How many people live in Kenya right now?
Right now, according to UN estimates
58,985,432
| Today | In 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Births | · | · |
| Deaths | · | · |
| Net migration | · | · |
| Growth | · | · |
2026 figures
- Rank by population
- 26 of 237
- Share of world population
- 0.71%
- Median age
- 20.3 years
- Children per woman
- 3.07
- Life expectancy
- 64.2 years
- People per km²
- 101
According to UN estimates, about 59.0 million people live in Kenya right now. It ranks 26th out of 237 countries and territories by population, between Italy and Myanmar, and it is home to one in every 141 people on the planet.
Every day, about 4,300 people are born there and about 1,100 die. More people leave than arrive: net migration reduces the population by about 34,800 people a year. Overall, the population grows by about 3,000 people a day (1.89% a year).
In 1950, about 5.8 million people lived there. Today there are 10 times as many. The UN expects it to peak around 2098, at about 104 million, and then begin to fall. By 2050 it is projected to have about 83.6 million people (42% more than today), and by 2100 about 104 million.
Half of its people are younger than 20 (worldwide, 31). Women have an average of 3.07 children each, above the 2.1 needed for each generation to replace the one before, and life expectancy at birth is 64 years (worldwide, 74). There are 101 people per square kilometer.
UN estimates up to today and projections (medium variant) from today onward.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the population of Kenya in 2026?
- Kenya has about 59.0 million people right now, according to the UN's World Population Prospects 2024. On July 1, 2026, there were 58,636,412.
- How many people are born each day in Kenya?
- About 4,300 a day (1.6 million a year). About 1,100 people die each day (418,000 a year).
- Is the population of Kenya growing?
- Yes: it grows by 1.89% a year, or about 1.1 million people.
- What will the population of Kenya be in 2050?
- According to the UN projection (medium variant), about 83.6 million, with a peak around 2098 at about 104 million.
- Why doesn't this figure match the country's official statistics?
- The UN estimates the population of every country with the same method, based on censuses, surveys and registers, and projects it year by year. Each national statistics office uses its own censuses and registers, which may be more up to date or count foreign residents differently. That is why the figures can differ slightly.
Countries with a similar population
- France 66,775,474
- South Africa 65,670,767
- Italy 58,850,895
- Myanmar 55,285,208
- Colombia 54,089,657
- Sudan 53,735,006
More countries in Africa
- Nigeria 243,986,049
- Ethiopia 139,989,393
- Egypt 120,651,451
- Democratic Republic of the Congo 117,604,303
- Tanzania 73,203,946
- South Africa 65,670,767
- Sudan 53,735,006
- Uganda 53,195,463
- Algeria 48,206,547
- Angola 40,591,326
- Morocco 38,862,745
- Mozambique 36,962,540
All countries and territories →
Where these figures come from
The figures are estimates from the United Nations Population Division, published in World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant): the reference used by international organizations and by most population counters. The UN estimates how many people there are on July 1 of each year and how many are born, die and migrate; between one date and the next, this counter spreads the change continuously, second by second.
It is not a real-time headcount: nobody can count every person in a country at once. It is the best available estimate, and it may differ slightly from the figures of each country's statistics office, which use their own censuses and population registers.