Land use in Tanzania
Tanzania: Land use was 15.52 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
15.52 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
25th
of 224 countries
All-time high
15.52 million hectares
in 2020
All-time low
6.00 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Tanzania, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Tanzania recorded 15.52 million hectares for land use in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Tanzania peaked at 15.52 million hectares in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.00 million hectares, in 1961.
That places Tanzania 25th out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6.00 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 6.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 7.00 million hectares | +16.7% |
| 1964 | 7.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 7.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 7.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 7.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 7.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 7.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 8.00 million hectares | +14.3% |
| 1971 | 8.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 8.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 8.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 8.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 8.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 8.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 8.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 9.00 million hectares | +12.5% |
| 1979 | 9.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 9.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 9.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 9.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 9.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 9.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 10.00 million hectares | +11.1% |
| 1986 | 10.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 10.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 10.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 10.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 10.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 10.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 9.80 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 9.90 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 9.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 9.90 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 10.00 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 10.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 10.00 million hectares | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 10.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 10.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 10.10 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 10.20 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 10.27 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 10.76 million hectares | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 11.31 million hectares | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 11.87 million hectares | +4.9% |
| 2007 | 12.42 million hectares | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 12.97 million hectares | +4.5% |
| 2009 | 13.19 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 13.40 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 13.61 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 13.82 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 14.04 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 14.25 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 14.46 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 14.67 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 14.89 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 15.10 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 15.31 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 15.52 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 15.52 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 15.52 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 15.52 million hectares | +0.0% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 15.52 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.82 million hectares, 5.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 15.52 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.21 million hectares, 4.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.78 million hectares | 6.00 million hectares | 7.00 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 8.20 million hectares | 8.00 million hectares | 9.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.50 million hectares | 9.00 million hectares | 10.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.95 million hectares | 9.80 million hectares | 10.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.31 million hectares | 10.00 million hectares | 13.19 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.35 million hectares | 13.40 million hectares | 15.31 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.52 million hectares | 15.52 million hectares | 15.52 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
- 22 Iran 17.59 million hectares compare
- 23 Democratic Republic of Congo 16.90 million hectares compare
- 24 Spain 16.61 million hectares compare
- 26 Cote d'Ivoire 14.30 million hectares compare
- 27 Myanmar 12.52 million hectares compare
- 28 South Africa 12.41 million hectares compare
More environment data for Tanzania
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -7.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.29 Percentage change (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.06 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 5.16 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Tanzania?
- Land use in Tanzania was 15.52 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 15.52 million hectares in 2020.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.00 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Tanzania rank for land use?
- Tanzania ranks 25th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tanzania data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).