GeoRealityMatch

The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country. FCDO travel advice, read 29 October 2026.

A dirt road in rural Tanzania with a cyclist and a vehicle under a clear blue sky.A truck drives along a dusty path through vast fields under a clear sky in Tanzania.

Tanzania

Africa · Eastern Africa

Medium safetyVery affordable cost of livingMedium development

Incomes are low.

BackpackerVery affordable cost of living.
vs Kenya
Safety

97th most peaceful of 161

Global Peace Index
2.080lower is more peacefulMedium safety
#97 of 161
IEP GPI · 2026
Homicides
3.7per 100,000 people a yearHighUNODC / World Bank · 2020
Safety index
46.5Numbeo's safety index, higher is saferModerateNumbeo · 2026
Money

Incomes below the median country

GNI per person
$1,270national income per person, US dollarsVery low
World Bank · 2025
Rent index
9.0New York = 100AffordableNumbeo · 2026

Income and inflation over time

Income per person rose 177% in current dollars from 2006 to 2025, and rose 64% after inflation.

GDP per person, current US$At purchasing power parityInflation

$0$2.5K$5.0K$4,471 PPP$1,319Inflation, % a year20%0200620102015202020252006, $476 a person, $1,707 at PPP, inflation 7.3%2007, $543 a person, $1,820 at PPP, inflation 7%2008, $676 a person, $1,908 at PPP, inflation 10.3%2009, $694 a person, $1,972 at PPP, inflation 12.1%2010, $737 a person, $2,069 at PPP, inflation 6.2%2011, $775 a person, $2,211 at PPP, inflation 12.7%2012, $862 a person, $2,083 at PPP, inflation 16%2013, $963 a person, $2,176 at PPP, inflation 7.9%2014, $1,023 a person, $2,221 at PPP, inflation 6.1%2015, $939 a person, $2,317 at PPP, inflation 5.6%2016, $953 a person, $2,435 at PPP, inflation 5.2%2017, $987 a person, $2,472 at PPP, inflation 5.3%2018, $1,023 a person, $2,728 at PPP, inflation 3.5%2019, $1,063 a person, $2,982 at PPP, inflation 3.5%2020, $1,117 a person, $3,291 at PPP, inflation 3.3%2021, $1,160 a person, $3,493 at PPP, inflation 3.7%2022, $1,208 a person, $3,799 at PPP, inflation 4.4%2023, $1,224 a person, $4,022 at PPP, inflation 3.8%2024, $1,193 a person, $4,227 at PPP, inflation 3.1%2025, $1,319 a person, $4,471 at PPP, inflation 3.3%$0$2.5K$5.0KInflation, % a year20%0200620102015202020252006, $476 a person, $1,707 at PPP, inflation 7.3%2007, $543 a person, $1,820 at PPP, inflation 7%2008, $676 a person, $1,908 at PPP, inflation 10.3%2009, $694 a person, $1,972 at PPP, inflation 12.1%2010, $737 a person, $2,069 at PPP, inflation 6.2%2011, $775 a person, $2,211 at PPP, inflation 12.7%2012, $862 a person, $2,083 at PPP, inflation 16%2013, $963 a person, $2,176 at PPP, inflation 7.9%2014, $1,023 a person, $2,221 at PPP, inflation 6.1%2015, $939 a person, $2,317 at PPP, inflation 5.6%2016, $953 a person, $2,435 at PPP, inflation 5.2%2017, $987 a person, $2,472 at PPP, inflation 5.3%2018, $1,023 a person, $2,728 at PPP, inflation 3.5%2019, $1,063 a person, $2,982 at PPP, inflation 3.5%2020, $1,117 a person, $3,291 at PPP, inflation 3.3%2021, $1,160 a person, $3,493 at PPP, inflation 3.7%2022, $1,208 a person, $3,799 at PPP, inflation 4.4%2023, $1,224 a person, $4,022 at PPP, inflation 3.8%2024, $1,193 a person, $4,227 at PPP, inflation 3.1%2025, $1,319 a person, $4,471 at PPP, inflation 3.3%

World Bank: GDP per person in current US dollars and at PPP, real GDP per person, consumer price inflation. Observed years only.

Health

Below-average life expectancy

Life expectancy
67.2years, at birthLow
#154 of 195
World Bank · 2024
Health coverage
49WHO universal health coverage index, 0 to 100Very lowWHO · 2023
Air pollution
14.3PM2.5, micrograms per cubic metre, national averageModerateWHO · 2023
Work and internet

Slow home internet

Unemployment rate
1.6%share of the labour force without a jobWorld Bank · 2025
Home internet
23 Mbpsmedian download speedSlowOokla Speedtest · 2025
English proficiency
479EF English Proficiency Index scoreLowEF EPI · 2025

Internet speeds

Home internet23 MbpsSlow
Mobile33 MbpsVery slow

Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median download speed, ranked among the countries Ookla lists.

A truck drives along a dusty path through vast fields under a clear sky in Tanzania.
How it changed

Tanzania's Human Development Index

0.555Medium human development

165th of 193 in UNDP's 2023 ranking, 30th of 54 in Africa.

UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita. UNDP Human Development Report 2025.

Nearest countries by HDI

  1. #163Mauritania0.563
  2. #164Nigeria0.560
  3. #165Tanzania0.555
  4. #166Haiti0.554
  5. #167Lesotho0.550
Full HDI ranking, all 193 countries

HDI since 1990

Year by year

Human development rose from 0.381 in 1990 to 0.555 in 2023.

0.350.470.600.55519902000201020231990: 0.3811991: 0.3821992: 0.3811993: 0.3821994: 0.3801995: 0.3801996: 0.3831997: 0.3881998: 0.3961999: 0.4042000: 0.4142001: 0.4222002: 0.4332003: 0.4442004: 0.4552005: 0.4652006: 0.4772007: 0.4862008: 0.4952009: 0.5042010: 0.5132011: 0.5162012: 0.5192013: 0.5212014: 0.5212015: 0.5202016: 0.5202017: 0.5282018: 0.5372019: 0.5462020: 0.5542021: 0.5482022: 0.5542023: 0.5550.350.470.6019902000201020231990: 0.3811991: 0.3821992: 0.3811993: 0.3821994: 0.3801995: 0.3801996: 0.3831997: 0.3881998: 0.3961999: 0.4042000: 0.4142001: 0.4222002: 0.4332003: 0.4442004: 0.4552005: 0.4652006: 0.4772007: 0.4862008: 0.4952009: 0.5042010: 0.5132011: 0.5162012: 0.5192013: 0.5212014: 0.5212015: 0.5202016: 0.5202017: 0.5282018: 0.5372019: 0.5462020: 0.5542021: 0.5482022: 0.5542023: 0.555

UNDP Human Development Report, 2025 edition. 34 annual values, none interpolated.

Twenty years here

Year by yearThe world report
Life expectancy at birth
67.2 years2024at birthUp 9.5 years from 57.7 years in 2005
Internet users
31%2024of people onlineUp 30 points from 1% in 2006
Urban population
37%2025of people in towns and citiesUp 12 points from 25% in 2006
Births per woman
4.542024births per womanDown 1.04 from 5.58 in 2005
Renewable share of energy
78%2021of energy usedDown 13 points from 91% in 2004
Access to electricity
52%2024of people with electricityUp 39 points from 14% in 2005
Infant mortality
292024deaths before age one, per 1,000 birthsDown 34 from 62 in 2005
CO2 emissions per person
0.3 t2024of CO2 per person a yearUp 0.1 t from 0.2 t in 2005
Forest area
50%2023of land under forestDown 9 points from 59% in 2004

World Bank, from the first to the last observed year of each indicator; each has its own window.

Our take

Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar: tourism-driven, improving infrastructure, affordable. The case against is low incomes, patchy access to essential health services and short lives.

About Tanzania

Tanzania is an East African country of iconic natural landmarks, from the Serengeti plains and Ngorongoro Crater to the coral reefs of Zanzibar and the forested slopes of Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. The Swahili culture of the coast and the Maasai traditions of the interior give the country a cultural depth that complements its extraordinary wildlife. It is one of the best-organised safari destinations in Africa, though the Zanzibar archipelago rewards those who stay beyond the beach.

Practical facts

  • CapitalDodoma
  • LanguagesEnglish, Swahili
  • CurrencyTanzanian shilling (TZS)
  • Area885,800 km²
  • Plug typeType G
  • Drives on theleft
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Quick answers

What is Tanzania's Human Development Index?

Tanzania's Human Development Index is 0.555 for 2023 (UNDP Human Development Report 2025), ranked #165 of 193 by UNDP.

Is Tanzania safe?

Tanzania scores 2.08 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #97 of 161 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.

How expensive is Tanzania?

Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts Tanzania at 26.6 (New York = 100); that is #14 cheapest of 143 countries with data.

What is life expectancy in Tanzania?

Life expectancy at birth in Tanzania is 67.2 yrs (World Bank), ranked #154 of 195 countries.