Migration and Urbanization Monograph – A Milestone in Tanzania’s Migration Data Landscape

Following the historic 2022 Population and Housing Census, Tanzania’s first fully digital census, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, through the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Office of the Chief Government Statistician (OCGS) Zanzibar, developed the Migration and Urbanization Monograph. This publication represents a major step forward in strengthening the country’s migration data and understanding mobility dynamics shaping national development.

A Migration Monograph is an analytical report that examines patterns, drivers and implications of population movements, providing insight into who is moving, from where, to where, and why. For Tanzania, the Migration and Urbanization Monograph serves as the most comprehensive analysis of internal migration ever produced using national census data.

The Monograph was developed with the technical and financial support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). Their partnership with NBS and OCGS strengthened national analytical capacity through technical guidance in migration statistics, indicator development and data interpretation, ensuring alignment with global best practices and national priorities.

The 2022 Census revealed that 18.6 per cent of the population had migrated within the previous five years, with mobility driven largely by employment, education and access to services. Rapid urbanization, rising from 29.6 per cent in 2012 to 37.4 per cent in 2022, underscored the need for a detailed assessment of mobility trends. The Monograph responds to this need by providing evidence to support more targeted planning in both urban and rural settings.

Beyond its analytical content, the Monograph stands out as a success story in evidence‑based governance. It showcases how multi‑stakeholder cooperation can translate census data into actionable insights that strengthen national planning, labour mobility strategies and urban development policies. The publication also advances SDG 8, SDG 10 and SDG 11 by promoting inclusive, data‑driven approaches to demographic change.