In 2024, 7.8 percent of Kenya’s population lived below 2.15 U.S. dollars per day. This meant that over 8.9 million Kenyans were in extreme poverty, most of whom were in rural areas. Over 7.8 million Kenyans in rural communities lived on less than 1.90 U.S. dollars daily, an amount 6.5 times higher than that recorded in urban regions. Nevertheless, the poverty incidence has declined compared to 2020. That year, businesses closed, unemployment increased, and food prices soared due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Consequently, the country witnessed higher levels of impoverishment, although improvements were already visible in 2021. Overall, the poverty rate in Kenya is expected to decline to 14 percent by 2025.

Poverty triggers food insecurity

Reducing poverty in Kenya puts the country on the way to enhancing food security. As of November 2021, 7.9 million Kenyans lacked sufficient food for consumption. That corresponded to 15.4 percent of the country's population. Also, in 2021, over one-quarter of Kenyan children under five years suffered from chronic malnutrition, a growth failure resulting from a lack of adequate nutrients over a long period. Another 4.2 percent of the children were affected by acute malnutrition, which concerns a rapid deterioration in the nutritional status over a short period.

A country where prosperity and poverty walk side by side

The poverty incidence in Kenya contrasts with the country's economic development. In 2021, Kenya ranked among the ten highest GDPs in Africa, at almost 116 billion U.S. dollars. Moreover, its gross national income per capita has increased to 2,170 U.S. dollars over the last 10 years, a growth of above 100 percent. Generally, while poverty decreased in the country during the same period, Kenya still seems to be far from reaching the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030.

In 2024, around 26 percent of the population in Kenya lived in extreme poverty, the majority in rural areas. Those living on less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day in rural regions added up to around 12.1 million, while around 1.9 million extremely poor people resided in urban areas. During the period observed, the poverty incidence in Kenya peaked in 2022, likely due to the disruption to the country's economy caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Kenya KE: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data was reported at 36.100 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 46.800 % for 2005. Kenya KE: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 41.450 % from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2015, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 46.800 % in 2005 and a record low of 36.100 % in 2015. Kenya KE: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank.WDI: Poverty. National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty lines. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.; ; World Bank, Global Poverty Working Group. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines.; ; This series only includes estimates that to the best of our knowledge are reasonably comparable over time for a country. Due to differences in estimation methodologies and poverty lines, estimates should not be compared across countries.

The poverty rate in Kenya as of 2020 was estimated at 41.9 percent, interrupting a downward trend observed in previous years. In 2019, the poverty headcount ratio was calculated at 28.9 percent, the lowest level within the observed period, considering the national poverty line. According to the source, diminishing the poverty situation in Kenya suffered a setback due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

This dataset contains information on County poverty rates estimates which is based on Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey ( KIHBS) data for Constituencies in 2005/6

Kenya poverty rate for 2021 was 91.30%, a 0.3% increase from 2020.

• Kenya poverty rate for 2020 was 91.00%, a 5.3% increase from 2015.
• Kenya poverty rate for 2015 was 85.70%, a 1.7% decline from 2005.
• Kenya poverty rate for 2005 was 87.40%, a 5.3% increase from 1997.

Kenya KE: Poverty Gap at $6.85 a Day: 2017 PPP: % data was reported at 48.000 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 51.900 % for 2005. Kenya KE: Poverty Gap at $6.85 a Day: 2017 PPP: % data is updated yearly, averaging 44.900 % from Dec 1992 (Median) to 2015, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 51.900 % in 2005 and a record low of 41.100 % in 1992. Kenya KE: Poverty Gap at $6.85 a Day: 2017 PPP: % data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Poverty gap at $6.85 a day (2017 PPP) is the mean shortfall in income or consumption from the poverty line $6.85 a day (counting the nonpoor as having zero shortfall), expressed as a percentage of the poverty line. This measure reflects the depth of poverty as well as its incidence.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

Kenya’s population has nearly tripled in the last 35 years, from 16.3 million in 1980 to about 47 million today yet majority of the population are below the poverty line. poverty in Kenya is a widespread problem concentrated in the rural areas. This data set shows poverty rates within the Kenyan counties.

As of 2021, over 7.8 million people in Kenya lived in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at 1.90 U.S. dollars a day. The number of poor people in the country fluctuated in recent years, following an overall descending trend. In 2016, there were nearly nine million Kenyans in extreme poverty. The number is expected to decline to some six million people in 2025. Increases in the number of poor inhabitants in 2020 and 2021 are possibly related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Kenya KE: Increase in Poverty Gap at $3.20: Poverty Line Due To Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP: % of Poverty Line data was reported at 1.139 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.015 % for 2005. Kenya KE: Increase in Poverty Gap at $3.20: Poverty Line Due To Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP: % of Poverty Line data is updated yearly, averaging 1.032 % from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2015, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.139 % in 2015 and a record low of 1.015 % in 2005. Kenya KE: Increase in Poverty Gap at $3.20: Poverty Line Due To Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP: % of Poverty Line data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank.WDI: Poverty. Increase in poverty gap at $3.20 ($ 2011 PPP) poverty line due to out-of-pocket health care expenditure, as a percentage of the $3.20 poverty line. The poverty gap increase due to out-of-pocket health spending is one way to measure how much out-of-pocket health spending pushes people below or further below the poverty line (the difference in the poverty gap due to out-of-pocket health spending being included or excluded from the measure of household welfare). This difference corresponds to the total out-of-pocket health spending for households that are already below the poverty line, to the amount that exceeds the shortfall between the poverty line and total consumption for households that are impoverished by out-of-pocket health spending and to zero for households whose consumption is above the poverty line after accounting for out-of-pocket health spending.; ; World Health Organization and World Bank. 2019. Global Monitoring Report on Financial Protection in Health 2019.; Weighted average;

Contains data from the World Bank's data portal. There is also a consolidated country dataset on HDX.

For countries with an active poverty monitoring program, the World Bank—in collaboration with national institutions, other development agencies, and civil society—regularly conducts analytical work to assess the extent and causes of poverty and inequality, examine the impact of growth and public policy, and review household survey data and measurement methods. Data here includes poverty and inequality measures generated from analytical reports, from national poverty monitoring programs, and from the World Bank’s Development Research Group which has been producing internationally comparable and global poverty estimates and lines since 1990.

Poverty rate, poverty gap, poverty density and amount of Kenyan Shillings (per month per square kilometer) to close the poverty gap for Constituencies in eastern Kenya in 1999.

Kenya KE: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $2.15 a Day: 2017 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 36.100 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 35.000 % for 2020. Kenya KE: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $2.15 a Day: 2017 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 29.400 % from Dec 1992 (Median) to 2021, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 36.700 % in 2005 and a record low of 25.400 % in 1997. Kenya KE: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $2.15 a Day: 2017 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Poverty headcount ratio at $2.15 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $2.15 a day at 2017 purchasing power adjusted prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

This dataset shows the Poverty rate, poverty gap, poverty density and the percentage of poor housing at Location level in Kenya in 1999. This dataset was originally collected by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics

The national food poverty rate in Kenya was close to 32 percent as of 2022. Urban areas within the country experienced lower occurrences of food poverty, with just under 29 percent, whereas rural areas had slightly more than 33 percent

As of 2022, over nine million people in Kenya are living in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at 1.90 U.S. dollars a day. This accounts for 18.1 percent of the total population. The number of poor people in the country fluctuated in recent years, following an overall descending trend. In 2016, 20.7 percent of the Kenyan population were in extreme poverty. The number is expected to decline to under seven million people in 2030. Increases in the number of poor inhabitants in 2020 and 2021 are possibly related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Chart shows the percent of population and number of poor below the Kenya poverty line of Ksh 1,562 per month in rural areas; and Ksh 2,913 in urban areas per per person per month; based on estimated expenditures on minimum provisions of food and non-food items.

In 2025, nearly 11.7 percent of the world population in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at 2.15 U.S. dollars a day, lived in Nigeria. Moreover, the Democratic Republic of the Congo accounted for around 11.7 percent of the global population in extreme poverty. Other African nations with a large poor population were Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar. Poverty levels remain high despite the forecast decline Poverty is a widespread issue across Africa. Around 429 million people on the continent were living below the extreme poverty line of 2.15 U.S. dollars a day in 2024. Since the continent had approximately 1.4 billion inhabitants, roughly a third of Africa’s population was in extreme poverty that year. Mozambique, Malawi, Central African Republic, and Niger had Africa’s highest extreme poverty rates based on the 2.15 U.S. dollars per day extreme poverty indicator (updated from 1.90 U.S. dollars in September 2022). Although the levels of poverty on the continent are forecast to decrease in the coming years, Africa will remain the poorest region compared to the rest of the world. Prevalence of poverty and malnutrition across Africa Multiple factors are linked to increased poverty. Regions with critical situations of employment, education, health, nutrition, war, and conflict usually have larger poor populations. Consequently, poverty tends to be more prevalent in least-developed and developing countries worldwide. For similar reasons, rural households also face higher poverty levels. In 2024, the extreme poverty rate in Africa stood at around 45 percent among the rural population, compared to seven percent in urban areas. Together with poverty, malnutrition is also widespread in Africa. Limited access to food leads to low health conditions, increasing the poverty risk. At the same time, poverty can determine inadequate nutrition. Almost 38.3 percent of the global undernourished population lived in Africa in 2022.

Kenya Survey Mean Consumption or Income per Capita: Bottom 40% of Population: Annualized Average Growth Rate data was reported at -1.180 % in 2021. Kenya Survey Mean Consumption or Income per Capita: Bottom 40% of Population: Annualized Average Growth Rate data is updated yearly, averaging -1.180 % from Dec 2021 (Median) to 2021, with 1 observations. The data reached an all-time high of -1.180 % in 2021 and a record low of -1.180 % in 2021. Kenya Survey Mean Consumption or Income per Capita: Bottom 40% of Population: Annualized Average Growth Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. The growth rate in the welfare aggregate of the bottom 40% is computed as the annualized average growth rate in per capita real consumption or income of the bottom 40% of the population in the income distribution in a country from household surveys over a roughly 5-year period. Mean per capita real consumption or income is measured at 2017 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries means are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The annualized growth rate is computed as (Mean in final year/Mean in initial year)^(1/(Final year - Initial year)) - 1. The reference year is the year in which the underlying household survey data was collected. In cases for which the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the first year in which data were collected is reported. The initial year refers to the nearest survey collected 5 years before the most recent survey available, only surveys collected between 3 and 7 years before the most recent survey are considered. The coverage and quality of the 2017 PPP price data for Iraq and most other North African and Middle Eastern countries were hindered by the exceptional period of instability they faced at the time of the 2017 exercise of the International Comparison Program. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform for detailed explanations.;World Bank, Global Database of Shared Prosperity (GDSP) (http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-database-of-shared-prosperity).;;The comparability of welfare aggregates (consumption or income) for the chosen years T0 and T1 is assessed for every country. If comparability across the two surveys is a major concern for a country, the selection criteria are re-applied to select the next best survey year(s). Annualized growth rates are calculated between the survey years, using a compound growth formula. The survey years defining the period for which growth rates are calculated and the type of welfare aggregate used to calculate the growth rates are noted in the footnotes.

Abstract

The World Bank is interested in gauging the views of clients and partners who are either involved in development in Kenya or who observe activities related to social and economic development. The World Bank Country Assessment Survey is meant to give the World Bank's team that works in Kenya, greater insight into how the Bank's work is perceived. This is one tool the World Bank uses to assess the views of its critical stakeholders. With this understanding, the World Bank hopes to develop more effective strategies, outreach and programs that support development in Kenya. The World Bank commissioned an independent firm to oversee the logistics of this effort in Kenya.

The survey was designed to achieve the following objectives: - Assist the World Bank in gaining a better understanding of how stakeholders in Kenya perceive the Bank; - Obtain systematic feedback from stakeholders in Kenya regarding: · Their views regarding the general environment in Kenya; · Their overall attitudes toward the World Bank in Kenya; · Overall impressions of the World Bank's effectiveness and results, knowledge and research, and communication and information sharing in Kenya; and · Perceptions of the World Bank's future role in Kenya. - Use data to help inform the Kenya country team's strategy.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

Stakeholder

Universe

Stakeholders of the World Bank in Kenya

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

In April-June 2012, 600 stakeholders of the World Bank in Kenya were invited to provide their opinions on the Bank's assistance to the country by participating in a country survey. Participants in the survey were drawn from among the office of the President, Prime Minister; the office of a Minister; the office of a Parliamentarian; employees of a ministry, ministerial department, or implementation agency; consultants/contractors working on World Bank-supported projects/programs; project management units (PMUs) overseeing implementation of a project; local government officials or staff; bilateral agencies; multilateral agencies; private sector organizations; private foundations; the financial sector/private banks; NGOs; community-based organizations (CBOs); the media; independent government institutions; trade unions; faith-based groups; academia/research institutes/think tanks; and the judiciary branch.

Mode of data collection

Mail Questionnaire [mail]

Research instrument

The Questionnaire consists of 8 Sections:

A. General Issues facing Kenya: Respondents were asked to indicate whether Kenya is headed in the right direction, what they thought were the top three most important development priorities, and which areas would contribute most to reducing poverty and generating economic growth in Kenya.

B. Overall Attitudes toward the World Bank: Respondents were asked to rate their familiarity with the World Bank, the Bank's effectiveness in Kenya, Bank staff preparedness, the extent to which the Bank should seek to influence the global development agenda, their agreement with various statements regarding the Bank's work, and the extent to which the Bank is an effective development partner. Respondents were also asked to indicate the sectoral areas on which it would be most productive for the Bank to focus its resources, the Bank's greatest values and greatest weaknesses in its work, the most and least effective instruments in helping to reduce poverty in Kenya, with which groups the Bank should collaborate more, and to what reasons respondents attributed failed or slow reform efforts.

C. World Bank Effectiveness and Results: Respondents were asked to rate the extent to which the Bank's work helps achieve development results in Kenya, the extent to which the Bank meets Kenya's need for knowledge services and financial instruments, and the Bank's level of effectiveness across thirty-five development areas, such as poverty reduction, economic growth, governance, an others.

D. The World Bank's Knowledge: Respondents were asked to indicate how frequently they consult Bank knowledge/research, the areas on which the Bank should focus its research efforts, and to rate the effectiveness and quality of the Bank's knowledge/research, including how significant of a contribution it makes to development results, its technical quality, the Bank's effectiveness at providing linkage to non-Bank expertise, and the extent to which Kenya received value for money from the Bank's fee-for-service products.

E. Working with the World Bank: Respondents were asked to rate their level of agreement with a series of statements regarding working with the Bank, such as the World Bank's "Safeguard Policy" requirements being reasonable, the Bank imposing reasonable conditions on its lending, disbursing funds promptly, increasing Kenya's institutional capacity, and providing effective implementation support.

F. The Future Role of the World Bank in Kenya: Respondents were asked to rate how significant a role the Bank should play in Kenya's development in the near future and to indicate what the Bank should do to make itself of greater value in Kenya.

G. Communication and Information Sharing: Respondents were asked to indicate where they get information about economic and social development issues, how they prefer to receive information from the Bank, and their usage and evaluation of the Bank's websites. Respondents were asked about their awareness of the Bank's Access to Information policy, past information requests from the Bank, and their level of agreement that they use more data from the World Bank as a result of the Bank's Open Data policy. Respondents were also asked their level of agreement that they know how to find information from the Bank and that the Bank is responsive to information requests.

H. Background Information: Respondents were asked to indicate their current position, specialization, whether they professionally collaborate with the World Bank, their exposure to the Bank in Kenya, and their geographic location.

Response rate

A total of 373 stakeholders participated in the country survey (62% response rate).