Natural population growth in Kenya
Kenya: Natural population growth was 1.99 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.99
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
48th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.94
in 1966
All-time low
1.88
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Natural population growth in Kenya, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 1.99 for natural population growth in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, natural population growth in Kenya peaked at 3.94 in 1966 and was at its lowest, 1.88, in 1950.
Kenya ranks 48th 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.
Natural population growth in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.88 | — |
| 1951 | 2.18 | +15.6% |
| 1952 | 2.39 | +9.6% |
| 1953 | 2.6 | +9.1% |
| 1954 | 2.79 | +7.0% |
| 1955 | 2.97 | +6.4% |
| 1956 | 3.15 | +6.2% |
| 1957 | 3.35 | +6.3% |
| 1958 | 3.48 | +3.7% |
| 1959 | 3.57 | +2.7% |
| 1960 | 3.64 | +1.9% |
| 1961 | 3.74 | +2.7% |
| 1962 | 3.81 | +1.8% |
| 1963 | 3.86 | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 3.89 | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 3.92 | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 3.94 | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 3.93 | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 3.92 | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 3.91 | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 3.9 | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 3.9 | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 3.87 | -0.8% |
| 1973 | 3.84 | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 3.83 | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 3.83 | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 3.85 | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 3.84 | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 3.85 | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 3.85 | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 3.85 | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 3.87 | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 3.85 | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 3.84 | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 3.83 | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 3.82 | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 3.8 | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 3.76 | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 3.68 | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 3.6 | -2.2% |
| 1990 | 3.45 | -4.2% |
| 1991 | 3.34 | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 3.22 | -3.6% |
| 1993 | 3.14 | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 3.07 | -2.4% |
| 1995 | 3.05 | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 3.03 | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 3.02 | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 3.03 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 3.02 | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 3.03 | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 3.05 | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 3.04 | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 3.03 | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 3.02 | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 3.02 | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 3.02 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 3.02 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 3 | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 2.95 | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 2.88 | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 2.77 | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 2.65 | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 2.53 | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 2.44 | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 2.38 | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 2.3 | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 2.25 | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 2.19 | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 2.09 | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 1.98 | -5.2% |
| 2021 | 1.95 | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 2.01 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 1.99 | -1.2% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 1.99 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.93, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 1.99 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.39, 83% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.84 | 1.88 | 3.57 | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.85 | 3.64 | 3.94 | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.86 | 3.83 | 3.9 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.79 | 3.6 | 3.87 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.14 | 3.02 | 3.45 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.02 | 2.95 | 3.05 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.45 | 2.09 | 2.88 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.98 | 1.95 | 2.01 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
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)
- Population growth rate -0.038 (2100)
- Population density 183.07 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 6.40 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is natural population growth in Kenya?
- Natural population growth in Kenya was 1.99 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest natural population growth recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 3.94 in 1966.
- What is the lowest natural population growth recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.88 in 1950.
- How does Kenya rank for natural population growth?
- Kenya ranks 48th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is natural population growth rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.2%. 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 Natural population growth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).