Key facts

Where UK bilateral aid goes - pie chart showing bilateral aid spending in Tanzania (2008/09)

Facts about Tanzania

Around 40 million people live in Tanzania, including 1 million on the islands of Zanzibar. Population growth is about 3% a year. (Tanzania National Projections, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 2006).
In 2007, 33.4% of people lived below the national poverty line which is around $ 1.1 international PPP dollar a day. (Household Budget Survey (HBS), NBS, 2008).
The average national income (GNI) per person was US$ 400 in 2007 (compared to US$ 43,000 in the UK). (Atlas Method, World Development Indicators, World Bank).
Economic growth has been strong since 2000 with annual GDP increases of between 5% and 7% each year. (Poverty and Human Development Report, Government of Tanzania, 2007).
Only 12% of people have access to electricity (HBS, NBS, 2008).
10% of people access formal financial services (Finscope survey 2007).
78% of roads are in good or fair condition (Poverty and Human Development Report 2007).
The most recent Parliamentary and Presidential elections were in December 2005; they resulted in a victory for CCM who hold 205 elected seats (out of 322) in Parliament.
Primary school enrolment is high with 96% of children enrolled. (Basic Statistics in Education, Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, 2008).
Just less than one in 10 children dies before their fifth birthday, although this rate has fallen by 40% in the last ten years. (Tanzania HIV AIDS and Malaria Survey 2007/08).
For every 1,000 births almost 6 women die in child birth. Tanzania has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Africa. (Demographic and Health Survey, NBS, 2005).
Around 1 million adults aged 15 to 49 (6%) are infected with HIV. (HIV/AIDS survey, NBS, 2007/08).
Only half the rural population has access to a water source which is considered 'improved' by WHO. (Poverty and Human Development Report, Government of Tanzania, 2007).
Total UK aid received in 2008/09: £142.3m (Source: Statistics for International Development 2009)

Progress towards Millennium Development Goals

Tanzania is making good progress towards several of the MDGs.

MDG 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger;
The proportion of underweight children under 5 fell from 29% to 22% between 1999 and 2004 where income poverty, has only fallen slowly from 38.6% below the national poverty line in 1991 to 33.4% in 2007, despite rapid economic growth.

MDG 2: Achieve universal primary education
Primary school enrolment rose from less than 60% in 2000 to 96% in 2008.

MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
The rise in primary school education has happened while maintaining broadly equal numbers of boys and girls but boys outnumbered girls in secondary and tertiary education.

MDG 4: Reduce child mortality
Child mortality fell from 147 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1999 to 91 in 2007/08.

MDG 5: Improve maternal health
Maternal mortality rates are extremely high and levels have changed little in the last 20 years.

MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
The proportion of people living with HIV/AIDS has stabilized. It was around 7% in 2003/04 and around 6% in 2007/08.

MDG 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Access to an improved water source is slowly falling and investments in new water points have not been able to keep up with population growth and urbanisation.

MDG 8: Develop a global partnership for development
Part of this MDG aims to make available the benefits of new technologies, including communications. In Tanzania, the number of mobile phone subscribers increased rapidly from 1 for every 100 people in 2001 to 25 in 2007.

Last updated: 25 Mar 2009

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