Tanzania's merchant ecosystem has experienced remarkable growth, with the number of registered merchants rising from 33,037 in 2020 to over 1.3 million in 2024. This rapid expansion has driven a surge in transactions, increasing from 24 million in 2020 to over 329 million in 2024, with transaction values soaring from TZS 1.62 trillion to TZS 26.9 trillion over the same period. Dar es Salaam leads in merchant adoption, contributing significantly to the rise in digital payments, followed by Mwanza and Mbeya. These figures highlight the increasing role of merchants in Tanzania’s digital economy, reflecting broader economic growth and financial inclusion.
The data in Annex K: Merchant Statistics provides a detailed breakdown of merchant distribution, transaction volume, and transaction value across different regions of Tanzania for the years 2020 to 2024.
1. Merchant Distribution
2. Number of Merchant Transactions
3. Merchant Transaction Value
Summary Insights:
Table 1: Merchant Distribution by Region
Region | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Arusha | 2,973 | 7,785 | 18,278 | 36,673 | 67,336 |
Dar es Salaam | 13,164 | 36,109 | 105,306 | 180,165 | 394,863 |
Dodoma | 1,313 | 6,309 | 15,402 | 30,631 | 58,941 |
Geita | 454 | 2,770 | 9,759 | 19,179 | 35,497 |
Iringa | 559 | 4,060 | 8,483 | 15,215 | 33,360 |
Kagera | 378 | 6,998 | 12,101 | 21,464 | 44,355 |
Kaskazini Pemba | 8 | 34 | 999 | 368 | 1,486 |
Kaskazini Unguja | 111 | 235 | 2,098 | 1,061 | 3,226 |
Katavi | 326 | 987 | 2,925 | 4,563 | 8,554 |
Kigoma | 444 | 5,179 | 13,839 | 14,940 | 31,712 |
Kilimanjaro | 1,642 | 8,320 | 12,911 | 19,926 | 44,968 |
Kusini Pemba | 41 | 169 | 1,101 | 415 | 1,388 |
Kusini Unguja | 40 | 123 | 1,160 | 559 | 1,988 |
Lindi | 153 | 1,393 | 3,770 | 4,140 | 8,459 |
Manyara | 114 | 1,504 | 4,436 | 9,887 | 13,716 |
Mara | 413 | 2,236 | 8,988 | 13,927 | 29,940 |
Mbeya | 1,883 | 10,674 | 23,077 | 44,175 | 94,163 |
Mjini Magharibi | 2,343 | 4,003 | 18,532 | 10,209 | 27,833 |
Morogoro | 1,338 | 6,002 | 16,277 | 28,367 | 52,738 |
Mtwara | 246 | 2,114 | 5,302 | 8,902 | 15,678 |
Mwanza | 1,587 | 7,944 | 36,877 | 63,074 | 117,530 |
Njombe | 329 | 1,931 | 3,841 | 10,831 | 19,885 |
Pwani | 413 | 2,618 | 10,026 | 17,091 | 33,347 |
Rukwa | 296 | 1,883 | 3,296 | 7,189 | 12,397 |
Ruvuma | 384 | 2,592 | 4,530 | 9,320 | 18,087 |
Shinyanga | 380 | 2,176 | 10,203 | 20,398 | 35,879 |
Simiyu | 114 | 1,402 | 5,161 | 7,004 | 13,469 |
Singida | 162 | 968 | 4,946 | 10,846 | 16,459 |
Songwe | 164 | 2,087 | 1,170 | 838 | 7,294 |
Tabora | 197 | 2,198 | 11,895 | 24,411 | 34,510 |
Tanga | 1,068 | 9,309 | 17,288 | 21,578 | 48,745 |
Total Merchants | 33,037 | 142,112 | 393,977 | 657,346 | 1,327,803 |
Merchant Transactions by Region (Number of Transactions)
Region | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Arusha | 753,592 | 1,372,266 | 4,190,860 | 8,055,971 | 8,464,127 |
Dar es Salaam | 3,506,577 | 7,841,631 | 48,847,682 | 98,355,252 | 122,845,440 |
Dodoma | 359,252 | 1,367,740 | 5,727,773 | 10,083,117 | 10,359,721 |
Geita | 1,341,507 | 1,477,261 | 5,041,646 | 7,398,425 | 8,230,650 |
Mbeya | 4,223,663 | 4,756,927 | 14,990,053 | 23,902,598 | 26,986,815 |
Mwanza | 3,312,505 | 3,714,814 | 17,815,125 | 34,106,218 | 32,319,729 |
Tanga | 159,005 | 1,965,165 | 12,191,987 | 16,546,162 | 14,750,619 |
Total Transactions | 24,015,142 | 36,838,882 | 166,436,008 | 301,212,217 | 329,423,002 |
Merchant Transaction Value (TZS Billion)
Region | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Arusha | 82.72 | 202.51 | 436.63 | 706.13 | 2,748.92 |
Dar es Salaam | 435.01 | 1,070.68 | 4,081.32 | 5,973.45 | 8,834.36 |
Dodoma | 18.45 | 126.55 | 374.61 | 556.11 | 831.28 |
Geita | 47.87 | 64.62 | 225.79 | 351.92 | 437.03 |
Mbeya | 199.22 | 365.02 | 909.69 | 1,395.64 | 1,808.80 |
Mwanza | 155.53 | 238.82 | 968.97 | 1,734.45 | 2,329.92 |
Tanga | 5.82 | 216.34 | 751.07 | 694.30 | 716.02 |
Total Value | 1,622.59 | 3,794.77 | 12,103.43 | 17,918.12 | 26,919.33 |