Primary education, pupils in Kenya
Kenya: Primary education, pupils was 8.04 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Primary education, pupils in Kenya, 1970–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
In 2023, primary education, pupils in Kenya stood at 8.04 million.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Kenya peaked at 8.28 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1.26 million, in 1970.
Kenya ranks 18th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Primary education, pupils 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% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary education, pupils 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 | +53.7% | 1.62 million | 2.49 million |
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
More education data for Kenya
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.57 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 94.27 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in Kenya?
- Primary education, pupils in Kenya was 8.04 million in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 8.28 million in 2017.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.26 million in 1970.
- How does Kenya rank for primary education, pupils?
- Kenya ranks 18th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary education, pupils 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 Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.