Key data for United Republic of Tanzania

NCI6th HRCI21st HANCI12th
HANCI compares 45 countries for their performance on 22 indicators of political commitment to reduce hunger and undernutrition. All the countries compared in the index have high rates of hunger and undernutrition. The comparative approach of the index means that country scores are calculated in relation to the political commitment of the other countries in the index.
Existing rates of: Stunting: 31.8% Wasting: 3.5% Proportion of population underweight: 3.5% Source: Government of United Republic of Tanzania (SMART,2018)

Strong Performance

  • The Government of Tanzania has ensured tenure security for rural populations. Land titling is common and land markets function well. Policy promotes equitable access to common property resources.
  • In Tanzania, the law gives women economic rights equal to men. These rights are upheld in practice to reduce women’s vulnerability to hunger and undernutrition.
  • Relative to other HANCI countries, Tanzania’s medium/long term national development policy (National Five Year Development Plan) assigns strong importance to nutrition.
  • Tanzania instituted a separate budget line for nutrition, enabling transparency and accountability for spending.
  • The National Nutrition Policy/Strategy identifies time bound nutrition targets and a multisectoral and multistakeholder policy coordination mechanism has been set up.
  • Policymakers in Tanzania benefit from regular nutrition surveys that are statistically representative at national level. The last survey was published in 2015-2016.
  • The Government has fully enshrined the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes into domestic law.
  • The Government of Tanzania promotes complementary feeding practices and has achieved two high doses of vitamin A supplementation for 99% of children in 2018.
  • In Tanzania 98% of women aged 15-49 were visited at least once during pregnancy by skilled health personnel in 2017.

Areas for improvement

  • Spending on agriculture (2.5% of public spending in 2018), does not meet government commitments set out in the African Union’s Maputo Declaration (10% of public spending).
  • Tanzania’s spending in its health sector (9.5% of public spending in 2017) does not fully meet (15%) commitments set out in the Abuja Declaration.
  • In Tanzania, the law gives women equal access to agricultural land as men. However, these laws are not effectively enforced and discriminatory practices against women continue, increasing their vulnerability to hunger and undernutrition.
  • Weak access to an improved source of drinking water (68.2% in 2017) and an improved sanitation facility (29.9% in 2017) prevents positive outcomes for hunger and nutrition in Tanzania.
  • In Tanzania, constitutional protection of the right to social security is weak.
  • Social safety nets in Tanzania are basic and only cover few risks for a limited number of beneficiaries.
  • Civil registration rates are weak (26.4% in 2015-2016) and potentially hold back children’s access to critical public services such as health and education.

Hunger Reduction Commitment Index (HRCI)

Public Spending Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Public spending on agriculture as share of total public spending
?
2.5%201830th
Public spending on health as share of total public spending
?
9.5%2017Joint 10th
Policies Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Access to land (security of tenure)
?
Strong2019Joint 9th
Access to agricultural research and extension services
?
Moderate2019Joint 31st
Civil registration system — coverage of live births
?
26.4%2015-201639th
Functioning of social protection systems
?
Weak2018Joint 11th
Laws Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Level of constitutional protection of the right to food
?
Moderate2016Joint 10th
Equality of women’s access to agricultural land
?
In Law, not in Practice2019Joint 3rd
Equality of women’s economic rights
?
In Law & Practice2019Joint 1st
Constitutional right to social security
?
No2017Joint 33rd

Nutrition Commitment Index (NCI)

Public Spending Score Year NCI rank of 45
Separate budget for nutrition
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Policies Score Year NCI rank of 45
Vitamin A supplementation coverage for children
?
99%2018Joint 1st
Government promotes complementary feeding
?
Yes2015Joint 1st
Population with access to an improved water source
?
68.2%201740th
Population with access to improved sanitation
?
29.9%201730th
Health care visits for pregnant women
?
98%20174th
Nutrition features in national development policy
?
Strong2016-20216th
National Nutrition Policy/Strategy
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Multisector and multistakeholder policy coordination
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Time bound nutrition targets
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
National nutrition survey in last 3 years
?
Yes2015-2016Joint 1st
Laws Score Year NCI rank of 45
Enshrine ICBMS in domestic law
?
Fully Enshrined2019Joint 1st