Share of population living in urbanized areas in Tanzania

Tanzania: Share of population living in urbanized areas was 35.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
35.0%
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
176th
of 202 countries
All-time high
35.0%
in 2025
All-time low
0.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Share of population living in urbanized areas in Tanzania, 1000–2025

010203040100015122025

Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urbanized areas in Tanzania is 35.0%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 19.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urbanized areas in Tanzania peaked at 35.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.

That places Tanzania 176th out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1100s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1200s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1300s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1400s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1500s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1600s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
1700s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1710s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
1720s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
1730s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
1740s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
1750s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 1
1760s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 1
1770s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1
1780s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1
1790s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1
1800s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 1
1810s 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 1
1820s 1.1% 1.1% 1.1% 1
1830s 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1
1840s 1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 1
1850s 1.4% 1.4% 1.4% 1
1860s 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1
1870s 1.7% 1.7% 1.7% 1
1880s 1.8% 1.8% 1.8% 1
1890s 2.0% 2.0% 2.0% 1
1900s 2.2% 2.2% 2.2% 1
1910s 2.4% 2.4% 2.4% 1
1920s 2.7% 2.7% 2.7% 1
1930s 2.9% 2.9% 2.9% 1
1940s 3.2% 3.2% 3.2% 1
1950s 4.3% 3.5% 5.1% 10
1960s 6.0% 5.2% 7.3% 10
1970s 10.9% 7.8% 14.1% 10
1980s 16.5% 14.5% 18.5% 10
1990s 20.4% 18.9% 22.0% 10
2000s 24.2% 22.4% 26.0% 10
2010s 29.0% 26.4% 31.5% 10
2020s 33.6% 32.1% 35.0% 6

Countries ranked near Tanzania

  1. 173 Bangladesh 37.4% compare
  2. 174 Chad 37.0% compare
  3. 175 Burkina Faso 36.8% compare
  4. 177 Tajikistan 35.0% compare
  5. 178 Vanuatu 34.5% compare
  6. 179 Guyana 34.2% compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More population data for Tanzania

All data for Tanzania →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urbanized areas in Tanzania?
Share of population living in urbanized areas in Tanzania was 35.0% in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Tanzania?
The highest recorded value was 35.0% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Tanzania?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
How does Tanzania rank for share of population living in urbanized areas?
Tanzania ranks 176th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urbanized areas rising or falling in Tanzania?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Tanzania data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urbanized areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urbanized areas
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,784 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of population living in urban areas in a country over time.