World Sites & Apps
Africa · #42 · 2025–2026

Tanzania: internet and everyday apps

Tanzania has about 22.6 million people online — a penetration rate of 32.8% and rank #42 worldwide. This page walks through the local digital scene, the app categories people lean on, and 32 apps worth knowing.

Internet users 22.6 million Penetration 32.8% World rank #42 Updated 2026-11-12
Language KiswahiliEnglish
TL;DR
  • Tanzania has roughly 22.6 million internet users (22,600,000 people) — about 32.8% of the population and rank #42 globally.
  • The apps people open most: WhatsApp, ayoba, Facebook, Instagram. They cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Payments, Mobility, News, Music, Classifieds, Banking, Maps, Gaming and more.
  • The one to know first: WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

Tanzania in numbers

2025–2026
Internet users
22.6 million22,600,000 · #42
Penetration
32.8%#192
Population
69 million69,000,000 · #22
GDP
$79B#84
GDP growth
+5.5%#34
GDP per person
$1,148#191
Land area
945.1k km²#31
Capital
Dodoma
Region
Africa
Official languages
Swahili, English

How Tanzania goes online

For a great many people in Tanzania the phone is not one screen among several, it is the only way online. WhatsApp and Facebook are the front door: news, family, business, all of it there. M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa and Airtel Money move money without a bank branch, and Swahili carries most of the conversation, with English appearing where the paperwork starts. The same phone is bank, shop and post office at once.

Around 32.8%. With a population of about 69 million and 22.6 million online, roughly 46.4 million people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

All 32 apps below are grouped by category.

What people actually use

32 Most-used apps

Messaging

2 Most-used apps →
WhatsApp Messaging · Meta · 2009 ayoba Messaging · MTN · 2019

Social

2 Most-used apps →
Facebook Social · Meta · 2004 Instagram Social · Meta · 2010

Video

3 Most-used apps →
YouTube Video · Google · 2005 TikTok Video · ByteDance · 2016 CapCut Video · ByteDance · 2020

Shopping

1 Most-used apps →
Jumia Shopping · Jumia Technologies · 2012

Payments

2 Most-used apps →
M-PESA Payments · Safaricom · 2007 M-Pesa Tanzania Payments · Vodacom · 2008

Mobility

2 Most-used apps →
Bolt Mobility · Bolt Technology · 2013 inDrive Mobility · inDrive · 2012

News

1 Most-used apps →
BBC News · BBC（英国公共广播机构） · 1997

Music

1 Most-used apps →
Mdundo Music · Mdundo · 2013

Classifieds

1 Most-used apps →
Jiji Classifieds · Jiji · 2014

Banking

1 Most-used apps →
GTBank Banking · Guaranty Trust Holding · 1990

Maps

4 Most-used apps →
Google Maps Maps · Google · 2005 Organic Maps Maps · Organic Maps · 2021 HERE WeGo Maps · HERE Technologies · 2012 TomTom GO Navigation Maps · TomTom · 2015

Gaming

12 Most-used apps →
Steam Gaming · Valve · 2003 Epic Games Store Gaming · Epic Games · 2018 Roblox Gaming · Roblox Corporation · 2006 PUBG Mobile Gaming · Krafton · Level Infinite · 2018 Garena Free Fire Gaming · Garena · 2017 Genshin Impact Gaming · HoYoverse · 2020 Clash of Clans Gaming · Supercell · 2012 Pokémon GO Gaming · Niantic · 2016 Xbox Gaming · Microsoft · 2001 PlayStation Gaming · Sony Interactive Entertainment · 1994 Minecraft Gaming · Mojang Studios · 2011 Honkai: Star Rail Gaming · HoYoverse · 2023

Websites people in Tanzania actually use

15

The 15 sites locals open most often — news, shopping, search, banking and government services. Every link goes to the official site.

News4Banking3Telecom2Government1Classifieds1Transport1Mail1Utilities1Education1
MwananchiNewsmwananchi.co.tzThe daily paper, covering politics and ordinary life in the country. The CitizenNewsthecitizen.co.tzNews in English, and where business stories usually get checked. Millard AyoNewsmillardayo.comFast news and gossip, with everyone talking about the latest video. IPP MediaNewsippmedia.comA newspaper group publishing The Guardian and Nipashe. CRDB BankBankingcrdbbank.co.tzThe bank for balance checks and small-business loans, used by plenty of traders. NMB BankBankingnmbbank.co.tzDeposits and electricity bills, handled through the phone here. Bank of TanzaniaBankingbot.go.tzThe central bank, with monetary statistics. Vodacom M-PESATelecomvodacom.co.tzSending and receiving money with M-PESA, even at the shop counter. Airtel TanzaniaTelecomairtel.co.tzThe second mobile network in the country. Tanzania Revenue AuthorityGovernmenttra.go.tzWhere property tax gets paid, once a year and always a chore. Zoom TanzaniaClassifiedszoomtanzania.comFinding hotels and shops, more or less an online phone book. Air TanzaniaTransportairtanzania.co.tzThe national carrier. Tanzania PostsMailposta.co.tzThe national postal service. TANESCOUtilitiestanesco.co.tzThe national electricity supplier. University of Dar es SalaamEducationudsm.ac.tzThe country’s largest university.

2808 websites →

Frequently asked questions

6 Q&A
How many people in Tanzania are online?

About 22.6 million (22,600,000 people). That works out to roughly 32.8% of the population, which puts Tanzania at #42 in the world for total internet users. Figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026, which draws on ITU and national statistics.

Which apps do people in Tanzania use most?

Mostly WhatsApp, ayoba, Facebook, Instagram — they cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Payments, Mobility, News, Music, Classifieds, Banking, Maps, Gaming. The full list, grouped by category, is further down this page.

What is the leading Messaging app in Tanzania?

WhatsApp, ayoba dominate this space. The best-known is WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

How high is internet penetration in Tanzania?

Around 32.8%. With a population of about 69 million and 22.6 million online, roughly 46.4 million people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

Where do these app facts come from?

Usage figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026 (Kepios, based on ITU and national statistics); app details come from each product’s official site. Updated 2026-11-12.

Which websites are most popular in Tanzania?

The everyday ones are Mwananchi, The Citizen, Millard Ayo, plus the other 15 sites listed above. They cover news, shopping, search, banking and official paperwork, and every link points to the official site.

Sources

Updated 2026-11-12
Cite this pageWorld Sites & Apps. “Tanzania: internet and everyday apps”. 2026. https://abcvv.com/c/tz-en.html