Largest cities in Tanzania by population
The 7 cities the United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2024 lists for Tanzania: the capital and every city of 100,000 or more, with the latest figure the country reported. The largest is Dar es Salaam with 5,383,728 people; the capital, Dodoma, has 765,179.
Who runs cities in Tanzania?
Districts (about 150) and local government authorities (about 195 councils: city, municipal, town and district councils): Councillors elected by ward with the general election; mayor or chair elected by councillors; council director appointed civil servant; district commissioner appointed by the president. Primary education, health, water, local roads, agriculture extension, local taxes.
How local power works in Tanzania · Level 3: local councils worldwide
| # | City | Population | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dar es Salaam | 5,383,728 | 23 August 2022 |
| 2 | Dodoma (capital) | 765,179 | 23 August 2022 |
| 3 | Arusha | 617,631 | 23 August 2022 |
| 4 | Mwanza | 594,834 | 23 August 2022 |
| 5 | Mbeya | 541,603 | 23 August 2022 |
| 6 | Tanga | 393,429 | 23 August 2022 |
| 7 | Zanzibar | 219,007 | 23 August 2022 |
Countries define a city in different ways (the city proper, or the wider urban area) and report in different years, so cities in different countries are not always comparable.
More on Tanzania: official statistics · government and power · regions
Sources
- United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 8: Population of capital cities and cities of 100 000 or more inhabitants, latest available year, 2005-2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c6784df022e…)
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