Christianity in Tanzania

Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Tanzania, but in the island of Zanzibar most of the population is Muslim.

Azania Front Lutheran Church
St Joseph's Catholic cathedral, Zanzibar

Historical information

Christianity was introduced in the 16th century when Franciscans established a mission in Kilwa.[1] Spiritan missionaries arrived in the area in 1868.[2] The Anglican mission was established in 1876.[3]

The Christian Council of Tanzania was founded in 1934.[4]

Statistics

A 2020 Pew Forum survey estimates that approximately 63% of the population identifies as Christian, 34% as Muslim, and 5% practitioners of other religions.[5] Most Christians are Catholics and Lutherans, although there are also Anglicans, Pentecostals and other groups.

A 2010 Pew survey found 61.4 percent of respondents to be Christian, 35.2 percent to be Muslim, 1.8 percent to follow traditional African religions, 1.4 percent to be unaffiliated, and 0.1 percent to be Hindu.[6] The Eastern Orthodox Church claims an estimated 200,000 adherents in Tanzania.[7] The United Methodist Church claims 8,371 members in Tanzania.[8] In 2020, the Vatican noted that 30.41% of the population are Catholic.[9]

A 2015 study estimates some 180,000 believers in Christ from a Muslim background living in the country, most of them Protestant.[10]

The CIA World Factbook notes that Zanzibar is almost entirely Muslim.[11]

In 2023, Tanzania scored 3 out of 4 for religious freedom.[12]

See also

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Churches in Tanzania.
  1. Shadows Of Africa website
  2. Nnamunga, G. M., 50 Years of Christianity in Tanzania: Spiritan Evangelization Methodology, Tangaza Journal of Theology and Mission, 2018, accessed 26 September 2023
  3. Cambridge University Press website
  4. Shadows Of Africa website
  5. US State Dept 2022 report
  6. Global Religious Diversity: Full Report (PDF). Pew Research Center. 4 April 2014. p. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  7. "Ιεραποστολή στην Ινδονησία".
  8. "2018 Tanzania Annual Conference - The United Methodist Church". www.umc.org. Archived from the original on 2018-08-01.
  9. Catholics And Culture website, Retrieved 2023-08-01
  10. Johnstone, Patrick; Miller, Duane A (2015). "Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census". IJRR. 11: 14. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  11. "The World Fact Book: Tanzania". Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  12. Freedom House website, Retrieved 2023-08-01


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