Share of population living below national poverty lines in Kenya
Kenya: Share of population living below national poverty lines was 39.8% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Kenya, 1992–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 39.8% for share of population living below national poverty lines in 2022.
The figure is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living below national poverty lines in Kenya peaked at 57.2% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 36.1%, in 2015.
That places Kenya 5th out of 70 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 57.2% | — |
| 1994 | 40.3% | -29.5% |
| 1997 | 52.3% | +29.8% |
| 2005 | 46.8% | -10.5% |
| 2015 | 36.1% | -22.9% |
| 2020 | 42.9% | +18.8% |
| 2021 | 38.6% | -10.0% |
| 2022 | 39.8% | +3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.9% | 40.3% | 57.2% | 3 |
| 2000s | 46.8% | 46.8% | 46.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 36.1% | 36.1% | 36.1% | 1 |
| 2020s | 40.4% | 38.6% | 42.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 2 Malawi 50.7% compare
- 3 Guinea-Bissau 50.5% compare
- 4 Lesotho 49.7% compare
- 6 Argentina 38.1% compare
- 7 South Africa 37.9% compare
- 8 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 37.7% compare
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 share of population living below national poverty lines in Kenya?
- Share of population living below national poverty lines in Kenya was 39.8% in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 57.2% in 1992.
- What is the lowest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.1% in 2015.
- How does Kenya rank for share of population living below national poverty lines?
- Kenya ranks 5th out of 70 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of population living below national poverty lines rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living below national poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.