Nairobi, Kenya Population 2024

Nairobi's 2024 population is now estimated at 5,541,170In 1950, the population of Nairobi was 137,456Nairobi has grown by 216,010 in the last year, which represents a 4.06% annual change.These population estimates and projections come from the latest revision of the UN World Urbanization Prospects. These estimates represent the Urban agglomeration of Nairobi, which typically includes Nairobi's population in addition to adjacent suburban areas.

Nairobi is the capital of Kenya, which is located in Africa. In addition to being the capital, Nairobi is also the country’s largest city by population. The last official population was taken in 2009 and at that time was 3,138,369 in the city proper. That number has since grown to approximately 3.5 million. The metro area has over 6.5 million residents. This “Green City in the Sun” has a history dating back to 1899 and continues to grow as rural residents make their way to this big city for employment opportunities.

City Size and Population Density

The city of Nairobi is growing consistently and currently sprawls over a surface area of 696 kilometers squared (269 square miles). This area size - in combination with the total number of residents - brings us the current population density which is now approximately 4,850 residents per square kilometer. (12,600 people living per square mile).

Nairobi Demographics

The primary languages of Nairobi are Swahili and English. The city is the location of one of the largest slums in the world, and approximately 22% of the city’s residents live in poverty.

Nairobi is a very ethnically diverse city, and Kenya’s major ethnic groups all reside here, including Luo, Luhyia and Kamba. The population is made up of 20% Kikuyu. There are also many Asians, Europeans, and Somalis that call this city home. A large number of expatriates live here because of the job opportunities, which has led to the city’s explosive growth.

Nairobi History

Nairobi’s history goes back to 1899 when it became the site of the Uganda Railway’s headquarters. This railway line, meant to connect the East African interior with the rest of the world, had been named the "Lunatic Express" by skeptics doubting its economic worth. Prior to this, the city was uninhabited and was primarily swampland.

The original town was burned down during the 1900s after the plague hit its residents. The city was rebuilt, but in its earliest years, malaria was a growing issue, leading to attempts to move the town.

Under the rule of the British, the city grew. It was named as capital of the British protectorate and was named a municipality in 1919. The city continued to expand through the 1950s and 1960s. During this time, Nairobi would become a hot "big game hunting expedition" spot until independence came about. Following World War II, Kenya became independent and Nairobi was named as capital. In the early 1970s, the city continued its expansion, pouring $29 million into its airport.

In the 2000s, the city became even larger and mre modern, including the development of the Thika Superhighway. Today, the city is home to one of Adrica’s largest stock exchanges, is the site of international company headquarters including IBM, GE and Coca-Cola, and is known for Nairobi National Park, a popular destination for residents and tourists alike.

Nairobi Population Growth

Nairobi is one of the fastest growing cities in Africa, quickly becoming the second largest city of the African Great Lakes. The city is growing at a rate of over 4% annually, primarily because of the high birth rates and immigrants that come to Nairobi searching for employment opportunities. It is estimated that the city will continue on its upward trajectory in terms of population, reaching 5 million in 2025.

Country
Kenya
Growth Rate
4.06%

86 Rows

Year
Population
20358,499,400
20348,190,210
20337,888,350
20327,594,310
20317,308,500
20307,030,890
20296,761,660
20286,500,030
20276,246,780
20266,002,290
20255,766,990
20245,541,170
20235,325,160
20225,118,840
20214,922,190
20204,734,880
20194,556,380
20184,385,850
20174,222,390
20164,065,020
20153,913,510
20143,767,650
20133,627,230
20123,492,040
20113,361,890
20103,236,590
20093,115,960
20082,999,980
20072,888,020
20062,780,380
20052,676,750
20042,577,120
20032,480,940
20022,388,480
20012,299,460
20002,213,870
19992,128,050
19982,028,060
19971,932,780
19961,842,090
19951,755,420
19941,672,950
19931,594,340
19921,519,540
19911,448,050
19901,380,010
19891,315,390
19881,255,060
19871,197,350
19861,142,370
19851,089,910
19841,039,920
1983992,103
1982946,544
1981903,076
1980861,661
1979821,846
1978782,870
1977745,742
1976710,423
1975676,686
1974644,594
1973614,024
1972584,943
1971557,165
1970530,741
1969505,003
1968477,518
1967451,458
1966426,854
1965403,591
1964381,625
1963360,798
1962340,315
1961315,553
1960292,622
1959271,302
1958251,561
1957233,256
1956216,306
1955200,546
1954185,953
1953172,423
1952159,893
1951148,243
1950137,456

86 Rows

Year
Population
Change
Growth
1950137,4560%0
1951148,2437.85%10,787
1952159,8937.86%11,650
1953172,4237.84%12,530
1954185,9537.85%13,530
1955200,5467.85%14,593
1956216,3067.86%15,760
1957233,2567.84%16,950
1958251,5617.85%18,305
1959271,3027.85%19,741
1960292,6227.86%21,320
1961315,5537.84%22,931
1962340,3157.85%24,762
1963360,7986.02%20,483
1964381,6255.77%20,827
1965403,5915.76%21,966
1966426,8545.76%23,263
1967451,4585.76%24,604
1968477,5185.77%26,060
1969505,0035.76%27,485
1970530,7415.1%25,738
1971557,1654.98%26,424
1972584,9434.99%27,778
1973614,0244.97%29,081
1974644,5944.98%30,570
1975676,6864.98%32,092
1976710,4234.99%33,737
1977745,7424.97%35,319
1978782,8704.98%37,128
1979821,8464.98%38,976
1980861,6614.84%39,815
1981903,0764.81%41,415
1982946,5444.81%43,468
1983992,1034.81%45,559
19841,039,9204.82%47,817
19851,089,9104.81%49,990
19861,142,3704.81%52,460
19871,197,3504.81%54,980
19881,255,0604.82%57,710
19891,315,3904.81%60,330
19901,380,0104.91%64,620
19911,448,0504.93%68,040
19921,519,5404.94%71,490
19931,594,3404.92%74,800
19941,672,9504.93%78,610
19951,755,4204.93%82,470
19961,842,0904.94%86,670
19971,932,7804.92%90,690
19982,028,0604.93%95,280
19992,128,0504.93%99,990
20002,213,8704.03%85,820
20012,299,4603.87%85,590
20022,388,4803.87%89,020
20032,480,9403.87%92,460
20042,577,1203.88%96,180
20052,676,7503.87%99,630
20062,780,3803.87%103,630
20072,888,0203.87%107,640
20082,999,9803.88%111,960
20093,115,9603.87%115,980
20103,236,5903.87%120,630
20113,361,8903.87%125,300
20123,492,0403.87%130,150
20133,627,2303.87%135,190
20143,767,6503.87%140,420
20153,913,5103.87%145,860
20164,065,0203.87%151,510
20174,222,3903.87%157,370
20184,385,8503.87%163,460
20194,556,3803.89%170,530
20204,734,8803.92%178,500
20214,922,1903.96%187,310
20225,118,8404%196,650
20235,325,1604.03%206,320
20245,541,1704.06%216,010
20255,766,9904.08%225,820
20266,002,2904.08%235,300
20276,246,7804.07%244,490
20286,500,0304.05%253,250
20296,761,6604.03%261,630
20307,030,8903.98%269,230
20317,308,5003.95%277,610
20327,594,3103.91%285,810
20337,888,3503.87%294,040
20348,190,2103.83%301,860
20358,499,4003.78%309,190

Nairobi Population Data (Urban Area)

Name
2024 Pop.
2024 Growth
Nairobi5,541,1704.06%
Mombasa1,495,2203.81%
Ruiru464,5784.41%
Eldoret464,5704.19%
Nakuru436,9903.59%
Kisumu406,6843.68%

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