Number of people living in extreme poverty in Kenya
Kenya: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 29.97 million people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Kenya, 1992–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 29.97 million people for number of people living in extreme poverty in 2022. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
The figure is up 5.2% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in Kenya peaked at 29.97 million people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 16.57 million people, in 1992.
That places Kenya 34th out of 120 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Kenya, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 16.57 million people | — |
| 1994 | 17.58 million people | +6.1% |
| 1997 | 18.95 million people | +7.7% |
| 2005 | 20.08 million people | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 29.80 million people | +48.4% |
| 2020 | 29.02 million people | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 28.50 million people | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 29.97 million people | +5.2% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 29.97 million people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.39 million people, 2.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 29.97 million people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.66 million people, 2.8× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.70 million people | 16.57 million people | 18.95 million people | 3 |
| 2000s | 20.08 million people | 20.08 million people | 20.08 million people | 1 |
| 2010s | 29.80 million people | 29.80 million people | 29.80 million people | 1 |
| 2020s | 29.16 million people | 28.50 million people | 29.97 million people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More poverty & inequality data for Kenya
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 3 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 3.21 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 1,758 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 18.96 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 16.07 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 16.1% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in Kenya?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in Kenya was 29.97 million people in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 29.97 million people in 2022.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.57 million people in 1992.
- How does Kenya rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Kenya ranks 34th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.