Population growth in Kenya
Kenya: Population growth was 1.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population growth in Kenya, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 1.9% for population growth in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Kenya peaked at 4.0% in 1966 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2021.
That places Kenya 52nd out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.9% | 3.7% | 4.0% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.5% | 3.2% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.6% | 3.5% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.1% | 3.0% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 2.0% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.9% | 2.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More climate change data for Kenya
- Population, total 57.53 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 2.9% (2025)
- Urban population 18.53 million (2025)
- Urban population 32.2% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 12.7% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 4.03 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 19.5% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 13.9% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 11.8% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 0.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Kenya?
- Population growth in Kenya was 1.9% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 4.0% in 1966.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2021.
- How does Kenya rank for population growth?
- Kenya ranks 52nd out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.