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 218 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.
Urban population in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 633,595 | — |
| 1961 | 673,843 | +6.4% |
| 1962 | 716,569 | +6.3% |
| 1963 | 760,585 | +6.1% |
| 1964 | 805,133 | +5.9% |
| 1965 | 851,351 | +5.7% |
| 1966 | 900,091 | +5.7% |
| 1967 | 952,571 | +5.8% |
| 1968 | 1.01 million | +6.1% |
| 1969 | 1.08 million | +6.4% |
| 1970 | 1.15 million | +7.2% |
| 1971 | 1.25 million | +8.3% |
| 1972 | 1.36 million | +9.0% |
| 1973 | 1.49 million | +9.4% |
| 1974 | 1.63 million | +9.5% |
| 1975 | 1.78 million | +9.2% |
| 1976 | 1.93 million | +8.6% |
| 1977 | 2.09 million | +8.1% |
| 1978 | 2.25 million | +7.4% |
| 1979 | 2.39 million | +6.5% |
| 1980 | 2.54 million | +6.0% |
| 1981 | 2.68 million | +5.8% |
| 1982 | 2.83 million | +5.6% |
| 1983 | 2.99 million | +5.6% |
| 1984 | 3.15 million | +5.4% |
| 1985 | 3.32 million | +5.2% |
| 1986 | 3.49 million | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 3.65 million | +4.8% |
| 1988 | 3.82 million | +4.7% |
| 1989 | 4.00 million | +4.5% |
| 1990 | 4.17 million | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 4.33 million | +3.9% |
| 1992 | 4.48 million | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 4.63 million | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 4.79 million | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 4.94 million | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 5.10 million | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 5.27 million | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 5.45 million | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 5.66 million | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 5.96 million | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 6.46 million | +8.4% |
| 2002 | 7.13 million | +10.4% |
| 2003 | 7.93 million | +11.2% |
| 2004 | 8.82 million | +11.3% |
| 2005 | 9.76 million | +10.6% |
| 2006 | 10.70 million | +9.6% |
| 2007 | 11.57 million | +8.2% |
| 2008 | 12.32 million | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 12.87 million | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 13.26 million | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 13.63 million | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 13.98 million | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 14.32 million | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 14.64 million | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 14.94 million | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 15.24 million | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 15.52 million | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 15.76 million | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 15.97 million | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 16.30 million | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 16.65 million | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 17.05 million | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 17.51 million | +2.7% |
| 2024 | 18.00 million | +2.8% |
| 2025 | 18.53 million | +3.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 18.53 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.62 million, 2.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 18.53 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.82 million, 3.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
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
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 276.34 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 50,641 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16,186 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,454 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 61.08 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,231 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,372 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,116 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 255.67 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.99 kt (2050)
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 218 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.