Tanzania vs Zambia
Tanzania is 26% larger than Zambia.
TanzaniaZambiaTanzania moved onto Zambia · Equal-area projection
1.26×
Tanzania is 1.26× the area of Zambia.
 Tanzania |  Zambia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaTanzania: 1.26× the area | 947,303 km²#30 of 194 | 752,618 km²#38 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 8 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationTanzania: 3.22× the population | 70,545,865#21 of 194 · 2025 | 21,913,874#62 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityTanzania: 2.56× the density | 74 / km²#111 of 194 | 29 / km²#153 of 194 |
| Urban populationZambia: 1.24× the urban share | 37%#156 of 192 · 2025 | 46%#135 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateTanzania: 1.12× the births per woman | 4.54 per woman#12 of 192 · 2024 | 4.04 per woman#25 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthTanzania: 0.09 points higher | +2.86%#16 of 192 · 2025 | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateTanzania: 1.06× the birth rate | 34.8 per 1,000#10 of 192 · 2024 | 32.7 per 1,000#19 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateTanzania: 1.1× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 5.2 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Tanzania: 1.3 points higher | 42.3%#13 of 192 · 2025 | 41.0%#17 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Tanzania: 1.0 points higher | 3.0%#171 of 192 · 2025 | 2.0%#190 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationZambia: 0.5 per 1,000 higher | −0.2 per 1,000#84 of 192 · 2025 | +0.3 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAbout as many refugees for its size | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyTanzania: 0.7 years longer | 67.2 years#151 of 192 · 2024 | 66.5 years#156 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityZambia: 1.21× the infant mortality | 28.7 per 1,000 births#50 of 191 · 2024 | 34.6 per 1,000 births#34 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsZambia: 2.46× the doctors per person | 0.13 per 1,000#164 of 178 · 2022 | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 4.0%#143 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexZambia: 0.040 higher | 0.555#162 of 190 · 2023 | 0.595#151 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaTanzania: 1.06× the income per person | $1,270#163 of 185 · 2025 | $1,200#164 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPTanzania: 3.12× the economy | $90.14B2025 | $28.88B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)About the same output per person | $4,471#157 of 184 · 2025 | $4,379#158 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthTanzania: 2.1 points higher | +5.9%#33 of 187 · 2025 | +3.8%#75 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationZambia: 10.6 points higher | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 | +13.9%#16 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentZambia: 3.69× the unemployment | 1.6%#165 of 178 · 2025 | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyZambia: 1.4× the share in extreme poverty | 51.3%#11 of 149 · 2018 | 71.7%#6 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Zambia: 11.0 higher | 40.5#35 of 149 · 2018 | 51.5#6 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureTanzania: 10.1 points higher | 64.6% of jobs#10 of 178 · 2025 | 54.5% of jobs#18 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryZambia: 2.2 points higher | 8.1% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 | 10.3% of jobs#154 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesZambia: 7.9 points higher | 27.3% of jobs#170 of 178 · 2025 | 35.2% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentZambia: 2.6 points higher | 1.9% of GDP#96 of 184 · 2025 | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsZambia: 16.0 points higher | 19.0% of GDP#136 of 168 · 2025 | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingZambia: 1.09× the military spending | 1.2% of GDP#104 of 155 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#101 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersTanzania: 1.82× the share online | 31%#165 of 184 · 2024 | 17%#177 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsTanzania: 1.17× the mobile subscriptions | 127 per 100#59 of 191 · 2024 | 109 per 100#112 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaZambia: 1.22× the forest share | 50% of land#51 of 192 · 2024 | 61% of land#27 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personZambia: 1.74× the CO₂ per person | 0.31 t a year#159 of 185 · 2024 | 0.54 t a year#147 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyZambia: 4.7 points higher | 78.3%#20 of 190 · 2021 | 83.0%#10 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityZambia: 1.2 points higher | 52.4%#176 of 192 · 2024 | 53.6%#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)About the same air pollution | 20.2 µg/m³#80 of 191 · 2023 | 20.2 µg/m³#80 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landZambia: 1.4 points higher | 39.9% of land#9 of 191 · 2025 | 41.3% of land#7 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landTanzania: 10.4 points higher | 15.5% of land#73 of 190 · 2024 | 5.1% of land#130 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressTanzania: 4.64× the water stress | 13.0%#79 of 176 · 2022 | 2.8%#140 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationTanzania: 1.05× the rain and snow | 1,071 mm#87 of 180 · 2022 | 1,020 mm#94 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityZambia: 0.42 higher | −0.48#137 of 193 · 2025 | −0.06#109 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionTanzania: 0.13 higher | −0.33#105 of 193 · 2025 | −0.46#116 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 3.7 per 100,000#59 of 146 · 2020 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Dodoma | Lusaka |
| Currency | Tanzanian shilling (TZS) | Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) |
| Official languages | English, Swahili | English |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +255 | +260 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | Eastern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Tanzania sits at about 6° S and is stretched to 1.01× its true area; Zambia at 13° S is stretched to 1.06×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Tanzania bigger than Zambia?
- Yes. Tanzania is 26% larger than Zambia. Tanzania covers 947,303 km² and Zambia covers 752,618 km².
- How many times does Zambia fit into Tanzania?
- About 1.3 times: Tanzania has 1.26× the area of Zambia.
- Why do Tanzania and Zambia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Tanzania is drawn about 1.01× its true area there and Zambia about 1.06×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Tanzania or Zambia?
- Tanzania: 70,545,865 people against 21,913,874. Density: Tanzania 74 per km², Zambia 29 per km².
- Which is richer, Tanzania or Zambia?
- By gross national income per person, Tanzania: $1,270 against $1,200 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.06× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Tanzania or Zambia?
- In Tanzania: life expectancy at birth is 67.2 years, against 66.5 — 0.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Tanzania and Zambia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).