Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) in Tanzania
Tanzania: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) was 63.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
63.1%
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
38th
of 218 countries
All-time high
95.1%
in 1960
All-time low
63.1%
in 2025
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Rural population in Tanzania, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Tanzania stood at 63.1%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Tanzania peaked at 95.1% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 63.1%, in 2025.
Tanzania ranks 38th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 95.1% | — |
| 1961 | 95.1% | -0.0% |
| 1962 | 95.1% | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 95.1% | -0.0% |
| 1964 | 95.0% | -0.0% |
| 1965 | 95.0% | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 95.0% | -0.0% |
| 1967 | 95.0% | -0.0% |
| 1968 | 94.8% | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 94.4% | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 93.7% | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 92.9% | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 92.0% | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 90.9% | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 89.9% | -1.2% |
| 1975 | 88.8% | -1.2% |
| 1976 | 87.9% | -1.1% |
| 1977 | 87.0% | -1.0% |
| 1978 | 86.3% | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 85.8% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 85.2% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 84.7% | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 84.3% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 83.8% | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 83.4% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 83.0% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 82.6% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 82.2% | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 81.8% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 81.4% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 81.1% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 80.7% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 80.4% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 80.1% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 79.8% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 79.5% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 79.2% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 78.9% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 78.5% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 78.2% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 77.8% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 77.4% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 77.0% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 76.5% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 75.9% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 75.3% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 74.6% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 73.9% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 73.2% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 72.5% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 71.8% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 71.1% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 70.5% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 69.9% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 69.4% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 68.8% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 68.2% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 67.7% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 67.2% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 66.7% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 66.1% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 65.7% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 65.2% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 64.5% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 63.8% | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 63.1% | -1.1% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 63.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49.1%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 63.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 55.1%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 95.0% | 94.4% | 95.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 89.5% | 85.8% | 93.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 83.3% | 81.4% | 85.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 79.6% | 78.2% | 81.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 75.4% | 72.5% | 77.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.1% | 66.7% | 71.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.7% | 63.1% | 66.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More agriculture & rural data for Tanzania
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.6695 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.2257 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.266 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0004 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.5659 hectares per person (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Tanzania?
- Rural population in Tanzania was 63.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 95.1% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.1% in 2025.
- How does Tanzania rank for rural population?
- Tanzania ranks 38th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.3%. 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 (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.