Rural population growth in Tanzania

Tanzania: Rural population growth was 1.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
1.7%
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
26th
of 207 countries
All-time high
3.5%
in 1994
All-time low
1.4%
in 1996
Years of data
65
1961–2025

Rural population growth in Tanzania, 1961–2025

0123196119932025

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 207 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 23 Tajikistan 1.9% compare
  2. 24 Uzbekistan 1.8% compare
  3. 25 Uganda 1.7% compare
  4. 27 Belize 1.7% compare
  5. 28 Congo 1.7% compare
  6. 29 Madagascar 1.7% compare

See the full ranking of 256 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Tanzania

All data for Tanzania →

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 207 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

Indicator
Rural population growth (annual %)
Unit
annual %
Source
World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
256 places, 16,517 data points, 1961–2025
Last refreshed

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.