Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Kenya
Kenya: Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required was 17.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Kenya, 2003–2020
Source: Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of people at risk.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Kenya stood at 17.3%. That is the lowest value across all 18 years on record.
That represents a change of down 35.2% on the previous year and down 47.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Kenya peaked at 61.6% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 17.3%, in 2020.
That places Kenya 57th out of 134 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % of people at risk | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 59.1% | — |
| 2004 | 58.6% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 61.6% | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 59.8% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 40.4% | -32.4% |
| 2008 | 39.4% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 35.7% | -9.4% |
| 2010 | 32.7% | -8.4% |
| 2011 | 51.5% | +57.5% |
| 2012 | 42.9% | -16.7% |
| 2013 | 42.2% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 48.0% | +13.7% |
| 2015 | 28.2% | -41.2% |
| 2016 | 31.6% | +12.1% |
| 2017 | 28.9% | -8.5% |
| 2018 | 26.4% | -8.7% |
| 2019 | 26.7% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 17.3% | -35.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 50.7% | 35.7% | 61.6% | 7 |
| 2010s | 35.9% | 26.4% | 51.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.3% | 17.3% | 17.3% | 1 |
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)
- 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 share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Kenya?
- Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Kenya was 17.3% in 2020, according to Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 61.6% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.3% in 2020.
- How does Kenya rank for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required?
- Kenya ranks 57th out of 134 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Catastrophic expenditure is defined as direct out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care exceeding 10% of total income.