Mbeya — UN urban centre
Mbeya: 539,248 people. Reference: 2025 annual estimate · World rank #1,025 of 12,138 source urban centres. Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025 (CC BY 3.0 IGO). Source identifier: 2187; territory: Tanzania (TZA). UN source workbook.
Method: Degree of Urbanisation (contiguous 1 km2 cells, density 1,500+ people/km2, total 50,000+). This is a source-defined urban centre, not a municipality or province. No association with a separate administrative entity is inferred from proximity or name.
Source centroid: -8.9117, 33.4723. National context uses World Bank estimates, a separate series and geography; no national share is inferred here.
UN population series
| Year | People | Method |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 73,244 | Estimate |
| 1985 | 93,257 | Estimate |
| 1990 | 119,284 | Estimate |
| 1995 | 148,492 | Estimate |
| 2000 | 175,160 | Estimate |
| 2005 | 281,816 | Estimate |
| 2010 | 341,145 | Estimate |
| 2015 | 409,566 | Estimate |
| 2020 | 490,126 | Estimate |
| 2025 | 539,248 | Estimate |
| 2030 | 596,666 | Projection |
| 2035 | 643,790 | Projection |
| 2040 | 702,095 | Projection |
| 2045 | 753,736 | Projection |
| 2050 | 801,207 | Projection |
Largest UN urban centres · Fastest-growing urban centres
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.