Christianity is the largest religion in Tanzania, with a substantial Muslim population as well. Smaller minority populations of Animists, African traditional religions amongst other faith practitioners, and religiously unaffiliated people are also present.

Tanzania is officially a secular state, and freedom of religion is enshrined in the country's constitution. Both Christian and Islamic feasts are recognized as public holidays.

Statistics

Current statistics on the relative sizes of various religions in Tanzania are limited because religious questions have been eliminated from government census reports since 1967. Estimates for 2010 published by the Pew Research Center in 2012 indicated that 61.4% of the population were Christian, 35.2% Muslim, 1.8% practiced traditional folk religions and 1.4% were unaffiliated. A projection by the Pew Research Center based on these numbers estimated that 63% of the population in 2020 were Christian, 34% Muslim, 2% unaffiliated and 1% adhered to various Folk religions.

According to projections from the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) which is based on the World Religion Database (1900-2050), 54.6% of the population is Christian, 32.8% is Muslim, 10.8% practices traditional faiths, while 1.8% of the population adheres to other faiths or is non-religious as of 2025.

According to the 2025 ARDA estimate, 32.8% of the population was Protestant and 22.9% was Catholic, and most Tanzanian Muslims were seen as Sunni. A Pew Research Center study conducted in 2012, showed 40% of the Muslim population of Tanzania identifies as Sunni, 20% as Shia, and 15% as Ahmadiyya, with 20% not specifying a denomination.

Religion-related statistics for Tanzania have been regarded as notoriously biased and unreliable. About 99% of the population in Zanzibar is Muslim. The largest religion in Dar es Salaam is Islam, comprising around 70% of its total population. There are also active communities of other religious groups, primarily on the mainland, such as Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, and Baháʼís.

According to Pew Research Centre's 2010 report which surveyed 1,504 Tanzanians, the country had 62% of its general population that believed in 6 or more tenants derived from tribal, traditional African, or Animist practices.Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa, Chapter 3: Traditional African Religious Beliefs and Practices, p. 34, "Questions measure belief in reincarnation, witchcraft, evil spirits, the protective power of sacrifices to spirits or ancestors, juju or shrines, “evil eye” or curses, and the protective power of spiritual people as well as possession of traditional African sacred objects, participation in traditional ceremonies to honor ancestors, participation in traditional puberty rituals and use of religious healers. Those reporting 6-11 of these attributes are classified as having high levels of traditional African religious beliefs and practices." https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2010/04/sub-saharan-africa-full-report.pdf Abrahamic religions Christianity

The Christian population is largely composed of Roman Catholics and Protestants. Among the latter, the large number of Lutherans and Moravians point to the German past of the country while the number of Anglicans point to the British history of Tanganyika. All of them have had some influence in varying degrees from the Walokole movement (East African Revival), which has also been fertile ground for the spread of charismatic and Pentecostal groups.

Islam

On the mainland, Muslim communities are concentrated in coastal areas, with some large Muslim majorities also in inland urban areas especially and along the former caravan routes. 30% of the country's Muslim population is Sunni; the remainder consists of several Shia subgroups (40%), mostly of Indian descent and the Ahmadiyya (15%),International Religious Freedom Report 2007: Tanzania. United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (September 14, 2007). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. and a smaller subset of Ibadism and nondenominational Muslim practitioners.Wortmann, Kimberly T. Omani Religious Networks in Contemporary Tanzania and Beyond. Diss. 2018.

Bahá'í Faith

Judaism

Indian religions Buddhism

Hinduism

Hinduism is a minority religion in Tanzania practiced mainly by the South Asian diaspora.

Freedom of religion

The government of Tanzania and the semiautonomous government of Zanzibar both recognize religious freedom as a principle and make efforts to protect it. The government of Zanzibar appoints Muslim religious officials in Zanzibar. The main body of law in Tanzania and Zanzibar is secular, but Muslims have the option to use religious courts for family-related cases. Individual cases of religiously motivated violence have occurred against both Christians and Muslims, as well as those accused of witchcraft.International Religious Freedom Report 2017 Tanzania, US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The freedom to practice religion is a human right in Tanzania.

In 2023, Tanzania scored 3 out of 4 for religious freedom.Freedom House website, Retrieved 2023-08-01

Public holidays Christian celebrations Christmas, Easter (including Good Friday and Easter Monday) and Boxing Day are recognised as public holidays. Similarly Islamic feasts Eid al-Fitr, Mawlid and Eid al-Adha are also recognised.

Notable places of worship

Azania Front Lutheran Church – Lutheran Christ Church, Zanzibar – Anglican Gaddafi Mosque – Islamic Great Mosque of Kilwa – Islamic (Historical) Ijumaa Mosque – Islamic Kizimkazi Mosque – Islamic St. Joseph's Cathedral, Dar es Salaam – Catholic

See also Anglican Church of Tanzania Catholic Church in Tanzania Christian Council of Tanzania Christianity in Tanzania Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania Protestants in Tanzania Religion in Africa

References