Birth rate in Kenya
Kenya: Birth rate was 27.11 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
27.11 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
44th
of 236 countries
All-time high
55.41 births per 1,000 people
in 1958
All-time low
27.11 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Kenya, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2023, birth rate in Kenya stood at 27.11 births per 1,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Kenya peaked at 55.41 births per 1,000 people in 1958 and was at its lowest, 27.11 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Kenya ranks 44th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Kenya, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 49.34 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 50.54 births per 1,000 people | +2.4% |
| 1952 | 51.59 births per 1,000 people | +2.1% |
| 1953 | 52.53 births per 1,000 people | +1.8% |
| 1954 | 53.17 births per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1955 | 53.8 births per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1956 | 54.54 births per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 1957 | 55.13 births per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 1958 | 55.41 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1959 | 55.38 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1960 | 55.18 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1961 | 55.38 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 55.38 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 55.29 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 55.12 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 54.92 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 54.63 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 54.05 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 53.52 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 53.06 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 52.54 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1971 | 52.22 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 51.51 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 50.8 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1974 | 50.2 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1975 | 49.83 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 49.59 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 49.15 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 48.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 48.56 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 48.21 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 48.18 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 47.79 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 47.36 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 47.16 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 46.86 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 46.65 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 46.29 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 45.6 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 44.89 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 43.93 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 43.05 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 42.08 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 41.42 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 40.86 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 40.83 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 40.63 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 40.54 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 40.62 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 40.33 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 40.24 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 40.19 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 39.94 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 39.46 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 39.1 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 38.78 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 38.49 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 38.3 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 37.85 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 37.17 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 36.27 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 35.01 births per 1,000 people | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 33.67 births per 1,000 people | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 32.43 births per 1,000 people | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 31.54 births per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 30.91 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 30.2 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 29.6 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 29.04 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 28.23 births per 1,000 people | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 27.78 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 27.61 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 27.34 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 27.11 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 27.11 births per 1,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.89 births per 1,000 people, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 27.11 births per 1,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 87% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 53.14 births per 1,000 people | 49.34 births per 1,000 people | 55.41 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 54.65 births per 1,000 people | 53.06 births per 1,000 people | 55.38 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 50.33 births per 1,000 people | 48.56 births per 1,000 people | 52.54 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.9 births per 1,000 people | 44.89 births per 1,000 people | 48.21 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 41.43 births per 1,000 people | 40.33 births per 1,000 people | 43.93 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 38.95 births per 1,000 people | 37.17 births per 1,000 people | 40.24 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.69 births per 1,000 people | 28.23 births per 1,000 people | 36.27 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.46 births per 1,000 people | 27.11 births per 1,000 people | 27.78 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 41 Vanuatu 28.05 births per 1,000 people compare
- 42 Pakistan 27.81 births per 1,000 people compare
- 43 Gabon 27.67 births per 1,000 people compare
- 45 Palestine 27.06 births per 1,000 people compare
- 46 Solomon Islands 26.93 births per 1,000 people compare
- 47 Uzbekistan 26.46 births per 1,000 people compare
More population data for Kenya
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.0288 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.22 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0288 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.1094 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 85,212 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.9 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7363 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.0% (2100)
- Population density 183.07 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 6.40 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Kenya?
- Birth rate in Kenya was 27.11 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 55.41 births per 1,000 people in 1958.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.11 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Kenya rank for birth rate?
- Kenya ranks 44th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.