Population living in slums (% of urban population) in Tanzania
Tanzania: Population living in slums (% of urban population) was 70.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Population living in slums in Tanzania, 2000–2022
Source: Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
In 2022, population living in slums in Tanzania stood at 70.1%.
That represents a change of up 71.4% on the previous year and up 25.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population living in slums in Tanzania peaked at 81.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 40.9%, in 2020.
That places Tanzania 11th out of 174 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Population living in slums (% of urban population) in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 81.3% | — |
| 2002 | 77.1% | -5.2% |
| 2004 | 72.8% | -5.5% |
| 2006 | 68.6% | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 64.3% | -6.2% |
| 2010 | 60.0% | -6.6% |
| 2012 | 55.8% | -7.1% |
| 2014 | 51.5% | -7.6% |
| 2016 | 47.3% | -8.3% |
| 2018 | 43.0% | -9.0% |
| 2020 | 40.9% | -4.9% |
| 2022 | 70.1% | +71.4% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 70.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 41.4%, 1.7× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 70.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 48.7%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 72.8% | 64.3% | 81.3% | 5 |
| 2010s | 51.5% | 43.0% | 60.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 55.5% | 40.9% | 70.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
- 8 Sudan 73.7% compare
- 9 Afghanistan 71.6% compare
- 10 Niger 70.4% compare
- 12 Central African Republic 68.9% compare
- 13 Madagascar 65.7% compare
- 14 Equatorial Guinea 64.7% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Tanzania
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 4.61 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 1,961 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 8.03 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 11.48 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 11.5% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population living in slums in Tanzania?
- Population living in slums in Tanzania was 70.1% in 2022, according to Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
- What is the highest population living in slums recorded in Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 81.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest population living in slums recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.9% in 2020.
- How does Tanzania rank for population living in slums?
- Tanzania ranks 11th out of 174 countries with data for 2022.
- Is population living in slums rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tanzania data come from?
- The figures come from Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), published as part of Population living in slums (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population living in slums is the proportion of the urban population living in slum households. A slum household is defined as a group of individuals living under the same roof lacking one or more of the following conditions: access to improved water, access to improved sanitation, sufficient living area, housing durability, and security of tenure, as adopted in the Millennium Development Goal Target 7.D. The successor, the Sustainable Development Goal 11.1.1, considers inadequate housing (housing affordability) to complement the above definition of slums/informal settlements.