Kenya Population 2024 (Live)

55,891,958

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.

Kenya Population Growth

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.

Kenya Population Projections

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.

Population Rank
Growth Rate
2024 World Percentage
Land Area
569,140
The current population of Kenya is 55,891,958 based on projections of the latest United Nations data. The UN estimates the July 1, 2024 population at 56,203,030.

Kenya Growth Rate

Kenya Population 2024 (Live)

Kenya Population Clock

Kenya Population (as of 3/20/2024)55,891,958
Next UN Estimate (July 1, 2024)56,203,030
Births per Day4,160
Deaths per Day1,083
Migrations per Day-27
Net Change per Day3,050
Population Change Since Jan. 1244,000

Components of Population Change

One birth every 21 seconds
One death every 1.33 minutes
One emigrant every 53.33 minutes
Net gain of one person every 28 seconds

Kenya Population Clock

City
2024 Population
Nairobi2,750,547
Mombasa799,668
Nakuru259,903
Eldoret218,446
Kisumu216,479
Thika200,000
Malindi118,265
Kitale75,123
Garissa67,861
Kakamega63,426

Kenya Area and Population Density

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.

Largest Cities in Kenya

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).

Kenya Population Density Map

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
202456,203,0301.98%9926114
202355,100,5861.98%9726116
202051,985,7802.03%9127118
201950,951,4502%9028118
201849,953,3042.05%8828118
201748,948,1372.2%8628119
201546,851,4882.45%8229124
201041,517,8952.98%7331130
200535,843,0103.04%6333136
200030,851,6062.8%5433141
199526,878,3473.02%4735142
199023,162,2693.55%4136145
198519,452,1613.74%3440147
198016,187,1243.46%2841151
197513,651,9083.54%2445152
197011,473,0874.03%2046157
19659,417,2073.97%1751159
19607,751,4353.4%1458164
19556,558,8702.58%1262166

Kenya Population by Year (Historical)

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
202456,203,0301.98%9926114
202557,323,9301.97%10126113
203063,103,9421.94%11125106
203569,018,9771.81%12123102
204074,757,9781.61%13121101
204580,156,6011.4%1412298
205085,211,7391.23%1502197
205589,930,6641.08%1582296
206094,340,3140.96%1662292
206598,299,1370.83%1731991
2070101,768,6060.7%1792088
2075104,706,4310.57%1842088
2080107,137,3780.46%1882086
2085109,136,4180.37%1922083
2090110,696,7030.28%1942082
2095111,797,5740.2%1962080

Kenya Population by Year (Projections)

Kenya Population Pyramid 2024

Kenya Median Age

20

Total

19.9

Male

20.1

Female

Kenya Population by Age

There are people over age 18 in Kenya.

Census Years

Year
Date
201924 August 2019
200931 August 2009
199924 August 1999
198924 August 1989

Kenya Population Pyramid

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.

Kenya Population Rank 2024
Country Age
Area (km²)
580,367
2024 Growth Rate
Capital
GDP (IMF '23)
$112.75
GDP (UN '22)
$113.42 Bn

Kenya - General Info

Sources