Rural population in Kenya
Kenya: Rural population was 67.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Kenya, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Kenya stood at 67.8%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Kenya peaked at 91.8% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 67.8%, in 2025.
Kenya ranks 27th of 217 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 91.8% | — |
| 1961 | 91.6% | -0.2% |
| 1962 | 91.4% | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 91.2% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 91.0% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 90.9% | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 90.7% | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 90.6% | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 90.4% | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 90.2% | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 89.9% | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 89.4% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 88.8% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 88.2% | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 87.5% | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 86.8% | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 86.1% | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 85.5% | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 85.0% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 84.5% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 84.2% | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 83.8% | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 83.5% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 83.2% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 83.0% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 82.7% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 82.5% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 82.3% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 82.1% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 81.9% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 81.8% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 81.7% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 81.6% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 81.5% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 81.5% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 81.4% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 81.3% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 81.2% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 81.1% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 81.0% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 80.5% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 79.6% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 78.1% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 76.4% | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 74.6% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 72.7% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 71.0% | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 69.6% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 68.6% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 68.1% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 68.1% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 68.1% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 68.1% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 68.2% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 68.2% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 68.3% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 68.3% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 68.5% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 68.6% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 68.8% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 68.8% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 68.7% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 68.6% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 68.4% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 68.1% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 67.8% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 91.0% | 90.2% | 91.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 87.2% | 84.5% | 89.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 82.9% | 81.9% | 84.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 81.4% | 81.0% | 81.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 73.9% | 68.1% | 80.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.3% | 68.1% | 68.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.4% | 67.8% | 68.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 24 Solomon Islands 68.7% compare
- 25 Saint Kitts and Nevis 68.1% compare
- 26 Uganda 68.1% compare
- 28 Mali 67.8% compare
- 29 Madagascar 67.1% compare
- 30 Bangladesh 66.8% 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)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 12.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Kenya?
- Rural population in Kenya was 67.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 91.8% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.8% in 2025.
- How does Kenya rank for rural population?
- Kenya ranks 27th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. 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 (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.