Josephine Sebastian is a senior business journalist for The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers
Mwananchi Communications Limitted
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s prison population fell by nearly 10 percent in 2025, but men continue to make up the vast majority of inmates, accounting for 96 percent of the total, according to the Tanzania Prisons Service (TPS).
The number of prisoners declined from 26,596 in 2024 to 23,940 by the end of December 2025, largely due to a reduction in remand prisoners—those awaiting trial.
Despite the overall drop, the gender imbalance persists. Men accounted for 23,012 prisoners, or 96.1 percent, while women made up just 791, or 3.3 percent. Children represented less than one percent of the total prison population.
The number of male inmates fell by 9.7 percent compared to 2024, while female prisoners declined by 15.5 percent, but the proportional gap remains wide.
Commissioner General of Prisons Jeremiah Y. Katungu said the statistics will help TPS plan and improve rehabilitation programmes. He urged other criminal justice institutions and the public to work with the service to reduce crime and ease congestion in prisons.
The data show that more than half of all convicted prisoners are aged between 18 and 35, highlighting the vulnerability of young men. This age group, which represents the most economically active segment of the population, remains disproportionately represented in prisons.
Regionally, Dar es Salaam had the highest number of inmates (2,251), followed by Dodoma (1,665) and Kagera (1,611). The lowest numbers were recorded in Simiyu (264), Njombe (299) and Lindi (367).
