 According to the 2017 census Tarapoto has a population of 180,073 within the city limits, and over 130,000 inhabitants including the outlying Morales and Banda de Shilcayo districts.Tarapoto is often used by tourists and local visitors as a base for excursions into the vast Amazon Rainforest.The region's main activities are tourism, commerce, agriculture, and an illicit "shadow economy" that includes production of coca leaves, extraction of lumber, and trading in land concessions.