According to current projections, the population of Kenya will surpass 100 million people by the end of 2058 and will reach 125 million by the end of the century. Kenya’s annual population growth rate is 2.28% per year. The population growth rate was as high as 3.94% in 1981 and 1982 but has since decreased.
The total fertility rate in Kenya has also decreased over the years. In 1977, the fertility rate was 8.1 births per woman. The current fertility rate is 3.416 births per woman, contributing to the lower population growth rate.
Although the fertility rate is less than half of what it was decades ago, Kenya still sees rapid population growth. This is because there are many more families in Kenya today because of high fertility rates in the past, so women are having fewer children but there are more families having kids. Additionally, Kenyan life expectancy is increasing.
Over the past 20 years, Kenya's population has doubled. Although Kenya has sustained population growth, but it has both high birth and infant mortality rates. This is consistent with Africa as a whole. There has been a marked improvement in life expectancy, particularly in recent years. In 2006, the average level stood at 48.9 years. This figure rose, however, to around 59 years in 2016. This has increased to 64 years of age in 2018. The current median age is only 19.7 years of age in Kenya.
Although Kenya's extreme growth is expected to slow in the coming years, it will still be significant. The current rate of change of 2.52% annually is predicted to drop to 2.20% by 2030. During this time, however, the population should grow from 53,491,697 in 2020 to 66,959,993 in 2030.
| Kenya Population (as of 11/19/2024) | 56,859,354 |
| Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2024) | 56,432,900 |
| Births per Day | 4,167 |
| Deaths per Day | 1,109 |
| Migrations per Day | -54 |
| Net Change per Day | 3,003 |
| Population Change Since Jan. 1 | 972,972 |
Net increase of 1 person every 29 seconds
Population estimates based on interpolation of data from World Population Prospects
| One birth every 21 seconds | |
| One death every 1.3 minutes | |
| One emigrant every 26.67 minutes | |
| Net gain of one person every 29 seconds |
City | 2024 Pop. |
|---|---|
| Nairobi | 2,750,547 |
| Mombasa | 799,668 |
| Nakuru | 259,903 |
| Eldoret | 218,446 |
| Kisumu | 216,479 |
| Thika | 200,000 |
| Malindi | 118,265 |
| Kitale | 75,123 |
| Garissa | 67,861 |
| Kakamega | 63,426 |
As far as population density is concerned, Kenya is the 47th largest country in the world in terms of pure land mass. It is relatively sparsely populated, however, and for every square kilometer of land, there is an average of 79.2 people (205 per square mile) and this means that Kenya is the 140th most densely populated country on earth.
The capital and largest city in Kenya is Nairobi, which is famous for having the world's only game reserve in a large city. Nairobi is the second-largest city in the African Great Lakes area with 3.5 million residents. With the suburbs included, Nairobi is Africa's 14th largest city with 6.54 million people.
Nairobi is also home to one of the largest slums in the world. The slum of Kibera, housed approximately 250,000 of the 2.5 million slum dwellers in the city. Most people in Kibera live on less than $1 per day and HIV is rampant. There is a shortage of clean water and education, and in addition to these shortcomings, rape and assault cases are common. The slum has recently been partially destroyed in an effort to place updated roads in the area to reduce traffic congestion, and this destruction for construction suddenly displaced numerous residents in the area.
Other major cities include Mombasa (pop: 1.2 million), Kisumu (400,000), and Nakuru (300,000).
Year | Population | Change | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 56,432,900 | 1.96% | 99 | 26 | 115 |
| 2023 | 55,339,000 | 1.97% | 97 | 26 | 116 |
| 2020 | 52,217,300 | 1.98% | 92 | 27 | 117 |
| 2019 | 51,202,800 | 1.98% | 90 | 28 | 118 |
| 2018 | 50,207,100 | 2.05% | 88 | 28 | 118 |
| 2017 | 49,197,800 | 2.2% | 86 | 28 | 118 |
| 2015 | 47,088,500 | 2.51% | 83 | 28 | 121 |
| 2010 | 41,598,600 | 3.05% | 73 | 31 | 129 |
| 2005 | 35,796,500 | 3.16% | 63 | 33 | 137 |
| 2000 | 30,642,900 | 2.87% | 54 | 35 | 141 |
| 1995 | 26,601,800 | 3.05% | 47 | 35 | 144 |
| 1990 | 22,892,700 | 3.58% | 40 | 37 | 147 |
| 1985 | 19,201,800 | 3.69% | 34 | 41 | 148 |
| 1980 | 16,018,500 | 3.46% | 28 | 41 | 151 |
| 1975 | 13,511,700 | 3.51% | 24 | 47 | 153 |
| 1970 | 11,368,800 | 4.01% | 20 | 48 | 157 |
| 1965 | 9,338,080 | 3.95% | 16 | 52 | 159 |
| 1960 | 7,695,310 | 3.34% | 14 | 58 | 166 |
| 1955 | 6,529,300 | 2.51% | 11 | 62 | 166 |
Year | Population | Change | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 56,432,900 | 1.96% | 99 | 26 | 115 |
| 2025 | 57,532,500 | 1.96% | 101 | 26 | 114 |
| 2030 | 63,102,200 | 1.86% | 111 | 25 | 107 |
| 2035 | 68,715,900 | 1.72% | 121 | 24 | 104 |
| 2040 | 74,108,900 | 1.52% | 130 | 21 | 102 |
| 2045 | 79,088,800 | 1.31% | 139 | 21 | 99 |
| 2050 | 83,593,200 | 1.11% | 147 | 22 | 93 |
| 2055 | 87,732,200 | 0.97% | 154 | 22 | 94 |
| 2060 | 91,569,600 | 0.86% | 161 | 21 | 91 |
| 2065 | 94,982,500 | 0.73% | 167 | 22 | 89 |
| 2070 | 97,825,700 | 0.59% | 172 | 21 | 89 |
| 2075 | 100,063,000 | 0.45% | 176 | 21 | 86 |
| 2080 | 101,744,000 | 0.33% | 179 | 20 | 85 |
| 2085 | 102,945,000 | 0.24% | 181 | 21 | 84 |
| 2090 | 103,764,000 | 0.16% | 182 | 21 | 82 |
| 2095 | 104,175,000 | 0.08% | 183 | 21 | 83 |
20
Total
19.9
Male
20.1
Female
There are people over age 18 in Kenya.
Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 24 August 2019 |
| 2009 | 31 August 2009 |
| 1999 | 24 August 1999 |
| 1989 | 24 August 1989 |
Kenya is one of the most varied lands on the planet both in terms of its geography and its ethnic population. The Republic of Kenya sits on the equator where it's bordered by the Indian Ocean, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Somalia.
The last official census took place in Kenya back in 2009 when it was confirmed that 38,610,097 people were living in the country. Estimates are released on a regular basis, and in 2011, it was claimed that those numbers had risen to 41 million.
Coming back to the issue of diverse ethnicity, it's interesting to consider the many varied groups that make up the population of Kenya. Based on data from the CIA World Factbook, they can be divided as follows:
Kenya's population is very diverse and home to most of Africa's linguistic and ethnic groups. There are believed to be at least 42 communities, although Nilotes (30%) and Bantus (67%) account for a majority, followed by Cushitic groups, Arabs, Indians, and Europeans.
The official languages used in Kenya include English (official), Kiswahili (official), and numerous indigenous languages and dialects.
Kenya has a very young population that has led to very rapid population growth. Almost three-quarters of the population is under the age of 30 and Kenya has grown from 2.9 million to almost 40 million people within a century.
When we examine the diversity of religion in Kenya, the World Factbook gives us a breakdown of Christian 83% (Protestant 47.7%, Catholic 23.4%, other Christian 11.9%), Muslim 11.2%, Traditionalists 1.7%, other 1.6%, none 2.4%, and unspecified at 0.2% of the population, as estimated in 2009.
The World Factbook also has a collection of information that pertains to quality of life. In terms of healthcare, Kenya spends approximately 5.7% of the national GDP on this sector, earning it a low physician density of .2 per 1,000 individuals and only 1.4 hospital beds per 1,000 residents. When we turn to sanitation and clean drinking water access, only 63.2% have improved access to drinking water and only 30.1% of the total population has access to improved sanitation facilities. In addition to these relatively poor numbers, educational spending is at 5.3% of the GDP and only 78% of the population over 15 years of age can read and write. The figures likely give some influence to the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the country, which currently estimates 4.8% of adults living with the disease, and a death rate from HIV/AIDS of at least 28,000.
Kenya's population at the beginning of the 20th century was much different from its population at the end. The growth was close to exponential. The growth began to slow at the turn of the century and the country is still making its way back to a manageable growth rate.