This archive report was first published on 2 July 2020.
On July 1, 2020, the World Bank released its yearly review of economies, elevating Tanzania from a lower-income economy to a lower-middle-income economy.
However, President John Magufuli took to Twitter to congratulate Tanzanians on the country's new economic status, claiming it had been elevated to a middle-income economy.
A curious netizen later checked the World Bank database and found that Magufuli's information was misleading.
According to the World Bank, Tanzania had moved from a GNI per capita of $1,020 to $1,080, entering the lower-middle-income category, which is between $1,036 and $4,045.
Magufuli had posted on Twitter, 'Today, the World Bank has declared Tanzania Middle-Income country. In this regard, I congratulate all my compatriots for this historic achievement. We had envisaged achieving this status by 2025 but, with strong determination, this has been possible in 2020.'
However, the World Bank's report released on July 1, 2020, showed that Tanzania had only moved from a lower-income economy to a lower-middle-income economy.
