Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Tanzania

One in every 55 babies in the world is born here: about 2,455,067 a year, 4.7 a minute.

Population: 70,545,865
Births a year: 2,455,067
Life expectancy: 67.2
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 37

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
70
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
64.4
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
28.7
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
37
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
276
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
3.5
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
8
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
11
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
31.1
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
3.8
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
4.54
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
29
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
81
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
28
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
4
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
34.7
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$3,821
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
41
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
51.3
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
1.6
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
65
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
80
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
28
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
37
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
52
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
65
World: 91
Internet users (%)
31
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
3.9
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0.29
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0
World: 0.34

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 42.6 → 2026: 67.8 → 2050: 71.8

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 241 → 2026: 34 → 2050: 10

World

Children per woman

1960: 6.5 → 2026: 4.4 → 2050: 3.2

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 5 → 2026: 38 → 2050: 62

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Tanzania comes up about once in every 55 lives.

Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

All 178 countries →

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.