Urban population in Kenya
Kenya: Urban population was 18.53 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Kenya, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Kenya is 18.53 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Kenya peaked at 18.53 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 633,595, in 1960.
That places Kenya 45th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 837,951 | 633,595 | 1.08 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.73 million | 1.15 million | 2.39 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.25 million | 2.54 million | 4.00 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.88 million | 4.17 million | 5.66 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.35 million | 5.96 million | 12.87 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.73 million | 13.26 million | 15.97 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.34 million | 16.30 million | 18.53 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More climate change data for Kenya
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 1.0% (2100)
- Population growth 1.9% (2025)
- Population, total 57.53 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 2.9% (2025)
- Urban population 32.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.3761 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 551.31 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.3761 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.3761 tonnes per person (2024)
- Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population 0.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Kenya?
- Urban population in Kenya was 18.53 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 18.53 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 633,595 in 1960.
- How does Kenya rank for urban population?
- Kenya ranks 45th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban 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
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.