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Demographics of Kenya

 

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Demographics of Kenya



 
 
This article is about the demographic
Demographics

Demographic or demographic data refers to selected population characteristics as used in government, marketing or opinion research, or the demographic profiles used in such research....
 features of the population
Population

File:Population density.pngIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings....
 of Kenya
Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the northeast, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan to the northwest, with the Indian Ocean running along the southeast border....
, including population density
Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans....
, ethnicity
Ethnic group

An ethnic group is a group of humans whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage that is real or presumed.Ethnic identity is further marked by the recognition from others of a group's distinctiveness and the recognition of common culture, linguistic, religion, human behaviour or Race traits, real or presumed, as indic...
, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Kenya
Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the northeast, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan to the northwest, with the Indian Ocean running along the southeast border....
 has a very diverse population that includes most major ethnic and linguistic groups of Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
.






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Encyclopedia


This article is about the demographic
Demographics

Demographic or demographic data refers to selected population characteristics as used in government, marketing or opinion research, or the demographic profiles used in such research....
 features of the population
Population

File:Population density.pngIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings....
 of Kenya
Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the northeast, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan to the northwest, with the Indian Ocean running along the southeast border....
, including population density
Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans....
, ethnicity
Ethnic group

An ethnic group is a group of humans whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage that is real or presumed.Ethnic identity is further marked by the recognition from others of a group's distinctiveness and the recognition of common culture, linguistic, religion, human behaviour or Race traits, real or presumed, as indic...
, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Kenyan Man
Kenya
Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the northeast, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan to the northwest, with the Indian Ocean running along the southeast border....
 has a very diverse population that includes most major ethnic and linguistic groups of Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
. Traditional pastoralists, rural farmers, Muslim
Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
s, Christian
Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
s, and urban residents of Nairobi and other cities contribute to the cosmopolitan culture. The standard of living
Standard of living

The standard of living refers to the quality and quantity of goods and services available to people, and the way these goods and services are distributed within a population....
 in major cities, once relatively high compared to much of Sub-Saharan Africa, has been declining in recent years. Most city workers retain links with their rural, extended families and leave the city periodically to help work on the family farm. About 75 % of the work force is engaged in agriculture, mainly as subsistence farmers. The national motto of Kenya is Harambee, meaning "pull together." In that spirit, volunteers in hundreds of communities build schools, clinics, and other facilities each year and collect funds to send students abroad.

The seven state universities enroll about 40,000 students, representing some 25 % of the Kenyan students who qualify for admission.

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics


The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Population


34,707,817
note: estimates for this country, explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS
AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the HIV ....
; this can result in lower life expectancy
Life expectancy

Life expectancy is the average number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is the average expected lifespan of an individual. Life expectancy is heavily dependent on the criteria used to select the group....
, higher infant mortality
Infant mortality

Infant mortality is defined as the number of deaths of infants per 1000 live births. The most common cause of infant mortality worldwide has traditionally been dehydration from diarrhea....
 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)

Age structure


0-14 years: 42.6 % (male 7,454,765; female 7,322,130)
15-64 years: 55.1 % (male 9,631,488; female 9,508,068)
65 years and over: 2.3 % (male 359,354; female 432,012) (2006 est.)

Population growth rate

2.57 % (2006 est.)

Birth rate

39.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate

14.02 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: according to the UNHCR, by the end of 2005 Kenya was host to 233,778 refugees from neighbouring countries, including Somalia
Somalia

Somalia , officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa....
 153,627, Sudan
Sudan

Sudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest in the African continent and the Arab World, and List of countries and outlying territories by total area by area....
 67,556, Ethiopia
Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast....
 12,595 (2006 est.)

Sex ratio


at birth:

1.02 male(s)/female
under 16 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate

59.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Malnourished population


32 %

Life expectancy at birth


total population: 48.93 years
male: 49.78 years
female: 48.07 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.91 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Nationality


noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan

Ethnic groups

See also List of tribes of Kenya
List of tribes of Kenya

There are around forty indigenous tribes or ethnic groups in Kenya, including:...


Major groups
  • Kikuyu
    Kikuyu

    The Kikuyu are Kenya's most populous ethnic group. 'Kikuyu' is the anglicised form of the proper name and pronunciation of Gikuyu although they refer to themselves as the Agikuyu people....
     (Agikuyu) 20.78 %
  • Luhya
    Luhya

    The Luhya are the second largest ethnic group in Kenya, numbering about 5.3 million people, or 14% of Kenya's total population of 38 million, according to kenyaweb.com....
     14.38 %
  • Luo
    Luo (Kenya and Tanzania)

    The Luo are an ethnic group in Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania. They are part of a larger group of ethnolinguistically related Luo who inhabit an area including southern Sudan, northern and eastern Uganda, western Kenya, and northern Tanzania....
     12.38 %
  • Kalenjin
    Kalenjin

    Kalenjin is an ethnic group of Nilotic origin living in the Great Rift Valley in western Kenya. The Kalenjin population is estimated at roughly 3 million....
     11.46 %
  • Kamba
    Kamba

    The Kamba are a Bantu peoples ethnic group who live in the semi-arid Eastern Province, Kenya of Kenya stretching east from Nairobi to Tsavo and north up to Embu, Kenya....
     11.42 %
  • Kisii
    Kisii people

    Kisii Kisii, Kenya - known as Bosongo by the locals - is located in Nyanza Province to the southwest of Kenya and is home to the Gusii people. The name Bosongo is believed to have originated from Abasongo who lived in the town during the colonial times....
     6.15 %
  • Ameru
    Ameru

    The Ameru tribe inhabits the Meru region of Kenya. They speak the Meru language....
     (Meru) 5.07 %
  • Maasai
    Maasai

    The Maasai are an Indigenous peoples African ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. Due to their distinctive customs and dress and residence near the many game parks of East Africa, they are among the most well-known African ethnic groups internationally....
     1.76 %
  • Turkana
    Turkana people

    The Turkana are a Nilotic people of Kenya, numbering about 340,000. They inhabit the Turkana District in northwest Kenya, a dry and hot region bordering Lake Turkana in the east....
     1.52 %
  • Embu
    Embu people

    The Embu inhabit Embu District in Kenya. To the south of Embu are to be found their cousins, the Mbeere people, in Mbeere District. Previously, the Embu and Mbeere were in one district, Embu District, and just referred to as the Embu people....
     1.20 %
  • Taita
    Taita (tribe)

    The Taita tribe is a Kenyan tribe that is located in the Taita-Taveta District. They speak Taita which belongs to the Bantu languages. The West-Bantu moved to the area of the Taita-Taveta District first approximately in 1000-1300 A.D....
     0.95 %
  • Swahili
    Swahili people

    The Swahili are a people and culture found on the coast of East Africa, mainly the coastal regions and the islands of Kenya and Tanzania, and north Mozambique....
     0.60 %
  • Samburu
    Samburu

    The Samburu are an ethnic group in north central Kenya that are related to but distinct from the Maasai. The Samburu are semi-nomadic pastoralists who herd mainly cattle but also keep sheep, goats and camels....
     0.50 %
The percentage indicates the tribe's proportion of the population of Kenya.

Other Groups
  • Aweer
    Aweer

    The Aweer are a distinct hunter-gatherer-culture and indigenous people in East Africa . These are the famous indigenous hunters in the hinterland of Lamu, who are often called by the derogatory term "Boni"....
  • Bajuni
    Bajuni people

    The Bajuni people are an ethnic group that live on the coastal regions of East Africa, primarily the shores of Kenya. While they are traditionally sailors or fishermen, some also pursue other trades such as farming....
  • Bukusu
    Bukusu people

    The Bukusu are one of the seventeen Kenyan sub-tribes of the Luhya Bantu languages language and cultural group of East Africa. Calling themselves 'BaBukusu', they are the largest single ethnic unit among the Luhya nation, making up about 17% of the whole Luhya population....
    , ([Luhya] sub-tribe)
  • Dahalo
  • Idakho
    Idakho

    'THE IDAKHO PEOPLE' October 2008The Idakho, are a Luhya sub-group that reside primarily in the fertile Kakamega District, Western Kenya....
    , (Luhya
    Luhya

    The Luhya are the second largest ethnic group in Kenya, numbering about 5.3 million people, or 14% of Kenya's total population of 38 million, according to kenyaweb.com....
     sub-tribe)
  • Isukha, (Luhya
    Luhya

    The Luhya are the second largest ethnic group in Kenya, numbering about 5.3 million people, or 14% of Kenya's total population of 38 million, according to kenyaweb.com....
     sub-tribe)
  • Kore
    Kore people

    The Kore of Lamu are a small people living on Lamu Island on the northern Kenya coast. In 1985 they numbered between 200 and 250 . Their history before 1870 lies with the other Maa peoples in central Kenya....
  • Kuria
    Kuria (ethnic group)

    The Kuria are an ethnic and linguistic group resident in the Tarime and Serengeti districts of the Mara, Tanzania region in Northern Tanzania, and the west and east districts of Nyanza Province in southwest Kenya....
  • Maragoli
    Maragoli

    Maragoli refers to a region in western Kenya occupied by Avalogoli , a sub-ethnic group of the larger, 6 million-strong Luhya nation in Kenya. The language the speak is Llogoli, Urulogoli or Maragoli....
    , (Luhya
    Luhya

    The Luhya are the second largest ethnic group in Kenya, numbering about 5.3 million people, or 14% of Kenya's total population of 38 million, according to kenyaweb.com....
     sub-tribe)
  • Marama
  • Miji Kenda
  • Ogiek
  • Orma (Oromo)
  • Pokomo
    Pokomo

    The Pokomo are an ethnic group of Kenya, who are predominantly agriculturalists living along the Tana River in the Tana River District. They speak a language of the Niger-Congo group....
  • Rendille
    Rendille

    The Rendille are an ethnic group inhabiting the Kaisut Desert of Kenya. They are often referred to as "the holders of the stick of God".They are nomadic pastoralists who roam with their camels across about 16,000 square kilometers of Northern Kenya....
  • Sengwer
  • Suba
    Suba (Kenya)

    The Suba are a people in Kenya who speak the Suba language. Their population is estimated at under 30,000, making them one of the country's smallest tribes....
  • Tachoni
  • Taveta
    Taveta

    Taveta is the name of a tribe of East Africa, the name of the principal town in the land of the Taveta people, and also the name of the surrounding subdistrict of Kenya....
  • Watha
    Watha

    *Watha, distinct Indigenous Peoples of hunter-gatherer-culture in East Africa - these are the famous "elephant people", described by Heyne, Julian Bauer, Mohammed Amin, Ian Parker et....
  • Yiaku (Yaaku
    Yaaku

    The Yiaku are a people living in the Mukogodo forest west of Mount Kenya, a division of the Laikipia District Kenya of Rift Valley Province, Kenya....
    )


Other non-Kenya
Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the northeast, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan to the northwest, with the Indian Ocean running along the southeast border....
n ethnic groups resident in Kenya for many generations are:
  • Oromos
  • Somalis
    Somali people

    Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic languages subgroup of the Afro-Asiatic languages language family....
  • Gujaratis
    Gujarati people

    Gujarati people , or Gujaratis, is an umbrella term used to describe traditionally Gujarati language-speaking people who can trace their ancestry to the state of Gujarat in India....
    , Baluch
    Baluch

    Baluch may refer to:*The Baloch people and Balochistan region of South Asia and southwest Asia Asia.*Nargis Baluch, Pakistani newspaper editor...
    s, Punjabis
    Punjabi people

    The Punjabi people are an Indo-Aryans ethnic group from South Asia . They originate from the Punjab region, which has been host to some of the oldest civilizations in the world including one of the world's first and oldest civilizations, Indus Valley Civilization....
     and Goans
    Goans

    Goan is the demonym used to describe the people of the India of Goa. "Goanese" is an incorrect usage for the same, and is considered offensive by some....
     from India,
  • Britons and Europeans
    Whites in Kenya

    Whites in Kenya are a minor but relatively prominent group in Kenya, who are mainly descendants of Britons who settled settled the country during the colonial era....
     (45,000)
  • Oman
    Oman

    Oman , officially the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab country in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders the United Arab Emirates on the northwest, Saudi Arabia on the west and Yemen on the southwest....
    i Arab
    Arab

    An Arab is a person who Identity as such on linguistic or cultural grounds. The plural form, Arabs , refers to the Ethnocultural group at large....
    s


Religions

Protestant
Protestantism

Protestantism is a movement within Christianity that originated in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be one of the three principal traditions of Christianity, together with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy....
 45 %, Roman Catholic 33 %, indigenous beliefs 10 %, Muslim
Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
 10 %, Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith

The 'Bah?'? Faith' is a monotheism religion founded by Bah?'u'll?h in nineteenth-century Persian Empire#Persia and Europe , emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind....
 about 1% Buddhism
Buddhism

Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices considered by most to be a religionand is based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as "The Buddha" , who was born in what is today Nepal....
 0.3 %, other 2 %
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely

Languages

English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 (official), Swahili
Swahili language

Swahili is the first language of the Swahili people , who inhabit several large stretches of the Indian Ocean coastline from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique, including the Comoros Islands....
 (national), numerous indigenous languages

Literacy


definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.1 %
male: 90.6 %
female: 79.7 % (2003 est.)

External links

  • , report by Minority Rights Group, 2005