Kenya Population
Kenya had an estimated population of 57,532,493 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 26th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.70% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +1.93% a year.
Kenya at a glance
How Kenya's population is changing
Kenya's population is growing fast: +1.93% a year, which works out to about +1,110,192 people per year, or +3,040 a day. Births (27.0 per 1,000) and deaths (7.2 per 1,000) alone would give +1.98% a year; net migration removes about 27,330 people a year (−0.05%). Roughly one in every 143 people on Earth lives in Kenya.
Population of Kenya since 1960
In 1960, Kenya had 7,695,307 people. By 2025 that was 57,532,493 — 7.5× larger. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 48%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 7,695,307 | — |
| 1970 | 11,368,791 | +47.7% |
| 1980 | 16,018,459 | +40.9% |
| 1990 | 22,892,651 | +42.9% |
| 2000 | 30,642,890 | +33.9% |
| 2010 | 41,598,567 | +35.8% |
| 2020 | 52,217,334 | +25.5% |
| 2025 | 57,532,493 | +10.2% |
Kenya from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Kenya at about 2,574,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 57,532,491 in 2025 (22× 1800) and projects 104,195,498 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 81% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 2,574,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 3,354,404 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 3,950,614 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 5,769,190 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 30,642,893 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 57,532,491 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 83,593,234 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 100,062,627 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 104,195,498 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Kenya
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 57,532,493. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi | 6,134,334 | UN urban centre | 10.66% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Mombasa | 1,456,207 | UN urban centre | 2.53% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Nakuru | 574,091 | UN urban centre | 1.00% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Ruiru | 490,120 | GeoNames settlement | 0.85% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Kisumu | 430,532 | UN urban centre | 0.75% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Eldoret | 418,175 | UN urban centre | 0.73% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Garissa | 333,505 | UN urban centre | 0.58% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Kikuyu | 323,881 | GeoNames settlement | 0.56% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | El Wak | 208,911 | UN urban centre | 0.36% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 10 | Kisii | 200,579 | UN urban centre | 0.35% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
How Kenya compares
Kenya has almost the same population as Italy (58,915,656).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Kenya | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #24 |  South Africa | 64,747,319 | +13% | compare → |
| #25 |  Italy | 58,915,656 | +2% | compare → |
| #27 |  Myanmar | 54,850,648 | −5% | compare → |
| #28 |  Colombia | 53,425,635 | −7% | compare → |
Compare Kenya with any country →
Same region (Sub-Saharan Africa): Nigeria, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, Sudan.
Explore around Kenya
Land neighbours (5)
Ethiopia 135,472,051 · 2.4× the population · compare
Tanzania 70,545,865 · 1.2× the population · compare
Uganda 51,384,894 · 1.1× smaller · compare
Somalia 19,654,739 · 2.9× smaller · compare
South Sudan 12,188,788 · 4.7× smaller · compare
Kenya's 5 neighbours together hold 289,246,337 people — 5.0× Kenya's population. The most populous is Ethiopia (135,472,051).
In its region
Kenya is the 6th most populous of the 48 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, holding 4.4% of the region's 1,321,654,217 people.
Rankings
Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.
Cities
Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Ruiru, Kisumu, Eldoret, Garissa, Kikuyu — all Kenya's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Kenya when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.