Tanzania — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Tanzania: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Tanzania is in Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique. It covers 947,300 sq km. 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). Terrain: plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south. Climate: varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands.
| Capital | Dodoma |
|---|---|
| Population | 69,145,464 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $246.706 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $3,700 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 5.5% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 3.1% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 2.6% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 38% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $13.98 billion (2023 est.) |
| Imports | $16.059 billion (2023 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 70.8 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 18.8 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 37.4% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| 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) |
| 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 |
Tanzania’s GDP is $246.706 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $78.78 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 5.5% (2024 est.). See where Tanzania ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
A neutral quarter in the truest sense: nothing happened that altered the country's course or standing.
The score records absence of momentum honestly — the deeper currents continue, unmoved by the calendar.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 3.1%; unemployment near 2.6% — work for whoever wants it
- What drags it down: a median age of 19 — a nation of children, its workforce still in the classroom; fertility of 4.5 children per woman — far above replacement, a cradle overflowing faster than schools can keep up
Hydropower, Tin, Phosphates, Iron ore, Coal, Diamonds, Gold, Natural gas, Nickel.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 45.8% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 74.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 24.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 4.091 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 79.9 TWh (2023) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 11.0 TWh (2023) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 1,199 kWh per person (2023) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Gas 74.0%, Hydro 24.6%, Oil 0.5%, Solar 0.3% (2023) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 25.5% (2023) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 371.6 gCO2/kWh (2023) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2023.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $13.98 billion (2023 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $16.059 billion (2023 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $2.1 billion (2023), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine); mining (diamonds, gold, and iron), salt, soda ash; cement, oil refining, shoes, apparel, wood products, fertilizer |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Samia Suluhu Hassan — President. President Samia Suluhu HASSAN (since 19 March 2021)
Tanzania maintains 43 embassies and 5 consulates abroad, hosts 60 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 43 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 5 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 60 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, January 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 1424 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 206 (registration prefix 5H) |
| Major seaports | Chake Chake, Dar Es Salaam, Tanga, Zanzibar |
| Railways | 4097 km |
| Pipelines | 311 km gas, 891 km oil, 8 km refined products (2013) |
Major airports
Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ) — Zanzibar; Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) — Dar es Salaam; Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) — Arusha; Mwanza International Airport (MWZ) — Mwanza; Arusha Airport (ARK) — Arusha; Dodoma Airport (DOD) — Dodoma; Mtwara Airport (MYW) — Mtwara; Songwe Airport (MBI) — Mbeya; Tanga Airport (TGT) — Tanga.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Tanzania.
Historical timeline of Tanzania
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Tanzania — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Tanzania's power score?
Tanzania has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.