Enrolment in primary education, female (number) (primary female) in Kenya
Kenya: Enrolment in primary education, female (number) (primary female) was 3.93 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Enrolment in primary education, female in Kenya, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, enrolment in primary education, female in Kenya stood at 3.93 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in primary education, female in Kenya peaked at 4.14 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 537,195, in 1970.
That places Kenya 18th out of 216 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Enrolment in primary education, female (number) (primary female) in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 537,195 | — |
| 1971 | 585,206 | +8.9% |
| 1972 | 652,285 | +11.5% |
| 1973 | 718,736 | +10.2% |
| 1974 | 1.13 million | +57.7% |
| 1975 | 1.23 million | +8.5% |
| 1976 | 1.24 million | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 1.29 million | +3.8% |
| 1978 | 1.29 million | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 1.63 million | +25.8% |
| 1980 | 1.71 million | +5.4% |
| 1981 | 1.74 million | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 1.85 million | +5.9% |
| 1983 | 1.91 million | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 1.91 million | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 1.89 million | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 1.95 million | +3.0% |
| 1987 | 2.01 million | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 2.06 million | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 2.14 million | +4.0% |
| 1990 | 2.15 million | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 2.18 million | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 2.21 million | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 2.27 million | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 2.25 million | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 2.24 million | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 2.38 million | +6.2% |
| 1999 | 2.34 million | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 2.49 million | +6.0% |
| 2001 | 2.54 million | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 2.38 million | -6.3% |
| 2003 | 2.82 million | +18.7% |
| 2004 | 2.86 million | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 2.96 million | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 2.99 million | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 3.30 million | +10.3% |
| 2008 | 3.38 million | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 3.52 million | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 4.01 million | +14.2% |
| 2014 | 3.85 million | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 3.88 million | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 3.93 million | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 4.14 million | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 4.01 million | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 3.13 million | -21.9% |
| 2020 | 3.71 million | +18.2% |
| 2021 | 3.76 million | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 3.93 million | +4.5% |
| 2023 | 3.93 million | -0.2% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 3.93 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 812,339, 4.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 3.93 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.26 million, 3.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Enrolment in primary education, female (number) (primary female) in Kenya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | +57.7% | 718,736 | 1.13 million |
| 1979 | +25.8% | 1.29 million | 1.63 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.03 million | 537,195 | 1.63 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.92 million | 1.71 million | 2.14 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.25 million | 2.15 million | 2.38 million | 8 |
| 2000s | 2.92 million | 2.38 million | 3.52 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.85 million | 3.13 million | 4.14 million | 7 |
| 2020s | 3.83 million | 3.71 million | 3.93 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More education data for Kenya
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 168,396 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 235,728 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.44 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.44 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.74 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 8.04 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.7181 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1453 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in primary education, female in Kenya?
- Enrolment in primary education, female in Kenya was 3.93 million in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in primary education, female recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 4.14 million in 2017.
- What is the lowest enrolment in primary education, female recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 537,195 in 1970.
- How does Kenya rank for enrolment in primary education, female?
- Kenya ranks 18th out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
- Is enrolment in primary education, female rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. 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, female (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