The demography of Kenya is monitored by the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics.
Kenya
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, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
...
is a
multi-ethnic state
A multinational state or a multinational union is a sovereign entity that comprises two or more nations or states. This contrasts with a nation state, where a single nation accounts for the bulk of the population. Depending on the definition of ...
in
East Africa. Its total population was at 47 558,296 as of the 2019 census.
A national census was conducted in 1999, although the results were never released. A new census was undertaken in 2009, but turned out to be controversial, as the questions about ethnic affiliation seemed inappropriate after the
ethnic violence
Ethnic violence is a form of political violence which is expressly motivated by ethnic hatred and ethnic conflict. Forms of ethnic violence which can be argued to have the characteristics of terrorism may be known as ethnic terrorism or ethnica ...
of the previous year. Preliminary results of the census were published in 2010.
Kenya's population was reported as 47.6 million during the 2019 census compared to 38.6 million inhabitants 2009, 30.7 million in 1999, 21.4 million in 1989, and 15.3 million in 1979. This was an increase of a factor of 2.5 over 30 years, or an average growth rate of more than 3 percent per year. The population growth rate has been reported as reduced during the 2000s, and was estimated at 2.7 percent (as of 2010), resulting in an estimate of 46.5 million in 2016.
History
Ethnic groups
![Kenyan man 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Kenyan_man_2.jpg)
Kenya has a very diverse population that includes most major ethnic, racial and linguistic groups found in Africa.
Bantu and
Nilotic
The Nilotic peoples are people indigenous to the Nile Valley who speak Nilotic languages. They inhabit South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. Among these are the Burun-sp ...
populations together constitute around 92% of the nation's inhabitants. People from Asian or European heritage living in Kenya are estimated at around 200,000.
Kenya's largest ethnic group is the
Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language.
It may also refer to:
* Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya
*Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people
*Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Cent ...
. They make up less than a fifth of the population. Since Kenyan independence in 1963, Kenyan politics have been characterized by
ethnic tensions and rivalry between the larger groups. This devolved into
ethnic violence
Ethnic violence is a form of political violence which is expressly motivated by ethnic hatred and ethnic conflict. Forms of ethnic violence which can be argued to have the characteristics of terrorism may be known as ethnic terrorism or ethnica ...
in the
2007–2008 Kenyan crisis.
In Kenya's last colonial census of 1962, population groups residing in the territory included European, African and Asian individuals. According to the
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Kenya had a population of 47,564,296 by 2019. The largest native ethnic groups were the
Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language.
It may also refer to:
* Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya
*Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people
*Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Cent ...
(8,148,668),
Luhya (6,823,842),
Kalenjin Kalenjin may refer to:
* Kalenjin people
The Kalenjin are a group of tribes designated as Highland Nilotes and are descended from Maliri people ''(thus related to Daasanach of Ethiopia.)'' The Kalenjin are cousins with Datooga people of Tan ...
(6,358,113),
Luo Luo may refer to:
Luo peoples and languages
*Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa
**Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
*** Luoland, th ...
(5,066,966),
Kamba
Kamba may refer to:
*Kamba people
The Kamba or Akamba (sometimes called Wakamba) people are a Bantu ethnic group who predominantly live in the area of Kenya stretching from Nairobi to Tsavo and north to Embu, in the southern part of the f ...
(4,663,910),
Somalis
The Somalis ( so, Soomaalida 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒆𐒖, ar, صوماليون) are an ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic Somali language is the shared ...
(2,780,502),
Kisii Kisii may refer to:
* Kisii, Kenya, the inaugural capital city of Kenya
* Kisii County, one of the 47 counties of Kenya
* Gucha District, in Kenya, also known as ''South Kisii District''
* Nyamira District, in Kenya, also known as ''North Kisii Di ...
(2,703,235),
Mijikenda (2,488,691),
Meru
Meru may refer to:
Geography Kenya
* Meru, Kenya, a city in Meru County, Kenya
** Meru County, created by the merger of
*** Meru Central District
*** Meru North District
*** Meru South District
* Meru National Park, a Kenyan wildlife park
T ...
(1,975,869),
Maasai Maasai may refer to:
* Maasai people
*Maasai language
* Maasai mythology
* MAASAI (band)
See also
* Masai (disambiguation)
* Massai
Massai (also known as: Masai, Massey, Massi, Mah–sii, Massa, Wasse, Wassil or by the nickname "Big Foot" Mas ...
(1,189,522), and
Turkana (1,016,174). Foreign-rooted populations included
Asians (90,527),
Europeans (42,868) with Kenyan citizenship, 26,753 without, and Kenyan Arabs (59,021).
The number of ethnic categories and sub-categories recorded in the census has changed significantly over time, expanding from 42 in 1969 to more than 120 in 2019.
Bantu peoples
Bantus are the single largest population division in Kenya. The term ''Bantu'' denotes widely dispersed but related peoples that speak south-central
Niger–Congo languages. Originally from Cameroon-Nigeria border regions, Bantus began a millennium-long series of migrations referred to as the
Bantu expansion that first brought them south into
East Africa about 2,000 years ago.
Most Bantu are farmers. Some of the prominent Bantu groups in Kenya include the
Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language.
It may also refer to:
* Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya
*Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people
*Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Cent ...
, the
Kamba
Kamba may refer to:
*Kamba people
The Kamba or Akamba (sometimes called Wakamba) people are a Bantu ethnic group who predominantly live in the area of Kenya stretching from Nairobi to Tsavo and north to Embu, in the southern part of the f ...
, the
Luhya, the
Kisii Kisii may refer to:
* Kisii, Kenya, the inaugural capital city of Kenya
* Kisii County, one of the 47 counties of Kenya
* Gucha District, in Kenya, also known as ''South Kisii District''
* Nyamira District, in Kenya, also known as ''North Kisii Di ...
, the
Meru
Meru may refer to:
Geography Kenya
* Meru, Kenya, a city in Meru County, Kenya
** Meru County, created by the merger of
*** Meru Central District
*** Meru North District
*** Meru South District
* Meru National Park, a Kenyan wildlife park
T ...
, and the
Mijikenda. The
Swahili people are descended from Wangozi Bantu peoples that intermarried with Arab immigrants.
[A. Okoth & A. Ndaloh, ''Peak Revision K.C.P.E. Social Studies'', (East African Publishers), p.60-61.][S. Wandibba et al, Social Studies STD 6, (East African Publishers), p.45-47.]
The Kikuyu, who are one of the biggest tribes in Kenya, seem to have assimilated a significant number of Cushitic speakers. Evidence from their Y DNA shows that 18% of Kikuyu carry the E1b1b Y DNA.
Nilotic peoples
Nilotes are the second-largest group of peoples in Kenya. They speak
Nilo-Saharan languages and went south into
East Africa from
Western Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
and
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
by way of
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...
.
Most Nilotes in Kenya are historically
pastoralists
Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The animal s ...
. The most prominent of these groups include the
Luo Luo may refer to:
Luo peoples and languages
*Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa
**Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
*** Luoland, th ...
, the Maasai, the
Samburu, the Turkana, and the Kalenjin.
As with the Bantu, some Nilotic systems of governance (such as Ibinda of the Nandi) bear similarities with those of their Cushitic neighbors (such as the Gada system of the Oromo).
[Robert O. Collins, ''The southern Sudan in historical perspective'', (Transaction Publishers: 2006), p.9-10.]
Cushitic peoples
Cushitic
The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken primarily in the Horn of Africa, with minorities speaking Cushitic languages to the north in Egypt and the Sudan, and to the south in Kenya and Tanzania. As o ...
peoples form a small minority of Kenya's population. They speak languages belonging to the
Afroasiatic
The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic su ...
family and originally came from
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
and
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
. However, some large ethnic Somali clans are native to the area that used be known as NFD in Kenya. These people are not from Somalia but share the same ethnicity as the majority in Somalia. Most are herdsmen and have almost entirely adopted
Islam.
[S. Wandibba et al, p.19-20.] Cushites are concentrated in the northernmost
North Eastern Province, which borders Somalia.
[Godfrey Mwakikagile, ''Kenya: identity of a nation'', (Godfrey Mwakikagile: 2007), p.99-102.]
The Cushitic peoples are divided into two groups: the Southern Cushites and the Eastern Cushites.
*The Southern Cushites were the second-earliest inhabitants of Kenya after the indigenous hunter-gatherer groups,
[H. Okello Ayot, ''Topics in East African history, 1000–1970'' (]East African Literature Bureau
The Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB) is a publishing house and state corporation in Kenya founded in 1947. It is located in South-C off Popo Road in Nairobi.
History
The Kenya Literature Bureau was initially established by the "East Africa governm ...
: 1976), p.13. and the first of the Cushitic-speaking peoples to migrate from their homeland in the
Horn of Africa about 2,000 years ago.
They were progressively displaced in a southerly direction or absorbed, or both, by the incoming Nilotic and Bantu groups until they wound up in
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
.
There are no longer any Southern Cushites left in Kenya. (The
Dahalo were originally pre-Cushitic peoples who adopted the language of their dominant Southern Cushitic neighbors sometime toward the last millennium BC.
[Randall L. Pouwels, ''Horn and Crescent: Cultural Change and Traditional Islam on the East African Coast, 800–1900'', Volume 53 of ''African Studies'', (Cambridge University Press: 2002), p.9.]).
*The Eastern Cushites include the
Oromo and the
Somali. After the Northern Frontier District (North Eastern Province) was handed over to Kenyan nationalists at the end of British colonial rule in Kenya, Somalis in the region fought the
Shifta War against Kenyan troops to join their kin in the Somali Republic to the north. Although the war ended in a cease-fire,
Somalis
The Somalis ( so, Soomaalida 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒆𐒖, ar, صوماليون) are an ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic Somali language is the shared ...
in the region still identify and maintain close ties with their kin in Somalia and see themselves as one people, since like most borders in Africa and Asia, national borders were arbitrarily drawn in colonial European countries, especially during the
Scramble for Africa
An entrepreneurial community, they established themselves in the business sector, particularly in
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census.
The town lies on the River Itchen, ...
, Nairobi.
Indians
Asians living in Kenya are descended from
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
n migrants. Significant Asian migration to Kenya began between 1896 and 1901 when some 32,000 indentured labourers were recruited from
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
to build the
Kenya-Uganda Railway
The Uganda Railway was a metre-gauge railway system and former British state-owned railway company. The line linked the interiors of Uganda and Kenya with the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa in Kenya. After a series of mergers and splits, the lin ...
.
The majority of Kenyan Asians hail from the
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
and
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
regions.
[Herzig, Pascale, South Asians in Kenya: Gender, Generation and Changing Identities in Diaspora, LIT Verlag Münster, 2006, page 28] The community grew significantly during the colonial period, and in the 1962 census Asians made up a third of the population of Nairobi and consisted of 176,613 people across the country.
Since
Kenyan independence
A part of Eastern Africa, the territory of what is known as Kenya has seen Homo (genus), human habitation since the beginning of the Lower Paleolithic. The Bantu expansion from a West African centre of dispersal reached the area by the 1st mill ...
large numbers have emigrated due to race-related tensions with the Bantu and Nilotic majority. Those that remain are principally concentrated in the business sector, and Asians continue to form one of the more prosperous communities in the region.
According to the 2019 Census, Kenyan Asians number 47,555 people, while Asians without Kenyan citizenship number 42,972 individuals.
[ In 2017, they were officially recognised as the 44th tribe of Kenya.
]
Europeans
Europeans in Kenya are primarily the descendants of British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
migrants during the colonial period, there is also a significant expat population of Europeans living in Kenya. Economically, virtually all Europeans in Kenya belong to the middle- and upper-middle-class. Nowadays, only a small minority of them are landowners (livestock and game ranchers, horticulturists and farmers), with the majority working in the tertiary sector: in air transport, finance, import, and hospitality. Apart from isolated individuals such as anthropologist and conservationist Richard Leakey
Richard Erskine Frere Leakey (19 December 1944 – 2 January 2022) was a Kenyan paleoanthropologist, conservationist and politician. Leakey held a number of official positions in Kenya, mostly in institutions of archaeology and wildlife conse ...
, F.R.S., who died in 2022, Kenyan white people have virtually completely retreated from Kenyan politics, and are no longer represented in public service and parastatals, from which the last remaining staff from colonial times retired in the 1970s. According to the 2019 Census, Kenyan Europeans number 42,868 people, while Europeans without Kenyan citizenship number 26,753 individuals. 0.3% of the population of Kenya is from Asia or Europe.[
]
Arabs
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
s form a small but historically important minority ethnic group in Kenya. They are principally concentrated along the coast in cities such as Mombasa
Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
. A Muslim community, they primarily came from Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
and Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut ( ar, حَضْرَمَوْتُ \ حَضْرَمُوتُ, Ḥaḍramawt / Ḥaḍramūt; Hadramautic: 𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩩, ''Ḥḍrmt'') is a region in South Arabia, comprising eastern Yemen, parts of western Oman and southern Saud ...
in Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
, and are engaged in trade. Arabs are locally referred to as ''Washihiri'' or, less commonly, as simply ''Shihiri'' in the Bantu Swahili language, Kenya's lingua franca. According to the 2019 Census, Kenyan Arabs number 59,021 people.[
]
Languages
Kenya's various ethnic groups typically speak their mother tongues within their own communities. The two official language
An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...
s, English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and Swahili, serve as the main lingua franca between the various ethnic groups. English is widely spoken in commerce, schooling and government. Peri-urban and rural dwellers are less multilingual, with many in rural areas speaking only their native languages.
According to '' Ethnologue'', there are a total of 69 languages spoken in Kenya. Most belong to two broad language families: Niger-Congo ( Bantu branch) and Nilo-Saharan ( Nilotic branch), which are spoken by the country's Bantu and Nilotic populations, respectively. The Cushitic and Arab ethnic minorities speak languages belonging to the separate Afro-Asiatic family, with the Indian and European residents speaking languages from the Indo-European
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutc ...
family.
Population
According to , the total population was in compared to 6,077,000 in 1950, and around 1,700,000 in 1900. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 42.5%, 54.9% between the ages of 15 and 65, and 2.7% was 65 years or older. Worldometers estimates the total population at 48,466,928 inhabitants, a 29th global rank.
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 24.VIII.2009):
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 24.VIII.2019):
Population by province in 2019 census
Population by census year
Fertility and Births (Demographic and Health Surveys)
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):
Fertility data as of 2014 (DHS Program):
UN population projections
Numbers are in thousands. UN medium variant projections
*2015 46,332
*2020 52,563
*2025 59,054
*2030 65,928
*2035 73,257
*2040 80,975
*2045 88,907
*2050 96,887
Vital statistics
Registration of vital events is in Kenya not complete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.
Other population statistics
Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2022.
*One birth every 21 seconds
*One death every 2 minutes
*One net migrant every 53 minutes
*Net gain of one person every 26 seconds
The following demographic are from the CIA World Factbook unless otherwise indicated.
Population
:55,864,655 (2022 est.)
:47,564,296 (2019 census )
Age structure
:''0-14 years:'' 38.71% (male 10,412,321/female 10,310,908)
:''15-24 years:'' 20.45% (male 5,486,641/female 5,460,372)
:''25-54 years:'' 33.75% (male 9,046,946/female 9,021,207)
:''55-64 years:'' 4.01% (male 1,053,202/female 1,093,305)
:''65 years and over:'' 3.07% (2020 est.) (male 750,988/female 892,046)
:''0-14 years:'' 39.03% (male 9,474,968 /female 9,416,609)
:''15-24 years:'' 19.61% (male 4,737,647 /female 4,752,896)
:''25-54 years:'' 34.27% (male 8,393,673 /female 8,193,800)
:''55-64 years:'' 4% (male 894,371 /female 1,040,883)
:''65 years and over:'' 3.08% (male 640,005 /female 852,675) (2019 est.)
Population growth rate
:2.12% (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 38th
:1.57% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 67th
Birth rate
:26.39 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 43rd
:22.6 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 66th
Death rate
:5.01 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 196th
:6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 137th
Total fertility rate
The total fertility rate (TFR) of a population is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if:
# she were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) through her lifetime
# she were t ...
:3.29 children born/woman (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 44th
:2.81 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 59th
Median age
:total: 20 years. Country comparison to the world: 195th
:male: 19.9 years
:female: 20.1 years (2020 est.)
:total: 20 years. Country comparison to the world: 191st
:male: 19.9 years
:female: 20.2 years (2018 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
:20.3 years (2014 est.)
:note: median age at first birth among women 25-29
Contraceptive prevalence rate
:59.7% (2019)
:61.6% (2016)
Net migration rate
:-0.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 111st
:-0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 109th
Dependency ratio
The dependency ratio is an age-population ratio of those typically not in the labor force (the ''dependent'' part ages 0 to 14 and 65+) and those typically in the labor force (the ''productive'' part ages 15 to 64). It is used to measure the press ...
s
:total dependency ratio: 78.3 (2015 est.)
:youth dependency ratio: 73.7 (2015 est.)
:elderly dependency ratio: 4.6 (2015 est.)
:potential support ratio
The potential support ratio (PSR) is the number of people age 15–64 per one older person aged 65 or older. This ratio describes the burden placed on the working population (unemployment and children are not considered in this measure) by the no ...
: 21.7 (2015 est.)
Urbanization
:urban population: 29% of total population (2022)
:rate of urbanization: 4.09% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
:urban population: 27% of total population (2018)
:rate of urbanization: 4.23% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
:total population: 69.69 years. Country comparison to the world: 175th
:male: 67.98 years
:female: 71.43 years (2022 est.)
:total population: 64.6 years (2018 est.)
:male: 63.1 years (2018 est.)
:female: 66.1 years (2018 est.)
Education expenditures
:5.1% of GDP (2020) Country comparison to the world: 60th
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
:total population: 81.5%
:male: 85%
:female: 78.2% (2018)
:total population: 78% (2015 est.)
:male: 81.1% (2015 est.)
:female: 74.9% (2015 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
:total: 5 years (1970) to 11 years (2009)
:male: 11 years (2009)
:female: 11 years (2009)
Health
Like the demographics of Africa
The population of Africa has grown rapidly over the past century and consequently shows a large youth bulge, further reinforced by a low life expectancy of below 50 years in some African countries. Total population as of 2020 is estimated at ...
in general, Kenya is plagued by high infant mortality, low life expectancy, malnourishment (32% of population) and HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
.
While these concerns remain grave, a trend towards improvement is reported in the period of 2006 to 2010: Infant mortality was at estimated at 59.26 deaths/1,000 live births as of 2006, decreasing to 54.7 deaths/1,000 live births as of 2010.
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of its birth, current age, and other demographic factors like sex. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth ...
was estimated at 48.9 years as of 2006, and has risen to 64 years in 2012.
According to 2008–09 Kenyan government survey, total fertility was 4.6, contraception usage among married women was 46 percent.
Total fertility rate
The total fertility rate (TFR) of a population is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if:
# she were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) through her lifetime
# she were t ...
has decreased 4.91 children per woman (2006 estimate), to 4.38 (2010 estimate).
Literacy (age 7 and over) was estimated at 85.1% in 2003 (male: 90.6%, female: 79.7%).
Major infectious diseases
:degree of risk: very high (2020)
:food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
:vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and Rift Valley fever
:water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
:animal contact diseases: rabies
Religion
CIA World Factbook estimate:
* Christian 85.5%
**Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
33.4%
**Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
20.6%
**Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
20.4%
** African Instituted Churches 7%
**Other Christian 4.1%
* Islam 10.9%
*Other 1.8%
*None 1.6%
*Unspecified 0.2%
See also
*Geography of Kenya
The Geography of Kenya is diverse, varying amongst its 47 counties. Kenya has a coastline on the Indian Ocean, which contains swamps of East African mangroves. Inland are broad plains and numerous hills. Kenya borders South Sudan to the no ...
References
Attribution:
*
Further reading
*
*)
External links
Population and Housing Census – Ethnic Affiliation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Demographics of Kenya