Economy — Tanzania
GDP, employment, industries, public finance, and currency.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Economy at a glance
GDP, employment, industries, public finance, and currency. Key figure for Tanzania: Tanzania is a developing country with an economy that is heavily dependent on agriculture, natural resources, and foreign aid. Here are some key aspects of Tanzania's economy: Agriculture: Agriculture is the backbone of Tanzania's economy, employing over 70% of the population and contributing around 30% of the cou…
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Economic overview
- Economic Overview
Tanzania is a developing country with an economy that is heavily dependent on agriculture, natural resources, and foreign aid.
Here are some key aspects of Tanzania's economy: Agriculture: Agriculture is the backbone of Tanzania's economy, employing over 70% of the population and contributing around 30% of the country's GDP.
The main crops grown in Tanzania include coffee, tea, cashews, cotton, tobacco, and various types of fruits and vegetables.
Natural resources: Tanzania is rich in natural resources, including minerals such as gold, diamonds, and tanzanite, as well as natural gas and oil.
These resources have the potential to drive economic growth in the country, but their exploitation is often controversial and can lead to environmental and social issues.
Tourism: Tanzania is home to several popular tourist destinations, including the Serengeti National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the beaches of Zanzibar.
Tourism is an important source of foreign exchange earnings for Tanzania and provides employment opportunities for many people in the country.
Manufacturing: Tanzania has a small manufacturing sector, with most factories located in or around the major cities.
The main industries include food processing, textiles, and cement production.
Infrastructure: Tanzania's infrastructure is relatively underdeveloped, with many roads, railways, and ports in need of investment and improvement.
The government has identified infrastructure development as a key priority and has launched several initiatives to improve the country's transportation and energy networks.
Foreign aid: Tanzania is heavily dependent on foreign aid, which accounts for around 40% of the government's budget.
Aid comes from a variety of sources, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donors such as the United States and the United Kingdom.
- Industries
agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine), diamond and gold mining, oil refining, shoes, cement, textiles, wood products, fertilizer, salt
- GDP - per capita (PPP)
$3,000.00 (USD)
- GDP - real growth rate
6.9%
GDP & growth
- GDP - Gross Domestic Product (PPP)
$152,790,000,000 (USD)
- GDP Per Capita
$3,000.00 (USD)
- GDP - real growth rate
6.9%
- GDP - official exchange rate
$46,190,000,000 (USD)
- GDP - composition, by end use
- household consumption: 68%
- government consumption: 16.1%
- investment in fixed capital: 29.3%
- investment in inventories: -0.3%
- exports of goods and services: 18.7%
- imports of goods and services: -31.8%
- GDP by Sector- agriculture
26.5%
- GDP by Sector- Industry
25.6%
- GDP by Sector- services
47.3%
- Industrial Growth Rate
7%
Prices & money
- Inflation Rate
7.2%
- Exchange Rate per US Dollar
Tanzanian shilling (TZS)
- Currency Name and Code
Tanzanian Shilling (TZS)
- Fiscal Year
1 July - 30 June
- Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
13.6%
Employment & labor
- Labor Force
21,860,000
- Major Industries
agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine), diamond and gold mining, oil refining, shoes, cement, textiles, wood products, fertilizer, salt
- Agriculture Products
coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves, corn, wheat, cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
- Population Below Poverty Line
36%
- Child Labor - # of children ages 5-14
2,815,085
- Child Labor - % of children ages 5-14
21%
- Child Labor - note
note: data represents children ages 5-17
Public finance
- Annual Budget
$4,263,000,000 (USD)
- Public Debt (% of GDP)
5%
- Budget Surplus or Deficit - percent of GDP
-5.6%
- Taxes and other revenues - percent of GDP
22.3%