Tanzania: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Also Known As	United Republic of Tanzania • Jamhuri ya Mwungano wa Tanzania
Head Of State And Government	President: Samia Suluhu Hassan
Capital	Dodoma
Population	(2024 est.) 65,444,000
Form Of Government	unitary multiparty republic with one legislative house (National Assembly [393¹])
Official Languages	Swahili; English
Official Religion	none
Official Name	Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania (Swahili); United Republic of Tanzania (English)
Total Area (Sq Km)	945,500
Total Area (Sq Mi)	365,060
Monetary Unit	Tanzanian shilling (TZS)
Population Rank	(2023) 23
Population Projection 2030	71,992,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2023) 173.7
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2023) 67.1
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2020) 35.2% • Rural: (2020) 64.8%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2021) 63.7 years • Female: (2021) 69 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2021) 86% • Female: (2021) 78%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2022) 75,940
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2022) 1,200
¹Includes 113 seats reserved for women, 5 for Zanzibar (including 2 for women), up to 10 seats appointed by the president (including 5 for women), and a seat for the attorney general serving ex officio.

A little more than two of the U.S. state of California can fit within Tanzania, as it is the largest country in East Africa.
Tanzania is home to the famed Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, with its summit at 19,340 feet (5,895 meters).
Tanzania experiences some of the most luminescent moons in the world, often so bright that flashlights are not necessary for people to see at night.
Tanzania is divided roughly into thirds between practitioners of folk religion, Christians, and Muslims (many of whom live on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar). Currently, the largest religious denomination in Tanzania is Roman Catholic Christianity, followed by Protestant Christianity, Sunni Islam, and Shia Islam.
Tanzania has the largest animal population density out of any country in the world. That is, there are more animals per square mile of land in Tanzania than in any other country.