View source for Demographics of Kenya

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is a legitimate description when the title is already adequate; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox place demographics
|place=[[Kenya]]
|image=File:Kenya single age population pyramid 2020.png
|image_size=350
|caption=[[Population pyramid]] of Kenya in 2020
|size_of_population=51,044,355 (2022 est.)
|growth=2.12% (2022 est.)
|nation=Kenyan
|birth=26.39 births/1,000 population
|death=5.01 deaths/1,000 population
|net_migration=-0.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population
|infant_mortality=27.86 deaths/1,000 live births
|life=69.69 years
|life_male=67.98 years
|life_female=71.43 years
|fertility=3.19 children born/woman (2024)<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/infographics/2025-04-30-total-fertility-rate-in-kenya-from-1930-to-2024 | title=Total fertility rate in Kenya: From 1930 to 2024 | work=The Star | location=Kenya | first=Hillary | last=Bett | date=30 April 2025 | accessdate=4 November 2025}}</ref>}}<!-- Per conventions, please leave the page layout as is, with the main info on the country's ethnic groups at the top, and the statistical summary data below it. -->
{{Culture of Kenya}} 
The '''Demographics of Kenya''' is monitored by the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics. [[Kenya]] is a [[multi-ethnic state]] in [[East Africa]]. Its total population was at 47,558,296 as of the 2019 census.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nation.co.ke/news/Kenya-population-census-results-at-glance/1056-5336378-f8qbvvz/index.html|title=Kenya Population (2019)|website=Daily Nation|access-date=4 November 2019}}</ref>

A national census was conducted in 1999, although the results were never released. A new census was undertaken in 2009, but turned out to be controversial, as the questions about ethnic affiliation seemed inappropriate after the [[2007–2008 Kenyan crisis|ethnic violence]] of the previous year.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8217637.stm Kenya begins contentious census] BBC News, 24 August 2009.</ref> Preliminary results of the census were published in 2010.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11143914 Kenya defends tribal census figures] BBC News, 31 August 2010.</ref>

Kenya's population was reported as 47.6 million during the 2019 census compared to 38.6 million inhabitants 2009, 30.7 million in 1999, 21.4 million in 1989, and 15.3 million in 1979.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.citypopulation.de/Kenya.html |title=Kenya: Provinces, Counties, Cities, Towns, Urban Centers – Population Statistics in Maps and Charts|website=Citypopulation.de|access-date=7 November 2017}}</ref> This was an increase of a factor of 2.5 over 30 years, or an average growth rate of more than 3 percent per year. The population growth rate has been reported as reduced during the 2000s, and was estimated at 2.7 percent (as of 2010), resulting in an estimate of 46.5 million in 2016.<ref name="CIATONGA">{{cite web | url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kenya/|title=CIA World Fact Book – Kenya | publisher= CIA – The World Fact Book|access-date=7 November 2017}}</ref> As of 2024 Kenya has [[Refugees in Kenya|770,255]] refugees and asylum seekers <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/ken/794|title=Kenya refugees|year=2024}}</ref>

==Population==
{{Historical populations
| title= Census population
| percentages = pagr
| align = none
| cols = 2
| graph-pos = 
|1962|9980563
|1969|10942705
|1979|15327061
|1989|21448636
|1999|28686607
|2009|38610097
|2019|47564296
}}
According to {{UN_Population|source}}, the total population was {{UN_Population|Kenya}} in {{UN_Population|Year}} compared to 6,077,000 in 1950, and around 1,700,000 in 1900. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 42.5%, 54.9% between the ages of 15 and 65, and 2.7% was 65 years or older.<ref name="WPP 2010">{{cite web|url=http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/index.htm|title=Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision|website=Esa.un.org|access-date=7 November 2017}}</ref> Worldometers estimates the total population at 48,466,928 inhabitants, a 29th global rank.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/kenya-population/|title=Kenya Population (2017, 2018) – Worldometers|website=Worldometers.info|access-date=7 November 2017}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
!rowspan=2|Year
!rowspan=2|Total population
!colspan=3|Population percentage
|-
! aged 0–14
! aged 15–64
! aged 65+
|-
| 1950
|6 077 000
|{{percentage bar|39.8}}
|{{percentage bar|56.3}}
|{{percentage bar|3.9}}
|-
| 1955
|6 980 000
|{{percentage bar|42.8}}
|{{percentage bar|53.4}}
|{{percentage bar|3.8}}
|-
| 1960
|8 105 000
|{{percentage bar|46.4}}
|{{percentage bar|49.9}}
|{{percentage bar|3.7}}
|-
| 1965
|9 505 000
|{{percentage bar|48.4}}
|{{percentage bar|48.0}}
|{{percentage bar|3.6}}
|-
| 1970
|11 252 000
|{{percentage bar|49.1}}
|{{percentage bar|47.5}}
|{{percentage bar|3.4}}
|-
| 1975
|13 486 000
|{{percentage bar|49.6}}
|{{percentage bar|47.1}}
|{{percentage bar|3.3}}
|-
| 1980
|16 268 000
|{{percentage bar|50.0}}
|{{percentage bar|47.1}}
|{{percentage bar|3.0}}
|-
| 1985
|19 655 000
|{{percentage bar|50.0}}
|{{percentage bar|47.2}}
|{{percentage bar|2.8}}
|-
| 1990
|23 447 000
|{{percentage bar|49.0}}
|{{percentage bar|48.3}}
|{{percentage bar|2.7}}
|-
| 1995
|27 426 000
|{{percentage bar|46.5}}
|{{percentage bar|50.8}}
|{{percentage bar|2.7}}
|-
| 2000
|31 254 000
|{{percentage bar|44.3}}
|{{percentage bar|52.9}}
|{{percentage bar|2.8}}
|-
| 2005
|35 615 000
|{{percentage bar|42.7}}
|{{percentage bar|54.5}}
|{{percentage bar|2.8}}
|-
| 2010
|40 513 000
|{{percentage bar|42.5}}
|{{percentage bar|54.9}}
|{{percentage bar|2.7}}
|-
|2019
|47 564 296
|{{percentage bar|39.0}}
|{{percentage bar|57.1}}
|{{percentage bar|3.9}}
|}

Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 24.VIII.2009):<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/dyb_2018/|title=UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="80pt"|Age Group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80pt"|Female
! width="80pt"|Total
! width="80pt"|%
|-
| align="right" | Total
| align="right" | 19 192 458
| align="right" | 19 417 639
| align="right" | 38 610 097
| align="right" | 100
|-
| align="right" | 0–4
| align="right" | 3 000 439
| align="right" | 2 938 867
| align="right" | 5 939 306
| align="right" | 15.38
|-
| align="right" | 5–9
| align="right" | 2 832 669
| align="right" | 2 765 047
| align="right" | 5 597 716
| align="right" | 14.50
|-
| align="right" | 10–14
| align="right" | 2 565 313
| align="right" | 2 469 542
| align="right" | 5 034 855
| align="right" | 13.04
|-
| align="right" | 15–19
| align="right" | 2 123 653
| align="right" | 2 045 890
| align="right" | 4 169 543
| align="right" | 10.80
|-
| align="right" | 20–24
| align="right" | 1 754 105
| align="right" | 2 020 998
| align="right" | 3 775 103
| align="right" | 9.78
|-
| align="right" | 25–29
| align="right" | 1 529 116
| align="right" | 1 672 110
| align="right" | 3 201 226
| align="right" | 8.29
|-
| align="right" | 30–34
| align="right" | 1 257 035
| align="right" | 1 262 471
| align="right" | 2 519 506
| align="right" | 6.53
|-
| align="right" | 35–39
| align="right" | 1 004 361
| align="right" | 1 004 271
| align="right" | 2 008 632
| align="right" | 5.20
|-
| align="right" | 40–44
| align="right" | 743 594
| align="right" | 732 575
| align="right" | 1 476 169
| align="right" | 3.82
|-
| align="right" | 45–49
| align="right" | 635 276
| align="right" | 637 469
| align="right" | 1 272 745
| align="right" | 3.30
|-
| align="right" | 50–54
| align="right" | 478 346
| align="right" | 477 860
| align="right" | 956 206
| align="right" | 2.48
|-
| align="right" | 55–59
| align="right" | 359 466
| align="right" | 352 497
| align="right" | 711 953
| align="right" | 1.84
|-
| align="right" | 60–64
| align="right" | 295 197
| align="right" | 298 581
| align="right" | 593 778
| align="right" | 1.54
|-
| align="right" | 65-69
| align="right" | 183 151
| align="right" | 207 612
| align="right" | 390 763
| align="right" | 1.01
|-
| align="right" | 70-74
| align="right" | 160 301
| align="right" | 179 000
| align="right" | 339 301
| align="right" | 0.88
|-
| align="right" | 75-79
| align="right" | 99 833
| align="right" | 118 675
| align="right" | 218 508
| align="right" | 0.57
|-
| align="right" | 80+
| align="right" | 159 125
| align="right" | 224 576
| align="right" | 383 701 
| align="right" | 0.99
|-
! width="50"|Age group 
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80"|Female
! width="80"|Total
! width="50"|Percent
|-
| align="right" | 0–14
| align="right" | 8 398 421
| align="right" | 8 173 456
| align="right" | 16 571 877
| align="right" | 42.92
|-
| align="right" | 15–64
| align="right" | 10 191 627
| align="right" | 10 514 320
| align="right" | 20 705 947
| align="right" | 53.63
|-
| align="right" | 65+
| align="right" | 602 410
| align="right" | 729 863
| align="right" | 1 332 273
| align="right" | 3.45
|-
| align="right" | Unknown
| align="right" | 11 478
| align="right" | 9 608
| align="right" | 21 086
| align="right" | 0.05
|-
|}

Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 24.VIII.2019) (The figure for both sexes includes intersex persons.):<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/dyb_2020/|title=UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="80pt"|Age Group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80pt"|Female
! width="80pt"|Total
! width="80pt"|%
|-
| align="right" | Total
| align="right" | 23 544 372
| align="right" | 24 011 270 
| align="right" | 47 557 157
| align="right" | 100
|-
| align="right" | 0–4
| align="right" | 3 005 496
| align="right" | 2 985 484
| align="right" | 5 991 128
| align="right" | 12.60
|-
| align="right" | 5–9
| align="right" | 3 116 101
| align="right" | 3 084 445
| align="right" | 6 200 719
| align="right" | 13.04
|-
| align="right" | 10–14
| align="right" | 3 209 544
| align="right" | 3 136 149
| align="right" | 6 345 864
| align="right" | 13.34
|-
| align="right" | 15–19
| align="right" | 2 686 476
| align="right" | 2 599 905 
| align="right" | 5 286 535
| align="right" | 11.12
|-
| align="right" | 20–24
| align="right" | 2 112 777
| align="right" | 2 335 052
| align="right" | 4 448 037
| align="right" | 9.35
|-
| align="right" | 25–29
| align="right" | 1 839 256
| align="right" | 2 014 546
| align="right" | 3 853 955
| align="right" | 8.10
|-
| align="right" | 30–34
| align="right" | 1 698 354
| align="right" | 1 871 625
| align="right" | 3 570 133
| align="right" | 7.51
|-
| align="right" | 35–39
| align="right" | 1 347 962
| align="right" | 1 301 624
| align="right" | 2 649 679
| align="right" | 5.57
|-
| align="right" | 40–44
| align="right" | 1 156 932
| align="right" | 1 101 867
| align="right" | 2 258 861
| align="right" | 4.75
|-
| align="right" | 45–49
| align="right" | 916 166
| align="right" | 869 740
| align="right" | 1 785 957
| align="right" | 3.76
|-
| align="right" | 50–54
| align="right" | 662 864
| align="right" | 645 463 
| align="right" | 1 308 371
| align="right" | 2.75
|-
| align="right" | 55–59
| align="right" | 546 852
| align="right" | 571 000
| align="right" | 1 117 878
| align="right" | 2.35
|-
| align="right" | 60–64
| align="right" | 419 362
| align="right" | 450 447
| align="right" | 869 837
| align="right" | 1.83
|-
| align="right" | 65-69
| align="right" | 311 281
| align="right" | 346 756
| align="right" | 658 052
| align="right" | 1.38
|-
| align="right" | 70-74
| align="right" | 235 929
| align="right" | 278 507
| align="right" | 514 453
| align="right" | 1.08
|-
| align="right" | 75-79
| align="right" | 119 265
| align="right" | 163 799
| align="right" | 283 071
| align="right" | 0.60
|-
| align="right" | 80-84
| align="right" | 82 909
| align="right" | 120 944
| align="right" | 203 856
| align="right" | 0.43
|-
| align="right" | 85-89
| align="right" | 43 948
| align="right" | 69 635
| align="right" | 113 587
| align="right" | 0.24
|-
| align="right" | 90-94
| align="right" | 19 225
| align="right" | 35 866
| align="right" | 55 095
| align="right" | 0.12
|-
| align="right" | 95-99
| align="right" | 9 768
| align="right" | 18 233
| align="right" | 28 001
| align="right" | 0.06
|-
| align="right" | 100+
| align="right" | 3 905
| align="right" | 10 183
| align="right" | 14 088
| align="right" | 0.03
|-
! width="50"|Age group 
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80"|Female
! width="80"|Total
! width="50"|Percent
|-
| align="right" | 0–14
| align="right" | 9 331 141
| align="right" | 9 206 078
| align="right" | 18 537 711
| align="right" | 38.98
|-
| align="right" | 15–64
| align="right" | 13 387 001
| align="right" | 13 761 269
| align="right" | 27 149 243
| align="right" | 57.09
|-
| align="right" | 65+
| align="right" | 826 230
| align="right" | 1 043 923
| align="right" | 1 870 203
| align="right" | 3.93
|-
|}

===Population by province in 2019 census===
<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://citypopulation.de/en/kenya/cities/|title = Kenya: Provinces, Major Cities, Towns & Urban Centers - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
|-
! width="150pt"|Province
! width="70pt"|2019
|-
| Kenya (country total) ||47,564,296
|-
| Nairobi (capital city) ||4,397,073
|-
| Central ||5,482,239
|-
| Coast ||4,329,474
|-
| Eastern ||6,821,049
|-
| North Eastern ||2,490,073
|-
| Nyanza ||6,269,579
|-
| Rift Valley ||12,752,966
|-
| Western ||5,021,843
|-
|}

===UN population projections===
Numbers are in thousands. UN medium variant projections<ref name="WPP 2010"/>
*2015	46,332
*2020	52,563
*2025	59,054
*2030	65,928
*2035	73,257
*2040	80,975
*2045	88,907
*2050	96,887

{{GraphChart
| width = 450
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle=years
| yAxisTitle= ‰
| yAxisMin=
| yGrid= 0,1
| xGrid= 10
| hAnnotatonsLine=
| hAnnotatonsLabel=
| legend=
| type = line
| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

| y1= 5.7,5.8,6,6.1,6.3,6.5,6.7,6.9,7.1,7.3,7.6,7.9,8.2,8.5,8.9,9.2,9.6,10,10.4,10.8,11.3,11.7,12.1,12.5,13,13.4,13.9,14.3,14.8,15.3,15.9,16.5,17.1,17.7,18.4,
19.1,19.8,20.5,21.2,22,22.8,23.6,24.3,25,25.8,26.5,27.2,28,28.7,29.5,30.4,31.3,32.3,33.3,34.3,35.3,36.4,37.5,38.6,39.8,41,42.1,43.2,44.3,45.3,46.3,47.4,48.4,
49.5,50.4,51.5,52.5
| y1Title=Population
}}

{{GraphChart
| width = 450
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle=years
| yAxisTitle= ‰
| yAxisMin=
| yGrid= 0,1
| xGrid= 10
| hAnnotatonsLine=
| hAnnotatonsLabel=
| legend=
| type = line
| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

| y1= 20.6,22.6,24.1,26.5,28.7,30.5,32.3,34.2,35.2,35.8,36.5,37.6,38.4,38.8,39.1,39.6,39.6,39.4,39.3,39.2,38.9,39.1,38.9,38.7,38.3,38.2,38.2,38.2,
38.4,38.6,38.6,39.5,39.1,38.7,38.6,38.1,37.8,37.3,36.4,35.4,34.2,33.0,31.9,31.0,30.4,30.0,29.7,29.4,29.5,29.3,29.3,29.4,29.3,29.1,29.1,29.4,
29.5,29.6,29.5,28.8,27.9,26.8,25.7,24.7,24.0,23.6,23.1,22.5,21.9,21.2,20.5,19.6

| y1Title=Natural change (per 1000)
}}
{{GraphChart
| width = 450
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle=years
| yAxisTitle= ‰
| yAxisMin=
| yGrid= 0,1
| xGrid= 10
| hAnnotatonsLine=
| hAnnotatonsLabel=
| legend=
| type = line
| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

| y1= 162.2,161.2,159.4,152.2,145.3,138.9,132.9,127.3,122.2,117.5,113.2,109.4,106.0,103.1,100.6,98.7,97.0,95.5,94.0,92.4,90.8,89.1,87.2,85.3,83.3,81.2,79.0,76.7,74.4,72.1,70.1,68.2,66.5,64.9,63.7,62.8,62.4,62.4,62.9,63.9,65.2,66.8,68.3,69.4,70.1,70.1,69.7,68.7,67.4,65.6,63.6,61.3,58.9,56.5,54.0,51.3,48.8,46.5,43.8,41.7,40.2,39.0,38.1,37.0,36.0,34.9,33.8,33.0,32.0,31.1,30.4,29.8

| y1Title=Infant Mortality (per live births)
}}
{{GraphChart
| width = 450
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle=years
| yAxisTitle= TFR
| yAxisMin=
| yGrid= 0,1
| xGrid= 10
| hAnnotatonsLine=
| hAnnotatonsLabel=
| legend=
| type = line
| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

| y1= 7.33,7.36,7.39,7.42,7.45,7.48,7.53,7.59,7.60,7.62,7.63,7.72,7.80,7.86,7.92,8.03,8.06,8.05,8.04,8.03,8.02,8.00,7.98,7.94,7.91,7.88,
7.84,7.80,7.75,7.68,7.60,7.51,7.40,7.26,7.12,6.98,6.85,6.68,6.51,6.32,6.13,5.94,5.75,5.57,5.45,5.37,5.31,5.26,5.25,5.18,5.14,5.09,5.02,4.91,4.83,4.78,4.75,4.72,4.65,4.51,4.37,4.22,4.09,3.95,3.84,3.80,3.72,3.64,3.58,3.47,3.40,3.34

| y1Title=Total Fertility Rate
}}

==Vital statistics==

===United Nations estimates===

[[File:Life expectancy by WBG -Kenya -diff.png|thumb|300px|[[Life expectancy at birth]] in Kenya]]
Registration of vital events is in Kenya not complete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.
<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations |url=https://population.un.org/wpp/ |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=population.un.org}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: right;"
|-
! width="70pt"|Period
!Population 
per year
! width="70pt"|Live births per year
! width="70pt"|Deaths per year
! width="70pt"|Natural change per year
! width="70pt"|CBR*
! width="70pt"|CDR*
! width="70pt"|NC*
! width="70pt"|TFR*
! width="70pt"|IMR*
! width="70pt"|[[Life expectancy]]<br />(in years)
|-
|1950
|5 712 000
| 285,000 
| 167,000 
| 118,000 
|49.5
|28.9
|20.6
|7.33
|162.2
|38.90
|-
|1951
|5 836 000
| 299,000 
| 166,000 
| 133,000 
|50.7
|28.1
|22.6
|7.36
|161.2
|39.09
|-
|1952
|5 975 000
| 313,000 
| 168,000 
| 146,000 
|51.8
|27.8
|24.1
|7.39
|159.4
|38.95
|-
|1953
|6 122 000
| 328,000 
| 163,000 
| 165,000 
|52.8
|26.3
|26.5
|7.42
|152.2
|40.32
|-
|1954
|6 282 000
| 342,000 
| 159,000 
| 183,000 
|53.7
|25.0
|28.7
|7.45
|145.3
|41.69
|-
|1955
|6 461 000
| 356,000 
| 156,000 
| 200,000 
|54.3
|23.8
|30.5
|7.48
|138.9
|42.96
|-
|1956
|6 657 000
| 372,000 
| 154,000 
| 219,000 
|55.0
|22.7
|32.3
|7.53
|132.9
|44.12
|-
|1957
|6 871 000
| 388,000 
| 149,000 
| 239,000 
|55.5
|21.3
|34.2
|7.59
|127.3
|45.83
|-
|1958
|7 104 000
| 403,000 
| 148,000 
| 255,000 
|55.6
|20.4
|35.2
|7.60
|122.2
|46.88
|-
|1959
|7 343 000
| 414,000 
| 146,000 
| 268,000 
|55.4
|19.5
|35.8
|7.62
|117.5
|47.77
|-
|1960
|7 609 000
| 428,000 
| 145,000 
| 283,000 
|55.2
|18.6
|36.5
|7.63
|113.2
|48.68
|-
|1961
|7 894 000
| 446,000 
| 144,000 
| 302,000 
|55.5
|17.9
|37.6
|7.72
|109.4
|49.53
|-
|1962
|8 201 000
| 465,000 
| 144,000 
| 321,000 
|style="color: blue"|55.6
|17.2
|38.4
|7.80
|106.0
|50.22
|-
|1963
|8 526 000
| 482,000 
| 145,000 
| 338,000 
|55.5
|16.6
|38.8
|7.86
|103.1
|50.81
|-
|1964
|8 868 000
| 500,000 
| 146,000 
| 354,000 
|55.2
|16.1
|39.1
|7.92
|100.6
|51.33
|-
|1965
|9 227 000
| 521,000 
| 148,000 
| 373,000 
|55.3
|15.7
|style="color: blue"|39.6
|8.03
|98.7
|51.70
|-
|1966
|9 608 000
| 539,000 
| 150,000 
| 388,000 
|54.9
|15.3
|39.6
|style="color:blue"|8.06
|97.0
|52.10
|-
|1967
|9 997 000
| 555,000 
| 153,000 
| 402,000 
|54.4
|15.0
|39.4
|8.05
|95.5
|52.46
|-
|1968
|10 405 000
| 572,000 
| 155,000 
| 417,000 
|53.8
|14.6
|39.3
|8.04
|94.0
|52.78
|-
|1969
|10 823 000
| 589,000 
| 157,000 
| 433,000 
|53.4
|14.2
|39.2
|8.03
|92.4
|53.17
|-
|1970
|11 256 000
| 606,000 
| 158,000 
| 447,000 
|52.7
|13.8
|38.9
|8.02
|90.8
|53.58
|-
|1971
|11 690 000
| 625,000 
| 159,000 
| 466,000 
|52.4
|13.3
|39.1
|8.00
|89.1
|54.26
|-
|1972
|12 107 000
| 639,000 
| 158,000 
| 481,000 
|51.7
|12.8
|38.9
|7.98
|87.2
|55.01
|-
|1973
|12 539 000
| 652,000 
| 158,000 
| 495,000 
|51.0
|12.3
|38.7
|7.94
|85.3
|55.68
|-
|1974
|12 982 000
| 668,000 
| 160,000 
| 507,000 
|50.4
|12.1
|38.3
|7.91
|83.3
|55.63
|-
|1975
|13 426 000
| 685,000 
| 162,000 
| 523,000 
|50.0
|11.8
|38.2
|7.88
|81.2
|55.83
|-
|1976
|13 878 000
| 704,000 
| 164,000 
| 540,000 
|49.8
|11.6
|38.2
|7.84
|79.0
|55.90
|-
|1977
|14 327 000
| 722,000 
| 164,000 
| 559,000 
|49.4
|11.2
|38.2
|7.80
|76.7
|56.49
|-
|1978
|14 828 000
| 744,000 
| 164,000 
| 580,000 
|49.2
|10.8
|38.4
|7.75
|74.4
|56.94
|-
|1979
|15 347 000
| 766,000 
| 163,000 
| 604,000 
|49.0
|10.4
|38.6
|7.68
|72.1
|57.72
|-
|1980
|15 894 000
| 787,000 
| 162,000 
| 626,000 
|48.6
|10.0
|38.6
|7.60
|70.1
|58.50
|-
|1981
|16 480 000
| 816,000 
| 151,000 
| 665,000 
|48.5
|9.0
|39.5
|7.51
|68.2
|61.17
|-
|1982
|17 092 000
| 838,000 
| 156,000 
| 683,000 
|48.1
|8.9
|39.1
|7.40
|66.5
|60.95
|-
|1983
|17 731 000
| 860,000 
| 159,000 
| 701,000 
|47.5
|8.8
|38.7
|7.26
|64.9
|61.01
|-
|1984
|18 408 000
| 888,000 
| 164,000 
| 724,000 
|47.3
|8.8
|38.6
|7.12
|63.7
|60.80
|-
|1985
|19 099 000
| 913,000 
| 170,000 
| 743,000 
|46.9
|8.8
|38.1
|6.98
|62.8
|60.58
|-
|1986
|19 806 000
| 941,000 
| 178,000 
| 763,000 
|46.6
|8.8
|37.8
|6.85
|62.4
|60.22
|-
|1987
|20 516 000
| 966,000 
| 185,000 
| 781,000 
|46.2
|8.8
|37.3
|6.68
|62.4
|60.04
|-
|1988
|21 248 000
| 982,000 
| 195,000 
| 788,000 
|45.4
|9.0
|36.4
|6.51
|62.9
|59.54
|-
|1989
|22 004 000
| 998,000 
| 205,000 
| 793,000 
|44.5
|9.2
|35.4
|6.32
|63.9
|59.04
|-
|1990
|22 772 000
| 1,008,000 
| 216,000 
| 793,000 
|43.5
|9.3
|34.2
|6.13
|65.2
|58.61
|-
|1991
|23 553 000
| 1,019,000 
| 228,000 
| 791,000 
|42.5
|9.5
|33.0
|5.94
|66.8
|58.01
|-
|1992
|24 284 000
| 1,029,000 
| 242,000 
| 787,000 
|41.7
|9.8
|31.9
|5.75
|68.3
|57.26
|-
|1993
|25 028 000
| 1,044,000 
| 255,000 
| 789,000 
|41.1
|10.0
|31.0
|5.57
|69.4
|56.62
|-
|1994
|25 756 000
| 1,062,000 
| 266,000 
| 796,000 
|40.6
|10.2
|30.4
|5.45
|70.1
|56.27
|-
|1995
|26 512 000
| 1,088,000 
| 280,000 
| 809,000 
|40.4
|10.4
|30.0
|5.37
|70.1
|55.62
|-
|1996
|27 245 000
| 1,112,000 
| 292,000 
| 821,000 
|40.2
|10.5
|29.7
|5.31
|69.7
|55.16
|-
|1997
|27 987 000
| 1,139,000 
| 303,000 
| 836,000 
|40.1
|10.7
|29.4
|5.26
|68.7
|54.82
|-
|1998
|28 742 000
| 1,174,000 
| 313,000 
| 861,000 
|40.2
|10.7
|29.5
|5.25
|67.4
|54.53
|-
|1999
|29 533 000
| 1,199,000 
| 321,000 
| 878,000 
|40.0
|10.1
|29.3
|5.18
|65.6
|54.50
|-
|2000
|30 398 000
| 1,232,000 
| 329,000 
| 903,000 
|39.9
|9.9
|29.3
|5.14
|63.6
|54.41
|-
|2001
|31 306 000
| 1,271,000 
| 336,000 
| 934,000 
|40.0
|9.7
|29.4
|5.09
|61.3
|54.51
|-
|2002
|32 295 000
| 1,298,000 
| 339,000 
| 959,000 
|39.6
|9.5
|29.3
|5.02
|58.9
|54.99
|-
|2003
|33 265 000
| 1,318,000 
| 337,000 
| 981,000 
|39.0
|9.2
|29.1
|4.91
|56.5
|55.60
|-
|2004
|34 270 000
| 1,347,000 
| 334,000 
| 1,013,000 
|38.7
|8.9
|29.1
|4.83
|54.0
|56.36
|-
|2005
|35 314 000
| 1,380,000 
| 328,000 
| 1,052,000 
|38.5
|8.6
|29.4
|4.78
|51.3
|57.34
|-
|2006
|36 372 000
| 1,414,000 
| 323,000 
| 1,091,000 
|38.5
|8.3
|30.2
|4.75
|48.8
|58.22
|-
|2007
|37 479 000
| 1,450,000 
| 322,000 
| 1,128,000 
|38.3
|8.1
|30.2
|4.72
|46.5
|58.87
|-
|2008
|38 595 000
| 1,471,000 
| 317,000 
| 1,154,000 
|37.9
|7.9
|30.0
|4.66
|43.8
|59.61
|-
|2009
|39 779 000
| 1,476,000 
| 312,000 
| style=" color:blue;" | 1,164,000 
|37.2
|7.6
|29.5
|4.57
|41.7
|60.37
|-
|2010
|40 950 000
| 1,471,000 
| 314,000 
| 1,157,000 
|36.3
|7.4
|28.8
|4.45
|40.2
|60.65
|-
|2011
|42 086 000
| 1,461,000 
| 317,000 
| 1,144,000 
|35.0
|7.3
|27.7
|4.28
|39.0
|61.05
|-
|2012
|43 185 000
| 1,451,000 
| 326,000 
| 1,125,000 
|33.7
|7.2
|26.5
|4.12
|38.1
|61.12
|-
|2013
|44 267 000
| 1,440,000 
| 332,000 
| 1,008,000
|32.4
|7.2
|25.3
|3.96
|37.0
|61.39
|-
|2014
|45 318 000
| 1,436,000 
| 335,000 
| 1,101,000 
|31.5
|style="color: blue"|7.1
|24.4
|3.84
|36.0
|61.82
|-
|2015
|46 346 000
| 1,452,000 
| 345,000 
| 1,107,000 
|30.9
|7.1
|23.8
|3.77
|34.9
|61.89
|-
|2016
|47 357 000
| 1,457,000 
| 352,000 
| 1,105,000 
|30.2
|7.2
|23.0
|3.69
|33.8
|62.16
|-
|2017
|48 432 000
| 1,458,000 
| 357,000 
| 1,100,000 
|29.6
|7.1
|22.5
|3.61
|33.0
|62.48
|-
|2018
|49 464 000
| 1,460,000 
| 365,000 
| 1,094,000 
|29.0
|7.2
|21.9
|3.54
|32.0
|62.68
|-
|2019<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.knbs.or.ke/2019-kenya-population-and-housing-census-results/ | title=2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Results - Kenya National Bureau of Statistics | date=4 November 2019 }}</ref>
|47 564 296
| 1,451,000 
| 372,000 
| 1,079,000 
|28.2
|7.3
|20.9
|3.43
|31.1
|62.94
|-
|2020
|51 460 000
| 1,456,000 
| 388,000 
| 1,068,000 
|27.8
|7.9
|19.8
|3.36
|30.4
|62.68
|-
|2021
|53 219 000
| 1,469,000 
|style="color: red"| 432,000 
| 984,000 
|27.6
|8.1
|style="color: red"|19.5
|3.31
|31.1
|61.2
|-
|2022
|54 252 000
| 1,483,000 
| 391,000 
| 1,082,000 
|27.3
|7.2
|20.1
|3.26
|30.2
|63.3
|-
|2023
|55 339 000
| style=" color:blue;" | 1,500,000 
| 399,000 
| 1,091,000 
|27.1
|7.2
|19.9
|3.21
|29.7
|63.6
|-
|2024
|
|
|
|
|27.0
|7.2
|19.8
|3.17
|
|
|-
|2025
|
|
|
|
|style="color: red"|26.8
|7.1
|19.6
|style="color:red" |3.12
|
|
|-
| colspan="11" align="left" | * <small> CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)</small>
|}

===Demographic and Health Surveys===
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):<ref>{{cite web|url=http://microdata.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/dhs#_r=&collection=&country=&dtype=&from=1890&page=8&ps=&sk=&sort_by=nation&sort_order=&to=2014&topic=&view=s&vk=|title=MEASURE DHS: Demographic and Health Surveys|website=Microdata.worldbank.org|access-date=7 November 2017}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan=2| Year
! colspan=2| Total
! colspan=2| Urban
! colspan=2| Rural
|-
! CBR !! TFR
! CBR !! TFR
! CBR !! TFR
|-
| 1977
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 8.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 
|-
| 1984
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 
|-
| 1989
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 6.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.1
|-
| 1993
| style="text-align:right;"| 35.8
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.40 (3.4)
| style="text-align:right;"| 35.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.44 (2.5)
| style="text-align:right;"| 35.9
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.80 (3.7)
|-
| 1998
| style="text-align:right;"| 34.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.70 (3.5)
| style="text-align:right;"| 33.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.12 (2.6)
| style="text-align:right;"| 34.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.16 (3.8)
|-
| 2003
| style="text-align:right;"| 37.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.9 (3.6)
| style="text-align:right;"| 35.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.3 (2.6)
| style="text-align:right;"| 38.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.4 (3.9)
|-
| 2008–2009 (census)
| style="text-align:right;"| 34,8
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.6 (3.4)
| style="text-align:right;"| 32.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.9 (2.5)
| style="text-align:right;"| 35.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.2 (3.7)
|-
| 2014
| style="text-align:right;"| 30.5
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.9 (3.0)
| style="text-align:right;"| 31.0
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.1 (2.6)
| style="text-align:right;"| 30.3
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.5 (3.4)
|-
| 2022
| style="text-align:right;"| 27.7
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.4 (2.9)
| style="text-align:right;"| 30.1
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.7 (2.5)
| style="text-align:right;"| 26.6
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.0 (3.3)
|-
|}

Fertility data as of 2014 (DHS Program):<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR308/FR308.pdf|title=Demographic and Health Survey 2014|website=Dhsprograms.com|access-date=7 November 2017}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! style="width:100pt;"| Region
! style="width:100pt;"| Total fertility rate
! style="width:100pt;"| Percentage of women age 15–49 currently pregnant
! style="width:100pt;"| Mean number of children ever born to women age 40–49
|-
| [[Coast Province|Coast]] || 4.3 || 6.6 || 5.5
|-
| [[North Eastern Province (Kenya)|North Eastern]] || 6.4 || 12.0 || 7.1
|-
| [[Eastern Province (Kenya)|Eastern]] || 3.4 || 4.6 || 4.7
|-
| [[Central Province (Kenya)|Central]] || 2.8 || 4.8 || 3.7
|-
| [[Rift Valley Province|Rift Valley]] || 4.5 || 7.0 || 5.5
|-
| [[Western Province (Kenya)|Western]] || 4.7 || 6.7 || 6.1
|-
| [[Nyanza Province|Nyanza]] || 4.3 || 5.9 || 5.8
|-
| [[Nairobi City County|Nairobi]] || 2.7 || 6.8 || 3.1
|}

==Ethnic groups==
Kenya has a very diverse population that includes most major ethnic, racial and linguistic groups found in Africa. [[Bantu peoples|Bantu]], [[Cushitic-speaking peoples|Cushitic]] and [[Nilotic peoples|Nilotic]] populations together constitute around 99% of the nation's inhabitants.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Asongu |first1= J. J.|last2=Marr |first2= Marvee|title=Doing Business Abroad: A Handbook for Expatriates|year=2007|publisher=Greenview Publishing Co.|isbn=978-0-9797976-3-7|pages=12 & 112}}</ref> People from Asian or European heritage living in Kenya are estimated at around 0.3% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-23 |title=Kenya National Bureau of Statistics - Kenya's Top Data Site |url=https://www.knbs.or.ke/?wpdmpro=2019-kenya-population-and-housing-census-volume-iv-distribution-of-population-by-socio-economic-characteristics&wpdmdl=5730&ind=7HRl6KateNzKXCJaxxaHSh1qe6C1M6VHznmVmKGBKgO5qIMXjby1XHM2u_swXdiR |access-date=2024-10-13 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Bantus are the single largest population division in Kenya. Most Bantu are farmers. Some of the prominent Bantu groups in Kenya include the [[Kikuyu people|Kikuyu]], the [[Kamba people|Kamba]], the [[Luhya people|Luhya]], the [[Kisii people|Kisii]], the [[Meru people|Meru]], and the [[Mijikenda peoples|Mijikenda]].

In Kenya's last colonial census of 1962, population groups residing in the territory included European, African and Asian individuals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waikato.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/117476/Kenya-1962-en.pdf|title=Kenya Population Census 1962, Appendix 1|website=Kenya National Bureau of Statistics|publisher=Government of Kenya|access-date=31 July 2017}}</ref> According to the [[Kenya National Bureau of Statistics]], Kenya had a population of 47,564,296 by 2019. The largest native ethnic groups were the [[Kikuyu people|Kikuyu]] (8,148,668), [[Luhya people|Luhya]] (6,820,000), [[Kalenjin people|Kalenjin]] (6,358,113), [[Luo people|Luo]] (5,066,966), [[Kamba people|Kamba]] (4,663,910), [[Somalis]] (2,780,502), [[Kisii people|Kisii]] (2,703,235), [[Mijikenda peoples|Mijikenda]] (2,488,691), [[Meru people|Meru]] (1,975,869), [[Maasai people|Maasai]] (1,189,522), and [[Turkana people|Turkana]] (1,016,174). Foreign-rooted populations included [[Indians in Kenya|Asians]] (90,527), [[White people in Kenya|Europeans]] (42,868) with Kenyan citizenship, 26,753 without, and Kenyan Arabs (59,021).<!--the latter populations are designated with a ''Kenyan'' prefix in latest 2019 census; this is a holdover from the last colonial census of 1962, when the population groups residing in the territory included European, Arab, Somali, African and Asian individuals ("European, Arab, Somali or African, etc. Asians must write Indian or Pakistan" [http://www.waikato.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/117476/Kenya-1962-en.pdf]) --><ref name =Census2019b>{{cite web|url=https://www.knbs.or.ke/?wpdmpro=2019-kenya-population-and-housing-census-volume-iv-distribution-of-population-by-socio-economic-characteristics&wpdmdl=5730&ind=7HRl6KateNzKXCJaxxaHSh1qe6C1M6VHznmVmKGBKgO5qIMXjby1XHM2u_swXdiR |title=2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume IV: Distribution of Population by Socio-Economic Characteristics |access-date=24 March 2020 |website=Kenya National Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> The number of ethnic categories and sub-categories recorded in the census has changed significantly over time, expanding from 42 in 1969 to more than 120 in 2019.<ref name="Balaton-Chrimes2020">{{cite journal|last1=Balaton-Chrimes|first1=Samantha|title=Who are Kenya's 42(+) tribes? The census and the political utility of magical uncertainty|journal=Journal of Eastern African Studies|year=2020|volume=15|pages=43–62 |doi=10.1080/17531055.2020.1863642| issn=1753-1055|s2cid=231681524|doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Bantu peoples===
{{main|Bantu peoples}}
Bantus are the single largest population division in Kenya. The term ''Bantu'' denotes widely dispersed but related peoples that speak south-central [[Niger–Congo languages]]. Originally from Cameroon-Nigeria border regions, Bantus began a millennium-long series of migrations referred to as the [[Bantu expansion]] that first brought them south into [[East Africa]] about 2,000 years ago.

Most Bantu are farmers. Some of the prominent Bantu groups in Kenya include the [[Kikuyu people|Kikuyu]], the [[Kamba people|Kamba]], the [[Luhya people|Luhya]], the [[Kisii people|Kisii]], the [[Meru people|Meru]], and the [[Mijikenda peoples|Mijikenda]]. The [[Swahili people]] are descended from Wangozi Bantu peoples that intermarried with Arab immigrants.<ref name="Okothndaloh">A. Okoth & A. Ndaloh, ''Peak Revision K.C.P.E. Social Studies'', (East African Publishers), p.60-61.</ref><ref name="SSSTD">S. Wandibba et al, Social Studies STD 6, (East African Publishers), p.45-47.</ref>

The Kikuyu, who are one of the biggest tribes in Kenya, seem to have assimilated a significant number of Cushitic speakers. Evidence from their Y DNA shows that 18% of Kikuyu carry the E1b1b Y DNA.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Henn |first1=Brenna M. |last2=Gignoux |first2=Christopher |last3=Lin |first3=Alice A. |last4=Oefner |first4=Peter J. |last5=Shen |first5=Peidong |last6=Scozzari |first6=Rosaria |last7=Cruciani |first7=Fulvio |last8=Tishkoff |first8=Sarah A. |last9=Mountain |first9=Joanna L. |last10=Underhill |first10=Peter A. |title=Y-chromosomal evidence of a pastoralist migration through Tanzania to southern Africa |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |date=2008-08-05 |volume=105 |issue=31 |pages=10693–10698 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0801184105 |pmid=18678889 |pmc=2504844 |bibcode=2008PNAS..10510693H |doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Nilotic peoples===
[[File:Kenyan man 2.jpg|thumb|A [[Maasai people|Maasai]]]]
{{main|Nilotic peoples}}
Nilotes are the second-largest group of peoples in Kenya. They speak [[Nilo-Saharan languages]] and went south into [[East Africa]] from [[Western Asia]] and [[North Africa]] by way of [[South Sudan]].<ref name="Okothndaloh"/> Most Nilotes in Kenya are historically [[Pastoralism|pastoralists]]. The Nilotes are divided into the river lake Nilotes and the highland nilotes. These divisions are related to where they occupied after they relocated to Kenya. Where the Luo are affiliated with the river lake occupancy as they can be found near Lake Victoria. The Kalenjin along others are affiliated with the highland occupancy as they are found around the highland areas of the country. The most prominent of these groups include the [[Luo peoples|Luo]], the Maasai, the [[Samburu people|Samburu]], the Iteso, the Turkana, and the Kalenjin.<ref name="Okothndaloh"/> Similar to the Bantu, some Nilotic systems of governance (such as Ibinda of the Nandi<ref>{{Cite journal|last=WOODWARD|first=P.|date=1999-04-01|title=Conflict, Age and Power in North East Africa: Age systems in transition|journal=African Affairs|volume=98|issue=391|pages=286–287|doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a008035 }}</ref>) bear similarities with those of their Cushitic neighbors (such as the Gada system<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Abdurahman|first=Abdulahi|date=2019-05-01|title=The Gada system and the Oromo's (Ethiopia) culture of peace|journal=Skhid|volume=2|issue=160|pages=45–51|doi=10.21847/1728-9343.2019.2(160).164984 |doi-access=free}}</ref> of the Oromo).<ref name="Collins">Robert O. Collins, ''The southern Sudan in historical perspective'', (Transaction Publishers: 2006), p.9-10.</ref>

===Cushitic people===
{{main|Cushitic peoples}}
The [[Cushitic languages|Cushitic]] people form a small minority of Kenya's population. They speak languages belonging to the [[Afroasiatic languages|Afroasiatic]] family and originally came from [[Ethiopia]] and [[Somalia]]. However, some large ethnic Somali clans are native to the area that used be known as NFD in Kenya. These people are not from Somalia but share the same ethnicity as the majority in Somalia. Most of them are herdsmen and have almost entirely adopted [[Islam]].<ref name="Wandi">S. Wandibba et al, p.19-20.</ref> Cushites are concentrated in the northernmost [[North Eastern Province, Kenya|North Eastern Province]], which borders Somalia.<ref name="Godfrey">Godfrey Mwakikagile, ''Kenya: identity of a nation'', (Godfrey Mwakikagile: 2007), p.99-102.</ref>

The Cushitic people are divided into two groups: the Southern Cushites and the Eastern Cushites.

*The Southern Cushites were the second-earliest inhabitants of Kenya after the indigenous hunter-gatherer groups,<ref name="Ayot">H. Okello Ayot, ''Topics in East African history, 1000–1970'' ([[East African Literature Bureau]]: 1976), p.13.</ref> and the first of the Cushitic-speaking peoples to migrate from their homeland in the [[Horn of Africa]] about 2,000 years ago.<ref name="Wandi"/> They were progressively displaced in a southerly direction or absorbed, or both, by the incoming Nilotic and Bantu groups until they wound up in [[Tanzania]].<ref name="Wandi"/> There are no Southern Cushites left in Kenya. (The [[Dahalo language|Dahalo]] were originally pre-Cushitic peoples who adopted the language of their dominant Southern Cushitic neighbors sometime toward the last millennium BC.<ref name="HCCCTIEAC">Randall L. Pouwels, ''Horn and Crescent: Cultural Change and Traditional Islam on the East African Coast, 800–1900'', Volume 53 of ''African Studies'', (Cambridge University Press: 2002), p.9.</ref>).
*The Eastern Cushites include the [[Oromo people|Oromo]] and the [[Somalis in Kenya|Somali]]. After the Northern Frontier District (North Eastern Province) was handed over to Kenyan nationalists at the end of British colonial rule in Kenya, Somalis in the region fought the [[Shifta War]] against Kenyan troops to join their kin in the Somali Republic to the north. Although the war ended in a cease-fire, [[Somali people|Somalis]] in the region still identify and maintain close ties with their kin in Somalia and see themselves as one people, since like most borders in Africa and Asia, national borders were arbitrarily drawn in colonial European countries, especially during the [[Scramble for Africa]]<ref>Mwakikagile, p.79.</ref>

An entrepreneurial community, they established themselves in the business sector, particularly in [[Eastleigh, Nairobi|Eastleigh]], Nairobi.<ref name="SomEast">{{cite web|url=http://www.afrika.no/Detailed/16696.html|title=Kenya/Somalia: Somalia community doing booming business in country|website=Afrika.no|access-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216084305/http://www.afrika.no/Detailed/16696.html|archive-date=16 February 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Indians===
{{main|Indians in Kenya}}
Asians living in Kenya are descended from [[South Asia]]n migrants. Significant Asian migration to Kenya began between 1896 and 1901 when some 32,000 indentured labourers were recruited from [[British India]] to build the [[Kenya-Uganda Railway]].<ref name="Kahod">{{cite news|last=Evans|first=Ruth|title=Kenya's Asian heritage on display|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/762515.stm|access-date=16 December 2013|publisher=BBC|date=24 May 2000}}</ref> The majority of Kenyan Asians hail from the [[Gujarat]] and [[Punjab region|Punjab]] regions.<ref name="Herzig, Pascale 2006, page 28">Herzig, Pascale, South Asians in Kenya: Gender, Generation and Changing Identities in Diaspora, LIT Verlag Münster, 2006, page 28</ref> The community grew significantly during the colonial period, and in the 1962 census Asians made up a third of the population of Nairobi and consisted of 176,613 people across the country.<ref name="Herzig, Pascale 2006, page 28"/>

Since [[History of Kenya|Kenyan independence]] large numbers have emigrated due to racism-related tensions with the Bantu and Nilotic majority. Most Asians are concentrated in the manufacturing sector.<ref name="Godfrey"/> According to the 2019 Census, Kenyan Asians number 47,555 people, while Asians without Kenyan citizenship number 42,972 individuals.<ref name =Census2019b/> In 2017, Kenyans of Asian Heritage were officially recognised as the 44th tribe of Kenya.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kenya Government Gazette dated 2017-07-21 number 102 |url=https://gazettes.africa/akn/ke/officialGazette/government-gazette/2017-07-21/102/eng@2017-07-21 |access-date=14 September 2024 |work=The Kenya Gazette |agency=Gazettes Africa |issue=102 |publisher=Laws.Africa |date=21 July 2017}}</ref>

===Europeans===
{{main|White people in Kenya}}
Europeans in Kenya are primarily the descendants of [[British people|British]] migrants during the colonial period. There is also a significant expat population of Europeans living in Kenya. Economically, all Europeans in Kenya belong to the middle- and upper-middle-class. Nowadays, only a small minority of them are landowners (livestock and game ranchers, horticulturists and farmers), with the majority working in the tertiary sector: in air transport, finance, import, and hospitality. Apart from isolated individuals such as anthropologist and conservationist [[Richard Leakey]], [[Fellow of the Royal Society|F.R.S.]], who died in 2022, Kenyan-Europeans have completely retreated from Kenyan politics, and are no longer represented in public service and parastatals, from which the last remaining staff from colonial times retired in the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-09-24|title=The rarity of White African Politicians' involvement in the African politics|url=https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/the-rarity-of-white-african-politicians/|access-date=2021-02-14|website=This is africa|language=en-US}}</ref> According to the 2019 Census, Kenyan Europeans number 42,868 people, while Europeans without Kenyan citizenship number 26,753 individuals. 0.3% of the population of Kenya is either from Asia or Europe.<ref name =Census2019b/>

===Arabs===
[[Arab]]s form a small but historically important minority ethnic group in Kenya. They are principally concentrated along the coast in cities such as [[Mombasa]], [[Malindi]], [[Lamu]], and [[Nairobi]]. A Muslim community, they primarily came from [[Oman]] and [[Hadhramaut]] in [[Yemen]], and are engaged in trade. Arabs are locally referred to as ''Washihiri'' or, less commonly, as simply ''Shihiri'' in the Bantu [[Swahili language]], Kenya's [[lingua franca]].<ref name="Godfrey"/> According to the 2019 Census, Kenyan Arabs number 59,021 people.<ref name =Census2019b/>

==Languages==
{{main article|Languages of Kenya}}
[[File:Swahili-pn.jpg|thumb|[[Lord's Prayer]] in [[Swahili language|Swahili]], a [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] language that alongside [[English language|English]] serves as a [[lingua franca]] for many in Kenya.]]
Kenya's various ethnic groups typically speak their [[mother tongue]]s within their own communities. The two [[official language]]s, [[English language|English]] and [[Swahili language|Swahili]], serve as the main [[lingua franca]] between the various ethnic groups. English is widely spoken in commerce, schooling and government.<ref name="Cugrwed">{{cite book|last=Proquest Info & Learning (COR)|title=Culturegrams: World Edition|year=2009|isbn=978-0977809165|page=98}}</ref> Peri-urban and rural dwellers are less multilingual, with many in rural areas speaking only their native languages.<ref name="Broassim">{{cite book|last1=Brown |first1= E. K. |last2=Asher |first2= R. E. |last3=Simpson |first3= J. M. Y. |title=Encyclopedia of language & linguistics, Volume 1, Edition 2|year=2006|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=0080442994|page=181}}</ref>

According to ''[[Ethnologue]]'', there are a total of 69 languages spoken in Kenya. Most belong to two broad language families: [[Niger-Congo languages|Niger-Congo]] ([[Bantu languages|Bantu branch]]) and [[Nilo-Saharan languages|Nilo-Saharan]] ([[Nilotic languages|Nilotic branch]]), which are spoken by the country's Bantu and Nilotic populations, respectively. The Cushitic and Arab ethnic minorities speak languages belonging to the separate [[Afroasiatic languages|Afro-Asiatic]] family, with the Indian and European residents speaking languages from the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] family.<ref name="Ethnken">{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=KE|title=Kenya|website=Ethnologue.com|access-date=7 November 2017}}</ref>

==Religion==
{{main article|Religion in Kenya}}

{{bar box
|title=Pew Research Center (2020)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/kenya#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010&region_name=All%20Countries&restrictions_year=2013 |title="Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project: Kenya" |access-date=4 October 2018 |archive-date=3 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103215520/http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/kenya#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010&region_name=All%20Countries&restrictions_year=2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=religion
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Christianity]]|Blue|84.5}}
{{bar percent|[[Islam]]|Green|10.5}}
{{bar percent|[[Irreligion|None]]|Red|2.3}}
{{bar percent|[[Traditional African religion|Traditionalists]]|Yellow|1.5}}
{{bar percent|Other|Black|1.1}}
{{bar percent|Unspecified|Grey|0.1}}
}}

CIA World Factbook estimate:<ref name="CIATONGA"/>

*[[Christianity|Christian]] 68.5%
**[[Protestantism|Protestant]] 26.3%
**[[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] 17.6%
**[[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] 17.4%
**[[African-initiated church|African Instituted Churches]] 5%
**Other Christian 4.1%
*[[Islam in Kenya|Islam]] 26.2
%
*Other 1.8%
*None 1.6%
*Unspecified 0.2%

==See also==
*[[Geography of Kenya]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

'''Attribution:'''
* {{CIA World Factbook|year=2006}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal|last1=Balaton-Chrimes|first1=Samantha|title=Counting as Citizens: Recognition of the Nubians in the 2009 Kenyan Census|journal=Ethnopolitics|volume=10|issue=2|year=2011|pages=205–218 |doi=10.1080/17449057.2011.570983|s2cid=145695783}}
*{{cite journal|last1=Weitzberg|first1=Keren|title=The Unaccountable Census: Colonial Enumeration and ITS Implications for the Somali People of Kenya|journal=The Journal of African History|volume=56|issue=3|year=2015|pages=409–428 |doi=10.1017/S002185371500033X|s2cid=153521428}})

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20131121153548/http://www.knbs.or.ke/censusethnic.php Population and Housing Census – Ethnic Affiliation]

{{Kenya topics}}
{{Ethnic groups in Kenya}}
{{Africa in topic|Demographics of}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demographics of Kenya}}
[[Category:Demographics of Kenya| ]]