Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Kenya
Kenya: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 94.3% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Kenya, 1820–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children in primary school age who are in school in Kenya is 94.3%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 40.5% on the previous year and up 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Kenya peaked at 95.0% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Kenya 127th out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 2 |
| 1890s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 2 |
| 1900s | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.3% | 2 |
| 1910s | 3.6% | 3.1% | 4.1% | 2 |
| 1920s | 6.5% | 5.5% | 7.4% | 2 |
| 1930s | 10.6% | 9.8% | 11.3% | 2 |
| 1940s | 18.6% | 13.3% | 23.8% | 2 |
| 1950s | 35.7% | 34.7% | 36.8% | 2 |
| 1960s | 44.7% | 41.6% | 47.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 67.6% | 51.3% | 84.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 86.0% | 86.0% | 86.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 62.8% | 62.8% | 62.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 82.6% | 65.0% | 95.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.7% | 82.7% | 82.7% | 1 |
| 2020s | 75.0% | 63.7% | 94.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More education data for Kenya
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (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)
- School enrollment, primary 98.2% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 281,500 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 3.17 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 96.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Kenya?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Kenya was 94.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 95.0% in 2007.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Kenya rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Kenya ranks 127th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.