Rural population growth in Tanzania
Tanzania: Rural population growth was 1.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population growth in Tanzania, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population growth in Tanzania stood at 1.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 29.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Tanzania peaked at 3.5% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1996.
Tanzania ranks 26th of 209 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Rural population growth in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.8% | — |
| 1962 | 2.9% | +1.8% |
| 1963 | 2.9% | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 3.0% | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 3.0% | +1.2% |
| 1966 | 3.0% | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 3.1% | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 3.1% | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 2.9% | -4.3% |
| 1970 | 2.8% | -6.6% |
| 1971 | 2.6% | -5.2% |
| 1972 | 2.5% | -2.4% |
| 1973 | 2.5% | -2.7% |
| 1974 | 2.4% | -1.6% |
| 1975 | 2.5% | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 2.5% | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 2.6% | +3.9% |
| 1978 | 2.7% | +3.6% |
| 1979 | 2.7% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 2.6% | -5.8% |
| 1981 | 2.5% | -3.1% |
| 1982 | 2.5% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 2.8% | +10.1% |
| 1984 | 2.8% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 2.8% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 2.8% | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 2.8% | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 2.6% | -8.4% |
| 1989 | 2.2% | -13.9% |
| 1990 | 2.2% | -1.5% |
| 1991 | 2.1% | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 2.1% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 2.7% | +31.1% |
| 1994 | 3.5% | +25.8% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | -20.1% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | -47.7% |
| 1997 | 1.6% | +12.2% |
| 1998 | 2.2% | +36.5% |
| 1999 | 2.2% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 2.4% | +5.9% |
| 2001 | 2.2% | -7.6% |
| 2002 | 2.0% | -7.2% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 2.0% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 1.9% | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 1.9% | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | -6.4% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | -14.2% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | +18.2% |
| 2012 | 2.0% | +7.4% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | +9.0% |
| 2014 | 2.3% | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 2.4% | +8.4% |
| 2016 | 2.6% | +6.3% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | -6.9% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | -6.9% |
| 2020 | 2.2% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 1.9% | -14.8% |
| 2024 | 1.8% | -5.5% |
| 2025 | 1.7% | -3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.0% | 2.8% | 3.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.6% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.4% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.9% | 1.5% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.6% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
- 23 Tajikistan 1.9% compare
- 24 Uzbekistan 1.8% compare
- 25 Uganda 1.7% compare
- 27 Belize 1.7% compare
- 28 Congo 1.7% compare
- 29 Madagascar 1.7% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Tanzania
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.77 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2291 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 292.74 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6312 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 22.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 22.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.5% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Tanzania?
- Rural population growth in Tanzania was 1.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 1994.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1996.
- How does Tanzania rank for rural population growth?
- Tanzania ranks 26th out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tanzania data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.