Tanzania's cities at a glance
Dots sized by population · Dar es Salaam in orange
Tanzania has 2 cities with more than a million inhabitants and 32 with more than 100,000 (city-proper figures). The largest is Dar es Salaam with 5,383,728 people, followed by Mwanza (1,104,521) and Dodoma (765,179). The three largest cities together hold about 9.9% of the country's 73.2 million people.
The capital, Dodoma, is the 3rd largest city with 765,179 people — Dar es Salaam is 7× larger.
By region, the most large cities are in Mara (3), Morogoro (2), Shinyanga (2).
Country-level figures — live population, births and deaths, growth, density and history — are on the Tanzania population page; provinces, terrain, rivers and society maps are in the Tanzania atlas.
Tanzania cities by population
| # | City | Region | Population | Share of Tanzania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dar es Salaam | Dar es Salaam Region | 5,383,728 | 7.4% |
| 2 | Mwanza | Mwanza | 1,104,521 | 1.5% |
| 3 | DodomaCapital | Dodoma | 765,179 | 1% |
| 4 | Zanzibar | Zanzibar Urban/West | 709,809 | 1% |
| 5 | Arusha | Arusha | 617,631 | 0.8% |
| 6 | Mbeya | Mbeya | 541,603 | 0.7% |
| 7 | Morogoro | Morogoro | 471,409 | 0.6% |
| 8 | Kahama | Shinyanga | 453,654 | 0.6% |
| 9 | Tanga | Tanga | 393,429 | 0.5% |
| 10 | Geita | Geita | 318,006 | 0.4% |
| 11 | Tabora | Tabora | 308,741 | 0.4% |
| 12 | Sumbawanga | Rukwa | 303,986 | 0.4% |
| 13 | Songea | Ruvuma | 286,285 | 0.4% |
| 14 | Kibaha | Pwani | 265,360 | 0.4% |
| 15 | Bariadi | Simiyu | 260,927 | 0.4% |
| 16 | Kasulu | Kigoma | 238,321 | 0.3% |
| 17 | Singida | Singida | 232,459 | 0.3% |
| 18 | Kigoma | Kigoma | 232,388 | 0.3% |
| 19 | Moshi | Kilimanjaro | 221,733 | 0.3% |
| 20 | Tunduma | Songwe | 219,309 | 0.3% |
| 21 | Ifakara | Morogoro | 205,843 | 0.3% |
| 22 | Mpanda | Katavi | 204,338 | 0.3% |
| 23 | Iringa | Iringa | 202,490 | 0.3% |
| 24 | Bunda | Mara | 182,970 | 0.3% |
| 25 | Musoma | Mara | 164,172 | 0.2% |
| 26 | Bukoba | Kagera | 144,938 | 0.2% |
| 27 | Mtwara | Mtwara | 140,793 | 0.2% |
| 28 | Shinyanga | Shinyanga | 139,727 | 0.2% |
| 29 | Tarime | Mara | 133,043 | 0.2% |
| 30 | Nzega | Tabora | 125,193 | 0.2% |
| 31 | Makumbako | Njombe | 116,232 | 0.2% |
| 32 | Handeni | Tanga | 108,968 | 0.1% |
Cities with 300,000 or more people link to their own page. The list keeps every city of 100,000+ and at least the 30 largest places of the country.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest city in Tanzania?
Dar es Salaam, with about 5,383,728 inhabitants (city proper). It is larger than the capital, Dodoma (765,179).
What is the capital of Tanzania?
Dodoma — population 765,179, the 3rd largest city in the country.
How many cities in Tanzania have over one million people?
2: Dar es Salaam, Mwanza.
Are these metropolitan-area populations?
No. They are city-proper figures (the administrative city) from GeoNames, based on the latest census or official estimate. Metropolitan areas, which include suburbs and satellite towns, are larger — often several times larger for the biggest cities.
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UgandaCite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Largest Cities in Tanzania 2026: Population Ranking. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/tanzania/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/tanzania/">Largest Cities in Tanzania 2026: Population Ranking</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.