Kenya People - 2023
SOURCE: 2023 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Population
57,052,004 (2023 est.)
Nationality
noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan
Ethnic groups
Kikuyu 17.1%, Luhya 14.3%, Kalenjin 13.4%, Luo 10.7%, Kamba 9.8%, Somali 5.8%, Kisii 5.7%, Mijikenda 5.2%, Meru 4.2%, Maasai 2.5%, Turkana 2.1%, non-Kenyan 1%, other 8.2% (2019 est.)
Languages
English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages
major-language sample(s):
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English)
The World Factbook, Chanzo cha Lazima Kuhusu Habari ya Msingi. (Kiswahili)
Religions
Christian 85.5% (Protestant 33.4%, Catholic 20.6%, Evangelical 20.4%, African Instituted Churches 7%, other Christian 4.1%), Muslim 10.9%, other 1.8%, none 1.6%, don't know/no answer 0.2% (2019 est.)
Demographic profile
Kenya has experienced dramatic population growth since the mid-20th century as a result of its high birth rate and its declining mortality rate. Almost 40% of Kenyans are under the age of 15 as of 2020 because of sustained high fertility, early marriage and childbearing, and an unmet need for family planning. Kenya’s persistent rapid population growth strains the labor market, social services, arable land, and natural resources. Although Kenya in 1967 was the first Sub-Saharan country to launch a nationwide family planning program, progress in reducing the birth rate has largely stalled since the late 1990s, when the government decreased its support for family planning to focus on the HIV epidemic. Government commitment and international technical support spurred Kenyan contraceptive use, decreasing the fertility rate (children per woman) from about 8 in the late 1970s to less than 5 children twenty years later, but it has plateaued at about 3 children as of 2022.
Kenya is a source of emigrants and a host country for refugees. In the 1960s and 1970s, Kenyans pursued higher education in the UK because of colonial ties, but as British immigration rules tightened, the US, the then Soviet Union, and Canada became attractive study destinations. Kenya’s stagnant economy and political problems during the 1980s and 1990s led to an outpouring of Kenyan students and professionals seeking permanent opportunities in the West and southern Africa. Nevertheless, Kenya’s relative stability since its independence in 1963 has attracted hundreds of thousands of refugees escaping violent conflicts in neighboring countries; Kenya was sheltering nearly 280,000 Somali refugees as of 2022.
Age structure
0-14 years: 36.45% (male 10,447,425/female 10,349,611)
15-64 years: 60.26% (male 17,196,347/female 17,185,035)
65 years and over: 3.28% (2023 est.) (male 855,757/female 1,017,829)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 70.2
youth dependency ratio: 65.3
elderly dependency ratio: 4.8
potential support ratio: 20.7 (2021 est.)
Median age
total: 20 years
male: 19.9 years
female: 20.1 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate
2.09% (2023 est.)
Birth rate
26.01 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate
4.95 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Population distribution
population heavily concentrated in the west along the shore of Lake Victoria; other areas of high density include the capital of Nairobi, and in the southeast along the Indian Ocean coast as shown in this population distribution map
Urbanization
urban population: 29.5% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 4.09% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
5.325 million NAIROBI (capital), 1.440 million Mombassa (2023)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
20.3 years (2014 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Maternal mortality ratio
530 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 26.94 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 29.94 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 23.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 70.04 years
male: 68.31 years
female: 71.82 years (2023 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.23 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.6 (2023 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
64.6% (2020)
Drinking water source
improved: urban: 91.3% of population
rural: 63.3% of population
total: 71.2% of population
unimproved: urban: 8.7% of population
rural: 36.7% of population
total: 28.8% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure
4.3% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density
0.16 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: 84% of population
rural: 48.1% of population
total: 58.2% of population
unimproved: urban: 16% of population
rural: 51.9% of population
total: 41.8% of population (2020 est.)
Major infectious diseases
degree of risk: very high (2023)
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
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
7.1% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 1.68 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
total: 11.1% (2020 est.)
male: 19.5% (2020 est.)
female: 2.7% (2020 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
11.2% (2014)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
56.8% (2023 est.)
Education expenditures
4.8% of GDP (2021 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.6%
male: 85.5%
female: 79.8% (2021)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 13.8%
male: 12.8%
female: 14.9% (2021 est.)
NOTE: The information regarding Kenya on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Kenya 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Kenya 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 06 Dec 23, Copyright © 2023 ITA all rights reserved.