Share of population urban in Kenya
Kenya: Share of population urban was 32.21 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
32.21
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
206th
of 236 countries
All-time high
32.21
in 2025
All-time low
5.92
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share of population urban in Kenya, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population urban in Kenya is 32.21, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population urban in Kenya peaked at 32.21 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.92, in 1950.
That places Kenya 206th out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Share of population urban in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.92 | — |
| 1951 | 6.18 | +4.3% |
| 1952 | 6.43 | +4.0% |
| 1953 | 6.67 | +3.8% |
| 1954 | 6.91 | +3.6% |
| 1955 | 7.15 | +3.4% |
| 1956 | 7.37 | +3.2% |
| 1957 | 7.6 | +3.0% |
| 1958 | 7.81 | +2.9% |
| 1959 | 8.03 | +2.7% |
| 1960 | 8.23 | +2.6% |
| 1961 | 8.44 | +2.5% |
| 1962 | 8.63 | +2.3% |
| 1963 | 8.82 | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 8.97 | +1.8% |
| 1965 | 9.12 | +1.6% |
| 1966 | 9.26 | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 9.42 | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 9.61 | +2.0% |
| 1969 | 9.83 | +2.3% |
| 1970 | 10.14 | +3.2% |
| 1971 | 10.6 | +4.5% |
| 1972 | 11.16 | +5.3% |
| 1973 | 11.8 | +5.7% |
| 1974 | 12.48 | +5.8% |
| 1975 | 13.18 | +5.6% |
| 1976 | 13.86 | +5.2% |
| 1977 | 14.5 | +4.6% |
| 1978 | 15.05 | +3.8% |
| 1979 | 15.48 | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 15.84 | +2.3% |
| 1981 | 16.16 | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 16.48 | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 16.77 | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 17.04 | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 17.29 | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 17.52 | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 17.73 | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 17.91 | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 18.07 | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 18.2 | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 18.3 | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 18.38 | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 18.45 | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 18.51 | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 18.58 | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 18.66 | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 18.76 | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 18.88 | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 19.03 | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 19.46 | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 20.44 | +5.1% |
| 2002 | 21.86 | +6.9% |
| 2003 | 23.56 | +7.8% |
| 2004 | 25.41 | +7.9% |
| 2005 | 27.27 | +7.3% |
| 2006 | 28.98 | +6.3% |
| 2007 | 30.42 | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 31.42 | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 31.86 | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 31.87 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 31.87 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 31.86 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 31.83 | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 31.79 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 31.73 | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 31.65 | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 31.54 | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 31.39 | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 31.19 | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 31.21 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 31.29 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 31.43 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 31.63 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 31.89 | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 32.21 | +1.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 32.21 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50.87, 63% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 32.21 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.89, 72% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7.01 | 5.92 | 8.03 | 10 |
| 1960s | 9.03 | 8.23 | 9.83 | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.82 | 10.14 | 15.48 | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.08 | 15.84 | 18.07 | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.58 | 18.2 | 19.03 | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.07 | 19.46 | 31.86 | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.67 | 31.19 | 31.87 | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.61 | 31.21 | 32.21 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 203 Bangladesh 33.24 compare
- 204 Madagascar 32.9 compare
- 205 Mali 32.21 compare
- 207 Uganda 31.94 compare
- 208 Saint Kitts and Nevis 31.9 compare
- 209 Solomon Islands 31.31 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)
- 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 share of population urban in Kenya?
- Share of population urban in Kenya was 32.21 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population urban recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 32.21 in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of population urban recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.92 in 1950.
- How does Kenya rank for share of population urban?
- Kenya ranks 206th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of population urban rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population urban. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).