Over the period from 1967 to 2010 the population of Tanzania has almost increased four fold. The rate of population growth has varied over this period. The Population has grown from 12,313,469 persons in the first post-Independence Census in 1967 to 43,188,000 as of the estimated population 2010.
The number of people per square kilometre of land area, or population density in Tanzania varies considerably from Region to Region. People are particularly concentrated in Dar es Salaam Region (3118 persons per square kilometre) and Zanzibar Urban West (2101 persons per square kilometre). The other Regions of Zanzibar and Mwanza Region are also relatively densely populated.
More than 80% of the population is rural. The Tanzania population consists of 158 ethnic groups. The population also includes people of Arab, Indian, and Pakistani origin, and small European and Chinese communities.