Facts:

• From 1960 to 2023, Kenya’s population grew from 8.12 million to 55.34 million, a 581.5% increase
• Natural increase of ≈20 per 1000 people – World average is ≈10 per 1000 people

Reasons for high natural population growth rate:

• High birth rate –
  → Lack of education on contraceptives, family planning
  → Many adolescents have sex before 15
  → In some Kenyan cultures, having many children is seen as a blessing and a symbol of prosperity
  → 1 in 5 girls between the ages 15 and 19 have children
• Decreasing death rate – Especially infant mortality rate
  → In Kenya, infant mortality rate is 30 per 1000 people while the whole of Africa is 40 per 1000 people
• Increasing life expectancy – Due to improved healthcare and expansion of healthcare services, life expectancy has increased from 66.18 years in 2018 to 67.93 years in 2025

Problems of high natural population growth rate:

• High youth dependency ratio
  → Lower land per capita for farmers and children – 70% of population lives in rural areas
  → Youth unemployment
• Housing shortage –
  → Estimated annual demand of 250,000 housing units, but only 50,000 units are being supplied
  → 6.4 million people in Kenya’s urban population live in informal settlements
• Strain on public systems – Healthcare, transport, schools, etc.
  → In 2021, Kenya had slightly under 76,000 healthcare workers and needed about 110,000 more health care workers to adequately serve the then population of 47 million.
  → Kenya’s major cities face severe traffic congestion. The rapid population growth has outstripped the development of transportation infrastructure, leading to long commute times and increased pollution.
  → 2012, in Nairobi’s urban informal settlements, 63% of primary school students were attending non-government schools due to insufficient public school spaces.

Last updated: May 2025