Spatial Patterns and Drivers of Women’s Interregional Migration in Tanzania

Migration is a central component of demographic change and socioeconomic transformation across sub-Saharan Africa. Tanzania is currently undergoing one of the fastest urban transformations in Africa, dominating both policy concerns and economic analysis. While internal mobility remains far more prevalent than international migration, important spatial heterogeneity persists across regions, reflecting the interplay of labor markets, family systems, social norms, and geopolitical contexts. Yet, despite growing policy interest in gendered mobility, nationally representative evidence on the regional patterns and drivers of women’s migration in Tanzania remains limited. Within the framework of the MAPS Project, this explorative study aims to investigate women interregional mobility, using the 2022 Spatial Data Repository of the DHS Program in Tanzania. We provide descriptive analysis of women’s migration patterns in Tanzania, exploring also the primary reasons for migration. Results show that women’s migration in Tanzania is predominantly internal and largely family-driven but characterized by sharp regional contrasts. Border regions exhibit relatively higher levels of international migration and displacement, major urban centers attract employment- and education-related migrants, and Zanzibar and several western regions show strong marriage-linked mobility. These patterns point to the coexistence of economic, social, and geopolitical drivers shaping women’s migration across Tanzania’s regional landscape. Further exploration is needed to understand how these migration patterns interact with women’s socioeconomic outcomes, access to services, and regional development trajectories.