navigable)

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 89,163 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 112,779 (Burundi) (2024)

Illicit drugs: significant transit country for illicit drugs in East Africa; international drug trafficking organizations and courier networks transit illicit drugs through mainland Tanzania to markets in within Africa, Europe and North America; cultivates cannabis and khat for domestic consumption and regional and international distribution; domestic drug use continues increasing including methamphetamine heroin use (2023)