Republic of Kenya. This country can be called a real gem of East Africa due to its diversity in terms of both geography and ethnic composition.
The country covers an area of 580,367 sq. km, is famous for its picturesque landscapes and huge nature reserves. The Republic of Kenya is located in East Africa at the very equator with extensive access to the Indian Ocean and borders on Uganda in the west, Tanzania in the south, Ethiopia and South Sudan in the north, Somalia in the east. Thanks to its access to the ocean, Kenya has long been a strategically important territory through which goods from Asian and Arab states entered the continent.
Political and internal structure of Kenya as a state
Kenya is a republic with a presidential form of government, the legislative body is the Parliament, consisting of two chambers - the National Assembly (Assembly) and the Senate. Prior to the 2010 referendum, Parliament was unicameral. The two official languages are Swahili and English. However, many Kenyans speak Bantu and use about forty other local dialects.
Regardingreligious preferences, then according to official data, the vast majority of Christians are 83% (Protestants 47.7%, Catholics 23.4%, other Christian denominations 11.9%), Muslims 11.2%, but in fact about half of the country's inhabitants follow local religious beliefs. The means of payment within the country is the Kenyan shilling, the change coin is the cent. The capital of the country is the city of Nairobi.
A Brief History of Kenya
Some scientists, not without reason, believe that Kenya could be the cradle of human civilization. Human remains were found here, which are about 2.6 million years old. The nomadic way of life of local tribes for a long time interfered with the formation of statehood. The first cities (they are also states) appeared in the areas coastal to the ocean only in the 11th century thanks to the warlike Arabs who brought Islam here. From the 15th to the 18th centuries, the Portuguese, having forced out the Arabs, reigned supreme in this part of the African continent.
In the period from the 18th to the middle of the 19th century, many Arab sultanates reappeared here. Then two new strong players appeared on the local "arena" - Great Britain and Germany. Great Britain emerged victorious from this fight and in 1890 made Kenya its colony, severely suppressing the liberation movement of Kenyans in 1895-1905. Only in 1963, after many years of confrontation, the country received the right to self-determination. December 12, 1964 Kenya was proclaimed a republic.
Population of Kenya
The last official census was taken in Kenyaback in 2009, it was then confirmed that there were 38,610,097 people living in the country. The country's population information is published on a regular basis, and in 2011 it was stated that these figures had risen to 41 million. In 2017, according to the latest data, the population of Kenya increased to 49.70 million people.
In terms of population density, Kenya is the 47th highest in the world in terms of net land area, which is relatively sparsely populated. On average, this is 79.2 people per square kilometer of land. Accordingly, in terms of population density, Kenya is the 140th country on Earth.
The capital and largest city in Kenya is Nairobi, which is famous for having the world's only game reserve in a big city. Nairobi is Africa's second largest city in the Great Lakes region with 3.5 million inhabitants. Including the suburbs, Nairobi is Africa's 14th largest city with 6.54 million people.
Other major cities in Kenya are Mombasa with a population of 1.2 million, Kisumu with 400,000, and Nakuru with 300,000.
Slums of Kibera
Like many African cities, the capital of Kenya is characterized by the presence of modern skyscrapers, from the windows of which huge slums are visible. Among the old quarters there are also prosperous ones, often ethnically mixed and quite well served by public utilities and other services. But not everywhere.
In the world-famous slums of Kibera (a suburb of Nairobi, located 5 km southwest of the center), about 250 thousand people live. Theremany refugees are taking refuge from the endless civil wars taking place in neighboring countries.
Most people in Kibera live on less than $1 a day, crammed into tents and hastily assembled huts, with clean water scarce, lack of education and rampant violence, dying from infectious diseases. The area of the slums is so large that sometimes entire villages are formed there, trying to solve their domestic and social problems on their own.
Features of the composition of the population
Returning to the issue of different ethnicity, it is worth considering the many diverse groups that make up the population of the country of Kenya. Based on data from the World Factbook CIA as of 2017-12-01, they can be classified as follows.
| List of Kenyan population by nationality | Percentage of total population |
| Kikuyu | 22% |
| Luhya | 14% |
| Lo | 13% |
| Kalenjin | 12% |
| Kamba | 11% |
| Kishi | 6% |
| Meru | 6% |
| Other African | 15% |
| Non-African (Asian, European and Arab) | 1% |
Kenya's population is very diverse, the country is home to a large number of African linguistic and ethnic groups. There are at least 42 communities, most of them Nilotes (30%) and Bantus (67%), followed by Cushite groups, Arabs, Indians and Europeans. This is a feature of the population of Kenya, all nationalities and religions coexist here.
Kenya is a young growing state
Kenya's population is very young, which has led to its rapid growth. Nearly three-quarters of the residents are under 30 years of age. During the years of independence, the type of reproduction of the population of Kenya can be defined as expanded reproduction. It is characterized by an increase in the number of each next generation to the number of inhabitants of previous generations. The number of young people capable of producing offspring is growing. Given the wider use of the capabilities of modern medicine, especially in the fight against epidemics, this contributes to a significant reduction in the death rate with a high birth rate. The UN predicts that up to 51.7 million people will live in this country by 2020.
Current population of Kenyans
The last official census was conducted in Kenya back in 2009, when it was confirmed that 38,610,097 people live in the country. Information about the country's population is published on a regular basis, and in 2011 it was stated that these figures had risen to 41 million.
| Kenya Population Index | Total people |
| Population as of December 2017 | 50285640 |
| Last UN assessment as of 1 July 2017 | 49699862 |
| Birth on the day | 4193 |
| Deaths per day | 780 |
| Net migration per day | -27 |
| Net change per day | 3386 |
| Population change since January 1st | 1198644 |
Net increase of 1 person every 26 seconds.
Population indicators
Kenya maintains population growth but has high rates of both fertility and infant mortality. This is consistent with Africa as a whole.
| Birth rate (summary) | 31, 201 births/thousand |
| Death rate | 5, 809 deaths/thousand |
| Net migration rate | -0, 204 persons/thousand |
| Life expectancy for both sexes (expected) | 66, 912 years |
| Life expectancy for men (expected) | 64, 584 years |
| Life expectancy for women (expected) | 69, 246years |
| Total Fertility Rate | 3, 839 children/women |
| Net reproduction rate | 1, 739 surviving daughters/women |
| Sex ratio at birth | 1, 03 men per woman |
| Infant mortality rate | 35, 628 deaths/1000 births |
| Under-five mortality | 48, 999 deaths/thousand |
| Mean age at birth | 28, 726 years |
| Natural growth rate | 25, 393 |
| Mean age (total) | 19, 5 years |
| Middle age (female) | 19, 6 years old |
| Middle age (male) | 19, 4 years |
In 2017, Kenya's population increased to 49.70 million according to the latest data.
Population history
Kenya is a young growing republic. Over the course of a century, the population of the state grew from 2.9 million to almost 40 million people, with the peak of growth occurring during the country's independence.
| Year |
Population total people |
Population density people on thesq. km |
Women % |
Men % |
Height % |
| 2017 | 49699862 | 86 | 50.30 | 49.70 | 2.57 |
| 2015 | 47236259 | 81 | 50.30 | 49.70 | 2.70 |
| 2010 | 41350152 | 71 | 50.29 | 49.71 | 2.78 |
| 2005 | 36048288 | 62 | 50.32 | 49.68 | 2.77 |
| 2000 | 31450483 | 54 | 50.34 | 49.66 | 2.84 |
| 1995 | 27346456 | 47 | 50.29 | 49.71 | 3.16 |
| 1990 | 23402507 | 40 | 50.22 | 49.78 | 3.56 |
| 1985 | 19651225 | 34 | 50.20 | 49.80 | 3.85 |
| 1980 | 16268990 | 28 | 50.20 | 49.80 | 3.82 |
| 1975 | 13486629 | 23 | 50.19 | 49.81 | 3.69 |
| 1970 | 11252492 | 19 | 50.12 | 49.88 | 3.43 |
| 1965 | 9504703 | 16 | 50.01 | 49.99 | 3.24 |
| 1960 | 8105440 | 14 | 49.85 | 50.15 | 3.04 |
| 1955 | 6979931 | 12 | 49.73 | 50.27 | 2.81 |
| 1950 | 6076758 | 10 | 49.57 | 50.43 | 0.00 |
Population forecast
Noticeable improvement in life expectancy. If in 2006 the average level was 48.9 years, then in 2016 this figure increased to 59 years.
| Year |
Population total people |
Population density people per sq km |
Women % |
Men % |
Height % |
| 2020 | 53491697 | 92 | 50.30 | 49.70 | 0.00 |
| 2025 | 60063158 | 103 | 50.30 | 49.70 | 2.34 |
| 2030 | 66959993 | 115 | 50.28 | 49.72 | 2.20 |
| 2035 | 74086106 | 128 | 50.27 | 49.73 | 2.04 |
| 2040 | 81286865 | 140 | 50.26 | 49.74 | 1.87 |
| 2045 | 88434154 | 152 | 50.25 | 49.75 | 1.70 |
| 2050 | 95467137 | 164 | 50.25 | 49.75 | 1.54 |
| 2055 | 102302686 | 176 | 50.26 | 49.74 | 1.39 |
| 2060 | 108838578 | 188 | 50.27 | 49.73 | 1.25 |
| 2065 | 114980216 | 198 | 50.30 | 49.70 | 1.10 |
| 2070 | 120634465 | 208 | 50.33 | 49.67 | 0.96 |
| 2075 | 125717353 | 217 | 50.35 | 49.65 | 0.83 |
| 2080 | 130208287 | 224 | 50.38 | 49.62 | 0.70 |
| 2085 | 134106797 | 231 | 50.41 | 49.59 | 0.59 |
| 2090 | 137384135 | 237 | 50.44 | 49.56 | 0.48 |
| 2095 | 140049179 | 241 | 50.47 | 49.53 | 0.38 |
Economy of Kenya
You can devote a separate article to get acquainted with what the population of Kenya is doing. Despite the fact that the country is the largest and most developedeconomy in East and Central Africa, its human development indicator (HDI) is only 0.555, ranking 146 out of 186 in the world. Agriculture, with its extremely weak development, provides employment for 75% of the working population of the country, being the second largest contributor to Kenya's gross domestic product (GDP) after the service sector. The contribution of the agricultural sector is 24% of GDP, as well as 18% of wages and 50% of export earnings. The main cash crops are tea, horticultural products and coffee. They are also the main drivers of growth and the most valuable of all the types of goods exported from Kenya.
Kenya's irrigated farmland is divided into three types of owners: smallholders, centrally managed communities and large commercial entities.
The first group represents individual private owners (farmers) who use irrigation on small areas, on average 1-4 thousand square meters. m. There are about 3000 of them in the country, they cover an area of about 47 thousand hectares.
The second group includes seven communities that are managed by the National Irrigation Board and cultivate an area of 18,200 hectares, which is 18% of all irrigated land in Kenya.
Third group - large private commercial farms, which occupy 45 thousand hectares, which is 40% of irrigated land. They use high technology and produce high value crops for the export market, especially flowers and vegetables.
Kenya is the world's third largest exporter of cut flowers. Approximately half of the 127Kenya's flower farms are centered around Lake Naivasha, 90 km northwest of Nairobi. To speed up their export, there is a terminal at the airport of the capital that serves only suppliers of flowers and vegetables.
In the east of Kenya, on the coast of the Indian Ocean, there are some of the best beaches in Africa. A diverse natural landscape (plateaus and peaks, deserts and savannas, the Indian Ocean and the Great Lakes), rich fauna (lions, elephants, cheetahs, rhinos and hippos) have become a prerequisite for the fact that tourism has become an important factor in Kenya's economy.
The service sector contributes 61% of GDP, with tourism dominating. Since the beginning of independence, the tourism sector has shown steady growth for many years, and by the end of the 1980s it became a guaranteed way to earn currency for the country, thanks to foreign tourists and travelers.
Most vacationers come from Germany and the UK, they are attracted mainly by coastal beaches and nature reserves. Tourism is currently Kenya's largest source of foreign exchange, followed by cut flowers, tea products and coffee.
With all the pace of economic development, industrial production still accounts for only 14% of GDP and is concentrated around the three largest urban centers - Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu. Food industries such as grain processing, beer production and sugar cane processing dominate, as well as consumer goods production, and cement is also established.
At the end of 2016, GDP per capita in Kenya rose to a record for this country 1143.10 US dollars, which is 9 percent of the world average. At the same time, GDP has a steady upward trend.
Very favorable geographical position, rich natural world, colossal human potential - all these factors create convincing preconditions for the leading position of the Republic of Kenya on the entire African continent in the near future.
