Fertility and wanted fertility in Kenya

Kenya: Fertility and wanted fertility was 3.17 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
3.17
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
52nd
of 215 countries
All-time high
7.96
in 1966
All-time low
3.17
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Fertility and wanted fertility in Kenya, 1960–2024

02468196019922024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for fertility and wanted fertility in Kenya is 3.17, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.

The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 17.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fertility and wanted fertility in Kenya peaked at 7.96 in 1966 and was at its lowest, 3.17, in 2024.

Kenya ranks 52nd of 215 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.

Fertility and wanted fertility in Kenya, year by year

Annual values for Fertility and wanted fertility in Kenya, 1960 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1960 7.65 —
1961 7.71 +0.8%
1962 7.77 +0.7%
1963 7.82 +0.6%
1964 7.87 +0.7%
1965 7.92 +0.7%
1966 7.96 +0.4%
1967 7.95 -0.0%
1968 7.95 -0.1%
1969 7.95 -0.0%
1970 7.94 -0.1%
1971 7.92 -0.3%
1972 7.89 -0.4%
1973 7.86 -0.4%
1974 7.82 -0.5%
1975 7.79 -0.3%
1976 7.77 -0.4%
1977 7.73 -0.5%
1978 7.67 -0.8%
1979 7.6 -0.9%
1980 7.53 -0.9%
1981 7.45 -1.0%
1982 7.34 -1.5%
1983 7.22 -1.7%
1984 7.08 -1.9%
1985 6.96 -1.7%
1986 6.84 -1.7%
1987 6.69 -2.3%
1988 6.51 -2.6%
1989 6.33 -2.8%
1990 6.13 -3.1%
1991 5.94 -3.2%
1992 5.74 -3.4%
1993 5.57 -3.0%
1994 5.44 -2.4%
1995 5.37 -1.2%
1996 5.31 -1.2%
1997 5.27 -0.7%
1998 5.24 -0.5%
1999 5.18 -1.3%
2000 5.14 -0.8%
2001 5.09 -0.8%
2002 5.03 -1.3%
2003 4.94 -1.8%
2004 4.86 -1.5%
2005 4.8 -1.2%
2006 4.75 -1.0%
2007 4.72 -0.8%
2008 4.66 -1.2%
2009 4.57 -2.0%
2010 4.45 -2.6%
2011 4.28 -3.6%
2012 4.12 -3.9%
2013 3.96 -3.9%
2014 3.84 -2.8%
2015 3.77 -2.0%
2016 3.69 -2.0%
2017 3.61 -2.2%
2018 3.54 -2.0%
2019 3.43 -2.9%
2020 3.36 -2.0%
2021 3.31 -1.5%
2022 3.26 -1.5%
2023 3.21 -1.7%
2024 3.17 -1.3%

Kenya compared with similar countries

  • Kenya's 3.17 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.12, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Kenya's 3.17 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.91, 81% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 7.85 7.65 7.96 10
1970s 7.8 7.6 7.94 10
1980s 7 6.33 7.53 10
1990s 5.52 5.18 6.13 10
2000s 4.86 4.57 5.14 10
2010s 3.87 3.43 4.45 10
2020s 3.26 3.17 3.36 5

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 49 Iraq 3.22 compare
  2. 50 Namibia 3.21 compare
  3. 51 Tuvalu 3.17 compare
  4. 53 Kiribati 3.12 compare
  5. 54 Tonga 3.1 compare
  6. 55 Papua New Guinea 3.07 compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More population data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is fertility and wanted fertility in Kenya?
Fertility and wanted fertility in Kenya was 3.17 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest fertility and wanted fertility recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 7.96 in 1966.
What is the lowest fertility and wanted fertility recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 3.17 in 2024.
How does Kenya rank for fertility and wanted fertility?
Kenya ranks 52nd out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
Is fertility and wanted fertility rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Kenya data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility and wanted fertility. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Fertility and wanted fertility in Kenya. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/fertility-and-wanted-fertility/kenya/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://population.statizoid.com/stat/fertility-and-wanted-fertility/kenya/">Fertility and wanted fertility in Kenya</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Fertility and wanted fertility
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 13,943 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed