Share of population living below national poverty lines in Tanzania
Tanzania: Share of population living below national poverty lines was 26.4% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Tanzania, 1991–2018
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living below national poverty lines in Tanzania is 26.4%, measured in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of down 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living below national poverty lines in Tanzania peaked at 38.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 26.4%, in 2018.
That places Tanzania 15th out of 70 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 38.6% | — |
| 2000 | 35.6% | -7.8% |
| 2007 | 34.4% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 28.2% | -18.0% |
| 2018 | 26.4% | -6.4% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 26.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.1%, 1.1× the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 26.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 37.9%, 70% of the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 38.6% | 38.6% | 38.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 35.0% | 34.4% | 35.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 27.3% | 26.4% | 28.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
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 share of population living below national poverty lines in Tanzania?
- Share of population living below national poverty lines in Tanzania was 26.4% in 2018, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 38.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.4% in 2018.
- How does Tanzania rank for share of population living below national poverty lines?
- Tanzania ranks 15th out of 70 countries with data for 2018.
- Is share of population living below national poverty lines rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tanzania data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living below national poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty lines. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.