Tanzania's total national debt — comprising both external and domestic obligations — stood at USD 51,112.8 million at end-February 2026, reflecting a marginal contraction of 0.2% from January 2026.
Source: Ministry of Finance & Bank of Tanzania
Source: Bank of Tanzania, Table A10
Tanzania's external debt (public and private combined) reached USD 35,859.1 million at end-February 2026 — a decline of 0.1% from January 2026. Central government accounts for the dominant share at 82.7%.
| Borrower Category | Feb-25 (USD M) | Share % | Jan-26 (USD M) | Share % | Feb-26 (USD M) | Share % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Government | 26,394.4 | 80.5% | 29,687.2 | 82.7% | 29,640.4 | 82.7% |
| Disbursed Outstanding (DOD) | 26,317.1 | 80.3% | 29,606.9 | 82.5% | 29,560.2 | 82.4% |
| Interest Arrears | 77.3 | 0.2% | 80.3 | 0.2% | 80.2 | 0.2% |
| Private Sector | 6,389.9 | 19.5% | 6,204.7 | 17.3% | 6,218.7 | 17.3% |
| Disbursed Outstanding (DOD) | 5,827.2 | 17.8% | 5,770.3 | 16.1% | 5,774.3 | 16.1% |
| Interest Arrears | 562.8 | 1.7% | 434.3 | 1.2% | 444.5 | 1.2% |
| Public Corporations | 3.8 | 0.0% | 0.0 | 0.0% | 0.0 | 0.0% |
| Total External Debt | 32,788.0 | 100% | 35,891.9 | 100% | 35,859.1 | 100% |
Source: Ministry of Finance and Bank of Tanzania · p = provisional data
Source: Bank of Tanzania, Table A10
Multilateral institutions remain the dominant creditors at 57.8% of the external debt stock, followed by commercial lenders at 35.7%. Bilateral creditors account for just 4.4%.
| Creditor | Feb-25 | Jan-26 | Feb-26 | Share % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multilateral | 18,366.1 | 20,788.2 | 20,730.5 | 57.8% |
| DOD | 18,335.1 | 20,765.1 | 20,707.6 | 57.7% |
| Interest Arrears | 31.0 | 23.2 | 22.9 | 0.1% |
| Bilateral | 1,349.5 | 1,591.6 | 1,581.3 | 4.4% |
| Commercial | 11,918.0 | 12,786.3 | 12,818.5 | 35.7% |
| DOD | 11,557.7 | 12,427.9 | 12,452.9 | 34.7% |
| Interest Arrears | 360.3 | 358.4 | 365.6 | 1.0% |
| Export Credit | 1,154.5 | 725.7 | 728.8 | 2.0% |
| Total | 32,788.0 | 35,891.9 | 35,859.1 | 100% |
Source: Ministry of Finance and Bank of Tanzania
Central government dominates at 82.7% of total external debt. The private sector's share has slightly declined while public corporations now hold zero outstanding external debt.
Source: Ministry of Finance and Bank of Tanzania
The US Dollar dominates Tanzania's external debt currency mix at 66.0%, followed by the Euro at 17.7% and Chinese Yuan at 6.5%. This concentration creates exchange-rate sensitivity.
| Currency | Feb-25 | Jan-26 | Feb-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Dollar | 67.6% | 65.9% | 66.0% |
| Euro | 16.7% | 17.7% | 17.7% |
| Chinese Yuan | 6.3% | 6.5% | 6.5% |
| Other | 9.3% | 9.8% | 9.8% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Source: Ministry of Finance and Bank of Tanzania
BoP & budget support and transport/telecommunications jointly account for over 44% of total disbursed external debt. Social welfare and education holds a significant 19.3% share.
Source: Ministry of Finance and Bank of Tanzania
| Activity | Feb-25 (%) | Jan-26 (%) | Feb-26 (%) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BoP & Budget Support | 20.9 | 22.6 | 22.5 | +1.6pp YoY |
| Transport & Telecommunication | 21.2 | 21.8 | 21.9 | +0.7pp YoY |
| Social Welfare & Education | 20.0 | 19.4 | 19.3 | −0.7pp YoY |
| Energy & Mining | 13.1 | 12.0 | 12.0 | −1.1pp YoY |
| Real Estate & Construction | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.9 | +0.1pp YoY |
| Finance & Insurance | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | −1.0pp YoY |
| Agriculture | 4.8 | 5.3 | 5.3 | +0.5pp YoY |
| Industries | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | +0.1pp YoY |
| Tourism | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.8 | +0.2pp YoY |
| Other | 5.5 | 4.9 | 4.9 | −0.6pp YoY |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | — |
pp = percentage points · Source: Ministry of Finance and Bank of Tanzania
Tanzania's domestic debt stock reached TZS 38,781.7 billion at end-February 2026, a 0.5% monthly increase. Treasury bonds dominate at 80.8% of total domestic debt, held predominantly by commercial banks and pension funds.
| Instrument | Feb-25 (TZS B) | Feb-26 (TZS B) | Share % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government Bonds | 27,073.7 | 31,333.2 | 80.8% |
| Treasury Bills | 1,847.4 | 1,653.0 | 4.3% |
| Government Stocks | 187.1 | 135.7 | 0.4% |
| Tax Certificates | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0% |
| Overdraft (Non-Securitised) | 4,887.5 | 5,659.6 | 14.6% |
| Total | 34,014.1 | 38,781.7 | 100% |
Source: Ministry of Finance and Bank of Tanzania
| Holder | Feb-25 (TZS B) | Feb-26 (TZS B) | Share % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Banks | 9,791.4 | 10,834.3 | 27.9% |
| Pension Funds | 9,097.2 | 10,463.9 | 27.0% |
| Bank of Tanzania | 6,847.5 | 7,468.4 | 19.3% |
| Others | 5,872.8 | 7,273.8 | 18.8% |
| Insurance | 1,852.3 | 1,983.5 | 5.1% |
| BOT Special Funds | 552.7 | 757.8 | 2.0% |
| Total | 34,014.1 | 38,781.7 | 100% |
Source: Ministry of Finance and Bank of Tanzania
Source: Ministry of Finance
In February 2026, Tanzania's external debt service totalled USD 98.9 million while domestic debt servicing reached TZS 875.2 billion. Net external flows remained positive at USD 48.4 million.
Source: Bank of Tanzania, Table A10
Source: Bank of Tanzania
Source: Bank of Tanzania, Table A10
Tanzania's external debt has grown significantly over the decade, rising from USD 20.5 billion in 2018 to USD 35.9 billion in February 2026 — an increase of approximately 75% over eight years.
| Year | External Debt (USD M) | Domestic Debt (TZS B equiv.) | Disbursed (USD M) | Interest Arrears (USD M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 20,503.0 | 13,742 | 18,765.1 | 1,737.9 |
| 2019 | 21,920.9 | 14,069 | 20,029.3 | 1,891.7 |
| 2020 | 22,952.7 | 14,644 | 20,958.4 | 1,994.3 |
| 2021 | 25,519.3 | 15,874 | 23,250.9 | 2,268.4 |
| 2022 | 27,832.5 | 22,159 | 25,392.8 | 2,439.7 |
| 2023 | 30,252.7 | 27,267 | 27,889.3 | 2,363.4 |
| 2024 | 31,950.9 | 31,739 | 30,416.1 | 1,534.8 |
| 2025p | 34,765.3 | 34,014 | 34,053.0 | 712.3 |
| Feb 2026p | 35,859.1 | 38,782 | 35,334.4 | ~525 |
Source: Bank of Tanzania Selected Economic Indicators (Table A1) & Table A10 · p = provisional