Tanzania at its true size
Tanzania covers 947,303 km², number 30 of 194 countries by area. Home to 70,545,865 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 947,303 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 70,545,865 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 74 per km² |
| Capital | Dodoma |
| Local time in Dodoma | |
| Time zone | UTC+3 IANA |
| Currency | Tanzanian shilling (TZS) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, Swahili |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +255 |
| Codes | TZ · TZA · 834 |
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Where Tanzania ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#21 of 19471 million people#5 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#111 of 19474 people per km²#25 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#156 of 19237% urban#38 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#12 of 1924.54 births per woman#11 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#16 of 192+2.86% a year#8 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#10 of 19234.8 births per 1,000 people#9 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#148 of 1925.7 deaths per 1,000 people#43 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#13 of 19242.3% under 15#12 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#171 of 1923.0% aged 65 and over#39 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#84 of 192−0.2 per 1,000 people#17 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#145 of 1900.02 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#48 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#151 of 19267.2 years#20 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#50 of 19128.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#40 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#164 of 1780.13 doctors per 1,000 people#39 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#143 of 1454.0% gross enrolment#28 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#162 of 190an index of 0.555#30 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#163 of 185$1,270 a person#32 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#165 of 18431% online#36 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#157 of 184$4,471 a person#29 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#33 of 187+5.9% a year#15 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#81 of 176+3.3% a year#27 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#165 of 1781.6% of the labour force#49 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#11 of 14951.3% under $3.00 a day#11 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#35 of 149a Gini index of 40.5#18 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#10 of 17864.6% of jobs#9 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#164 of 1788.1% of jobs#44 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#170 of 17827.3% of jobs#47 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#96 of 1841.9% of GDP#28 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#136 of 16819.0% of GDP#36 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#104 of 1551.2% of GDP#30 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#59 of 191127 subscriptions per 100 people#9 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#159 of 1850.31 tonnes a person#33 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#51 of 19250% forest#11 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#20 of 19078.3% renewable#18 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#176 of 19252.4% with electricity#39 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#80 of 19120.2 µg/m³#34 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#9 of 19139.9% of the land protected#4 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#73 of 19015.5% of the land arable#22 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#79 of 17613.0% of its available fresh water#19 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#87 of 1801,071 mm a year#23 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Tanzania’s area, lit up on the map →
- Nigeria1.03×Tanzania and Nigeria are almost exactly the same size.
- Venezuela1.04×Tanzania is 4% larger than Venezuela.
- Egypt0.94×Tanzania is 6% smaller than Egypt.
- Pakistan1.07×Tanzania is 7% larger than Pakistan.
- Mauritania0.92×Tanzania is 8% smaller than Mauritania.
- Namibia1.15×Tanzania is 15% larger than Namibia.
How many times does Tanzania fit into…
- Russia: about 18 times
- Canada: about 11 times
- United States: about 10 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Tanzania shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- White Nile2,620 km
- Ruvuma800 km
- Kagera400 km
Summits
- Mount Kilimanjaro5,895 m
- Mtorwi2,961 m
Lakes
- Lake Victoria68,100 km²
- Lake Tanganyika32,900 km²
- Lake Malawi29,600 km²
- Lake Rukwa2,600 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Tanzania. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Tanzania
- How big is Tanzania?
- Tanzania covers 947,303 km², which makes it number 30 of 194 countries by area. About 70,545,865 people live there (2025), 74 per km².
- Is Tanzania bigger than Nigeria?
- Tanzania and Nigeria are almost exactly the same size. Tanzania: 947,303 km²; Nigeria: 923,768 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Tanzania?
- Tanzania lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Tanzania?
- Tanzania shares a land border with DR Congo, Mozambique, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Burundi, Rwanda.