Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Kenya
Kenya: Enrolment in primary education, both sexes was 8.04 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
8.04 million
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
18th
of 218 countries
All-time high
8.28 million
in 2017
All-time low
1.26 million
in 1970
Years of data
49
1970–2023
Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Kenya, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 8.04 million for enrolment in primary education, both sexes in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Kenya peaked at 8.28 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1.26 million, in 1970.
Kenya ranks 18th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.26 million | — |
| 1971 | 1.35 million | +7.0% |
| 1972 | 1.49 million | +10.4% |
| 1973 | 1.62 million | +8.6% |
| 1974 | 2.49 million | +53.7% |
| 1975 | 2.65 million | +6.5% |
| 1976 | 2.65 million | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 2.74 million | +3.3% |
| 1978 | 2.74 million | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 3.42 million | +24.9% |
| 1980 | 3.58 million | +4.6% |
| 1981 | 3.61 million | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 3.81 million | +5.5% |
| 1983 | 3.94 million | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 3.93 million | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 3.88 million | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 4.01 million | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 4.14 million | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 4.21 million | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 4.39 million | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 4.39 million | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 4.44 million | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 4.51 million | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 4.61 million | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 4.56 million | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 4.54 million | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 4.83 million | +6.3% |
| 1999 | 4.78 million | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 5.03 million | +5.3% |
| 2001 | 5.15 million | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 4.90 million | -4.8% |
| 2003 | 5.81 million | +18.5% |
| 2004 | 5.93 million | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 6.08 million | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 6.10 million | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 6.69 million | +9.6% |
| 2008 | 6.87 million | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 7.15 million | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 8.05 million | +12.6% |
| 2014 | 7.86 million | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 7.92 million | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 8.02 million | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 8.28 million | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 8.21 million | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 6.41 million | -21.9% |
| 2020 | 7.61 million | +18.7% |
| 2021 | 7.75 million | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 8.10 million | +4.6% |
| 2023 | 8.04 million | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.24 million | 1.26 million | 3.42 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.95 million | 3.58 million | 4.39 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.58 million | 4.39 million | 4.83 million | 8 |
| 2000s | 5.97 million | 4.90 million | 7.15 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.82 million | 6.41 million | 8.28 million | 7 |
| 2020s | 7.88 million | 7.61 million | 8.10 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 15 Iran, Islamic Republic of 9.09 million compare
- 16 Viet Nam 8.88 million compare
- 17 Uganda 8.84 million compare
- 19 Mozambique 7.66 million compare
- 20 Russian Federation 7.55 million compare
- 21 South Africa 7.52 million compare
More education data for Kenya
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 281,500 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 60.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 36.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 98.25 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 98.2% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Kenya?
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Kenya was 8.04 million in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in primary education, both sexes recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 8.28 million in 2017.
- What is the lowest enrolment in primary education, both sexes recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.26 million in 1970.
- How does Kenya rank for enrolment in primary education, both sexes?
- Kenya ranks 18th out of 218 countries with data for 2023.
- Is enrolment in primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release