Kenya Flag

Kenya

Capital:
Nairobi
Continent:
Africa
Largest Cities:
Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru
Abbreviation:
KEN

Kenya is a country in Africa, known for the Great Rift Valley and diverse wildlife. It has a population of 57.5 million, making it the 26th largest country in the world. Its official language is Portuguese, and the capital is Nairobi. Kenya has a diverse economy with strong agricultural and tourism sectors.

57.5M
Total Population
26
Population Rank
101.09
Density (km²)
1.1M 1.96%
Annual Population Growth

Population of Kenya

Kenya's population structure shows a nearly equal male to female ratio of 0.99 to 1, with a median male age of 20.53 years old and a median female age of 21.03 years old. The highest concentration of adults under 75 years old is in the 18 and 19 year-old age groups, while the lowest concentration is in the 74 and 73 year-old age groups.

Kenya Population

Data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

Kenya Population Clock

Kenya Population*
57,097,961
Births per Day
4,219
Deaths per Day
1,126
Emigrations per Day
75
Net Change per Day
3,018
2025 Population Change*
111,666

* As of 2/6/2025

1 birth

Every 20.5 seconds

1 death

Every 1.3 minutes

1 emigrant

Every 19.2 minutes

1 person

Every 28.6 seconds

Population by City

City
2025 Pop.
Nairobi2,750,547
Mombasa799,668
Nakuru259,903
Eldoret218,446
Kisumu216,479
Thika200,000
Malindi118,265

Kenya Overview

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.

Kenya Demographics

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:

  • Kikuyu 17%
  • Luhya 14%
  • Luo 11%
  • Kalenjin 13%
  • Kamba 10%
  • Kisii 6%
  • Meru 4%
  • Other African 13%
  • Non-African (Asian European, and Arab) 1%

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.

Kenya Religion, Economy and Politics

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 Population History

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.