Rural population growth in Kenya
Kenya: Rural population growth was 1.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population growth in Kenya, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population growth in Kenya stood at 1.5%.
That represents a change of down 7.3% on the previous year and down 36.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Kenya peaked at 3.8% in 1966 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2005.
That places Kenya 36th out of 209 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Rural population growth in Kenya, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.5% | — |
| 1962 | 3.6% | +2.9% |
| 1963 | 3.7% | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 3.8% | +1.9% |
| 1965 | 3.8% | +1.8% |
| 1966 | 3.8% | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 3.8% | -0.9% |
| 1968 | 3.7% | -1.1% |
| 1969 | 3.7% | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 3.5% | -4.8% |
| 1971 | 3.1% | -10.7% |
| 1972 | 2.8% | -8.9% |
| 1973 | 2.7% | -4.1% |
| 1974 | 2.6% | -4.5% |
| 1975 | 2.5% | -3.3% |
| 1976 | 2.5% | -2.5% |
| 1977 | 2.6% | +5.0% |
| 1978 | 2.8% | +8.2% |
| 1979 | 2.9% | +5.6% |
| 1980 | 3.1% | +6.0% |
| 1981 | 3.2% | +1.8% |
| 1982 | 3.2% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 3.3% | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 3.3% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 3.3% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 3.3% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 3.3% | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 3.3% | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 3.3% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 3.3% | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 3.1% | -5.1% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | -4.8% |
| 1993 | 2.9% | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 2.8% | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 2.7% | -3.6% |
| 1997 | 2.6% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 2.6% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 2.5% | -8.0% |
| 2001 | 1.9% | -23.4% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | -29.2% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | -34.9% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | -25.6% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | -15.1% |
| 2006 | 0.7% | +19.2% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | +48.8% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | +59.5% |
| 2009 | 2.4% | +51.6% |
| 2010 | 2.9% | +21.2% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | -4.5% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | -4.7% |
| 2013 | 2.5% | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 2.4% | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 2.2% | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 2.3% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 1.9% | -14.3% |
| 2021 | 1.8% | -8.0% |
| 2022 | 1.7% | -3.8% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | -6.6% |
| 2025 | 1.5% | -7.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.7% | 3.5% | 3.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.6% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 0.6% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 2.2% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 33 Mozambique 1.6% compare
- 34 Turkmenistan 1.6% compare
- 35 Guinea 1.6% compare
- 37 Liechtenstein 1.4% compare
- 38 Solomon Islands 1.4% compare
- 39 Armenia 1.4% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Kenya
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 16.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2316 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 547.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6779 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture share gdp 23.16 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 23.16 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 12.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Kenya?
- Rural population growth in Kenya was 1.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 1966.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2005.
- How does Kenya rank for rural population growth?
- Kenya ranks 36th out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.