Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Kenya
Kenya: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 16.35 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Kenya, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 16.35 million for population of compulsory school age, both sexes in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Kenya peaked at 16.35 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6.76 million, in 1998.
That places Kenya 14th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6.76 million | — |
| 1999 | 6.88 million | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 7.00 million | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 7.11 million | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 7.22 million | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 7.35 million | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 7.49 million | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 7.65 million | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 7.84 million | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 8.05 million | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 8.30 million | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 8.56 million | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 8.82 million | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 9.09 million | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 9.35 million | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 13.57 million | +45.1% |
| 2014 | 13.94 million | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 14.31 million | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 14.66 million | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 15.02 million | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 15.31 million | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 15.53 million | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 15.73 million | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 15.91 million | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 16.05 million | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 16.18 million | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 16.28 million | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 16.35 million | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.82 million | 6.76 million | 6.88 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.66 million | 7.00 million | 8.56 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.96 million | 8.82 million | 15.53 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.08 million | 15.73 million | 16.35 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More education data for Kenya
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 23.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 170,289 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 135,124 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 273,073 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 29.97 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 338,073 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 19.07 % change on previous year (2024)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Kenya?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Kenya was 16.35 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 16.35 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.76 million in 1998.
- How does Kenya rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- Kenya ranks 14th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. 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 Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release