Tanzania doesn’t conduct a religious census so all figures are based on estimates and various studies. Still, Christianity is the majority religion and 2/3rd of the population follows Christianity. Islam is also widely followed and 1/3rd of the population follows Islam. A small minority of the population follows different African traditional religions.

According to a 2014 estimate by the CIA World Factbook, 61.4% of the population was Christian, 35.2% was Muslim, 1.8% practiced traditional African religions, 1.4% were unaffiliated with any religion, and 0.2% followed other religions. There are also active communities of other religious groups, such as Buddhists, Hindus, and Bahá’ís.

Religion in Tanzania 

Christianity in Tanzania

Tanzania has the 7th largest Christian population in Africa. 27.7% of the population was Protestant and 25.6% was Catholic. Among Protestants, Lutherans are the largest followed by Pentecostals, Anglicans, and adherents of African-initiated churches. 

Muslims in Tanzania

Muslims in Tanzania communities are concentrated in coastal areas, some inside areas and Zanzibar is almost entirely Muslim. 40% of the country’s Muslim population is Sunni and 20 % are Shias. Ahmadiyya is at 15% and a smaller subset of Ibadism and nondenominational Muslims.

Religious Trends in Tanzania (2010-2050)

Tanzania’s religious landscape is projected to remain dominated by Christianity and Islam, with Christianity experiencing steady growth. In 2010, 63.1% of the population identified as Christian, rising to an estimated 66.6% by 2050. Islam, which accounted for 34.1% in 2010, is expected to decline slightly to 30.8% over the same period. Folk religions and other beliefs collectively remain a small fraction of the population.

Source: Pew Research Center – Estimated Religious Composition of 198 Countries and Territories (2010-2050)

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