Tanzania: cities by population
Tanzania has a population of 72,563,780 (UN estimate, 2026), with Dodoma as its capital. The 50 largest of its 318 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+112%
since 2000 (34,260,139)
+79%
projected by 2050 (129,621,102)
82
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Tanzania
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dar es Salaam | Dar es Salaam Region | 5,383,728 |
| 2 | Mwanza | Mwanza | 1,104,521 |
| 3 | Dodoma | Dodoma | 765,179 |
| 4 | Zanzibar | Zanzibar Urban/West | 709,809 |
| 5 | Arusha | Arusha | 617,631 |
| 6 | Mbeya | Mbeya | 541,603 |
| 7 | Morogoro | Morogoro | 471,409 |
| 8 | Kahama | Shinyanga | 453,654 |
| 9 | Tanga | Tanga | 393,429 |
| 10 | Geita | Geita | 318,006 |
| 11 | Tabora | Tabora | 308,741 |
| 12 | Sumbawanga | Rukwa | 303,986 |
| 13 | Songea | Ruvuma | 286,285 |
| 14 | Kibaha | Pwani | 265,360 |
| 15 | Bariadi | Simiyu | 260,927 |
| 16 | Kasulu | Kigoma | 238,321 |
| 17 | Singida | Singida | 232,459 |
| 18 | Kigoma | Kigoma | 232,388 |
| 19 | Moshi | Kilimanjaro | 221,733 |
| 20 | Tunduma | Songwe | 219,309 |
| 21 | Ifakara | Morogoro | 205,843 |
| 22 | Mpanda | Katavi | 204,338 |
| 23 | Iringa | Iringa | 202,490 |
| 24 | Bunda | Mara | 182,970 |
| 25 | Musoma | Mara | 164,172 |
| 26 | Bukoba | Kagera | 144,938 |
| 27 | Mtwara | Mtwara | 140,793 |
| 28 | Shinyanga | Shinyanga | 139,727 |
| 29 | Tarime | Mara | 133,043 |
| 30 | Nzega | Tabora | 125,193 |
| 31 | Makumbako | Njombe | 116,232 |
| 32 | Sengerema | Mwanza | 110,000 |
| 33 | Handeni | Tanga | 108,968 |
| 34 | Katumba | Mbeya | 108,558 |
| 35 | Mafinga | Iringa | 99,305 |
| 36 | Lindi | Lindi | 95,096 |
| 37 | Ushirombo | Geita | 95,052 |
| 38 | Njombe | Njombe | 92,537 |
| 39 | Kilosa | Morogoro | 91,889 |
| 40 | Masasi | Mtwara | 89,700 |
| 41 | Vwawa | Songwe | 85,000 |
| 42 | Bagamoyo | Pwani | 82,426 |
| 43 | Kondoa | Dodoma | 80,443 |
| 44 | Katoro | Geita | 75,000 |
| 45 | Vikindu | Pwani | 70,000 |
| 46 | Babati | Manyara | 67,445 |
| 47 | Korogwe | Tanga | 62,032 |
| 48 | Mbinga | Ruvuma | 60,868 |
| 49 | Uyovu | Geita | 60,849 |
| 50 | Buseresere | Geita | 52,870 |
Twenty years earlier: Tanzania in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 37,103,500.
Common questions
What is the population of Tanzania?
Tanzania has a population of 72,563,780, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 129,621,102 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Tanzania?
Dodoma. The largest place we record there is Dar es Salaam, with 5,383,728 people.