Kenya Population 2018 by County and Tribe
Kenya is one of the most varied lands on the planet both in terms of its geography and its ethnic population. The Republic of Kenya sits on the equator where it’s bordered by the Indian Ocean, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Somalia. In 2018, Kenya has an estimated population of 50.95 million, which ranks 29th in the world.
The last official census took place in Kenya back in 2009 when it was confirmed that 38,610,097 peoplewere living in the country. Estimates are released on a regular basis, and in 2011, it was claimed that those numbers had risen to 41 million, which has since increased to 50.95 million in 2018.
As far as population density is concerned, Kenya is the 47th largest country in the world in terms of pure land mass. It is relatively sparsely populated, however, and for every square kilometer of land, there is an average of 79.2 people (205 per square mile) and this means that Kenya is the 140th most densely populated country on earth.
The capital and largest city in Kenya is Nairobi, which is famous for having the world’s only game reserve in a large city. Nairobi is the second-largest city in the African Great Lakes area with 3.5 million residents. With the suburbs included, Nairobi is Africa’s 14th largest city with 6.54 million people.
Nairobi is home to one of the largest slums in the world. The slum, Kibera, houses approximately 250,000 of the 2.5 million slum dwellers in the city. Most people in Kibera live on less than $1 per day and HIV is rampant. There is a shortage of clean water and education and rape and assault cases are common. The slum is so large that it has many villages.
Other major cities include Mombasa (pop: 1.2 million), Kisumu (400,000), and Nakuru (300,000).
Kenya Demographics 2018
Kikuyu 17% Luhya 14% Luo 11% Kalenjin 13% Kamba 10% Kisii 6% Meru 4% Other African 13% Non-African (Asian European, and Arab) 1%
Kenya’s population is very diverse and home to most of Africa’s linguistic and ethnoracial groups. There are believed to be at least 42 communities, although Nilotes (30%) and Bantus (67%) account for a majority, followed by Cushitic groups, Arabs, Indians, and Europeans.
Kenya has a very young population that has led to very rapid population growth. Almost three-quarters of the population is under the age of 30 and Kenya has grown from 2.9 million to almost 40 million people within a century.
Kenya has sustained population growth, but it has both high birth and infant mortality rates. This is consistent with Africa as a whole. There has been marked improvement in life expectancy, particularly in recent years. In 2006, the average level stood at 48.9 years. This figure rose, however, to around 59 years in 2016.
Components of Population Change
One birth every 20 seconds | |
One death every 2 minutes | |
One net migrant every 53 minutes | |
Net gain of one person every 25 seconds |
2009 census and population distribution of Kenya
Kenyan Population by Tribe – Kenya Population
- Kikuyu tribe – 6,622,576
- Luhya tribe – 5,338,666
- Kalenjin tribe – 4,967,328
- Luo tribe – 4,044,440
- Kamba tribe – 3,893,157
- Somali tribe – 2,385,572
- Kisii tribe – 2,205,669
- Mijikenda tribe – 1,960,574
- Meru tribe -1,658,108
- Turkana tribe – 988,592
- Maasai tribe – 841,622
- Teso tribe – 338,833
- Embu tribe – 324,092
- Taita tribe – 273,519
- Kuria tribe – 260,401
- Samburu tribe – 237,179
- Tharaka tribe – 175,905
- Mbeere – 168,155
- Borana – 161,399
- Basuba – 139,271
- Swahili – 110,614
- Gabra – 89,515
- Orma – 66,275
- Rendile – 60,437
What’s the population of Kenya? the latest census, carried out in 2009 revealed that Kenya has a population of 38.6 million people. Currently, Kenya’s population is estimated to have hit over 40 million. According to a report on CIA World Fact book, Kenya population hit 41.7 in July 2011.
In terms of age, the Kenya population figures indicates there are more people in the younger age bracket than the elderly, with the age bracket of 0 to 15 making up a huge percentage.
At the time of this survey, the population statistics reveal more than two out of every five persons were found to be under the age of 15 – making about 43% of the total Kenya population. Going by the current trend it’s expected that by the year 2030, Kenya population will grow to about 65.9 million.
2009 Kenya population statistics and distribution
The following table outlines Kenya’s population conducted in 2009 and released in 2011.
Province | Total Figures (millions) | Number of Women (millions) | Number of Men (millions) | Below age 15 (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Total | 38.6 | 19.4 | 19.2 | 42.9 |
Rural | 26.1 | 13.2 | 12.9 | – |
Urban | 12.5 | 6.2 | 6.3 | – |
Nairobi | 3.1 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 30.3 |
Central | 4.4 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 36.0 |
Coast | 3.3 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 42.3 |
Eastern | 5.7 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 41.8 |
North Eastern | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 51.7 |
Nyanza | 5.4 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 45.9 |
Rift Valley | 10.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 45.3 |
Western | 4.3 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 47.1 |
Source: 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census – Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2010.
Inadequate availability and/or use of birth control methods are noted as being instrumental to the increased growth rate.
According to the findings by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, out of all married women between the ages of 15 to 49, only 46% use birth control.
Kenya population demographics by ethnicity
The following numbers represent the ethnic composition of Kenya population as compiled in the 2009 census.
- Kikuyu – 17%
- Luhya – 14%
- Kalenjin – 13%
- Luo – 12%
- Kamba – 10%
- Kisii – 6%
- Mijikenda – 5%
- Meru – 4%
- Turkana – 2.5%
- Maasai – 2.1%
- Other small indigenous groups – 9%
- Non African groups – 1%
Kenya population by Religion:
- Protestant 47.7%
- Roman Catholic 23.5%
- Other Christian groups11.9%
- Without religion 2.4%
- Indigenous beliefs 1.7%
Source: CIA World Factbook