8 Billion Lives
Be born

Where you could be born / Africa / Eastern Africa

Born in Kenya

About 1 in 88 people born in 2023 started life in Kenya. A boy can expect to live 62 years and a girl 66, up from 36 and 38 in 1950. Fewer than half of people live in cities, and 65% have basic drinking water.

1 in 88
odds of being born here
1.5 million births · Ranked 17th of 230
62 / 66
years of life, boys / girls
Was 36 / 38 in 1950
$1,680
income per person a year
2021 dollars · Ranked 180th of 203 · extrapolated
32%
live in a city
Most live in villages

Life and health

Life lasts about 27 years longer than in 1950. Child deaths fell from 321 in every 1,000 births to 41.

How long a life lasts

GirlsBoys

020406080195019852023

Years a baby born that year could expect to live.

Children who die before age 5
0100200300400195019852023

In every 1,000 births.

Life expectancy at birth61.5 years for boys, 65.9 for girlsUN WPP 2024
Children who die before age 541.0 in every 1,000 birthsUN WPP 2024
Deaths a year399,000UN WPP 2024
Doctors per 1,000 people0.3World Bank WDI
Children immunized against measles91%World Bank WDI
Adults living with HIV3.2%World Bank WDI
New tuberculosis cases a year214 per 100,000 peopleWorld Bank WDI
Malaria cases a year74 per 1,000 people at riskWorld Bank WDI

Family

Women had 7.4 children on average in 1950. Now it is 3.2.

Children per woman
02.557.510195019852023

Average over a lifetime.

Children per woman3.21UN WPP 2024
Average age of mothers at birth28.2 yearsUN WPP 2024

Money and work

If every 100 coins of income were shared out, the richest fifth would hold 46 and the poorest fifth 7.

Who gets the income
Share of all income by fifth of the population, 2022
7%Poorest fifth
11%Second
15%Middle
21%Fourth
46%Richest fifth
Income per personabout $1,680 a year (2021 dollars, adjusted for prices)World Bank PIP, scaled between survey years Extrapolated
Share of income going to the richest fifth / poorest fifth46% / 7% (2022)World Bank PIP
Unemployment5.4% of the workforce (2023)World Bank WDI
Price rises7.7% a year (2023)World Bank WDI
Growth in output per person3.6% (2023)World Bank WDI
Jobs in farming47% of jobsWorld Bank WDI
Self-employed65% of jobs (2025)World Bank WDI
Secondary school enrolment84% (can pass 100 when older students are counted)World Bank WDI

Daily life

The largest city is Nairobi, with 4.4 million people.

32%
live in cities
76%
have electricity at home
65%
have basic drinking water
Largest cities
People living there
Nairobi4.4 million
Kakamega1.9 million
Mombasa1.2 million
Nakuru570,674
Ruiru490,120
Languages
Share of people who can use each
Swahili66%
English19%
Kikuyu17%
Luyia11%
Luo10%
Swahili, English is official.

Cities and regions

Every state, province and large city with a page.

Largest regions

Nairobi County4.7 million
Kakamega County2.0 million
Kiambu County1.5 million
Mombasa County1.4 million
Nakuru County1.0 million
Machakos County570,721
Kajiado County530,909
Uasin Gishu County492,071
Kisumu County413,174
Kilifi County344,378

Sourced: GeoNames Population of each state, province or region.

Large cities

Sourced: GeoNames Cities with a page: a million people or more.

All 46 regions
  • Nairobi County4.7 million
  • Kakamega County2.0 million
  • Kiambu County1.5 million
  • Mombasa County1.4 million
  • Nakuru County1.0 million
  • Machakos County570,721
  • Kajiado County530,909
  • Uasin Gishu County492,071
  • Kisumu County413,174
  • Kilifi County344,378
  • Kwale County288,192
  • Murang'A281,742
  • Mandera County255,493
  • Trans Nzoia178,734
  • Bungoma County166,723
  • Garissa County163,399
  • Migori County155,256
  • Nyeri County142,926
  • Wajir County139,715
  • Nyandarua County139,033
  • Kisii County132,417
  • Busia County128,361
  • Laikipia110,463
  • Turkana County105,954
  • Meru County102,312
  • Isiolo County96,093
  • West Pokot County84,469
  • Marsabit County84,139
  • Kirinyaga County81,767
  • Homa Bay County81,711
  • Taita Taveta75,371
  • Makueni County73,769
  • Narok County65,430
  • Embu County64,979
  • Tana River County64,554
  • Vihiga County60,000
  • Siaya County55,865
  • Kericho County53,804
  • Kitui County46,087
  • Baringo46,046
  • Elegeyo-Marakwet42,000
  • Nandi41,997
  • Samburu County31,350
  • Lamu25,385
  • Nyamira county24,483
  • Tharaka - Nithi22,388

People on the move

About 1.0% as many people born here live abroad as live here. The most common destinations are United States, United Kingdom, Australia.

Where people born here live abroad
By country of residence, 2024
United States210,991
United Kingdom137,817
Australia30,123
Residents born abroad1.8% (2024)World Bank WDI
People born here who live abroadequal to 1.0% of the people who live hereUN DESA migrant stock
Where they go mostUnited States (210,991), United Kingdom (137,817), Australia (30,123)UN DESA migrant stock
Money sent home from abroadabout $5.1 billion a year (2025)World Bank WDI

Safety nets

20% of older people receive a pension. Help for someone who loses a job reaches 0%.

20%
of older people receive a pension (2021)
0%
of unemployed people receive a benefit (2022)

Events in the data

The game draws real events from these records, so a life lived here can meet them.

Reported COVID-19 deaths, 2020 to 20245,689Our World in Data, from WHO
Significant earthquakes recorded since 19501NOAA NCEI
Deaths in organized violence6,594 between 1989 and 2024UCDP

Now live it.

Born in Kenya, to a family drawn from these numbers. Every life replays exactly from its seed.

Be born in Kenya

Elsewhere in Africa

All countries

How to read the sources. Every figure is sourced to a named dataset, shown beside it. A figure marked "Extrapolated" is estimated by a model because no survey covers the year. UN figures are for 2023, the latest year of UN estimates; other figures are the latest year their dataset has. Rank 1 is the highest figure among 230 countries and territories. All sources and licences