Photo courtesy popcouncil.org

A report from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) reveals that of the approximately 50.6 million Kenyans nearly 30 per cent of them, some 14.9 million, reside in just six of the country’s 47 counties. The report goes on to note that these counties will continue to be the most densely populated areas for the next two decades.

Most Populated Counties

The most populated six counties are Nairobi, Kiambu, Nakuru, Kakamega, Meru and Bungoma, of which Nairobi with a population of 4.67 million, 9.2 per cent of Kenya’s population, 12.1 per cent of households, is the largest.

The KNBS report states that of Kenya’s 13,478,733 households recorded in 2022, 1.6 million are in the capital city, 980,513 in Kiambu, 659,619 in Nakuru, 477,912 in Kakamega, 462,753 in Bungoma and 458,570 in Meru.
These six most populated counties contain 4.67 million households, 34.7 per cent of the 13.58 million households in Kenya.

Planning Policy Impact

The significance of the population figures released by the KBNS, lies in the role they will play in guiding national and regional planning for the government and policy makers in respect of the allocation of resources set against population growth.

The KBNS report predicts that Kenya’s population, standing at 48.8 million people (2020 figures), will increase to 53.3 million by 2025, 57.8 million by 2030, and 70 million by 2045.

According to the report, the population of all counties are expected to grow, with the counties of Kajiado, Lamu, Samburu, Tana River, Kiambu and Mombasa experiencing the highest percentage increases.

Kenyan’s To Live Longer

Not only will Kenya’s population continue to increase, says the KBNS, people will also live longer with the lifespan of Kenyans predicted rise from 62.5 years for men and 67.16 years for women in 2020, to 64.86 years for men and 69.24 years for women in 2030.