Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Kenya
Kenya: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 98.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Kenya, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Kenya stood at 98.2%.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Kenya peaked at 118.2% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 60.3%, in 1970.
That places Kenya 130th out of 217 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 60.3% | — |
| 1971 | 61.7% | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 65.2% | +5.7% |
| 1973 | 67.9% | +4.1% |
| 1974 | 100.3% | +47.7% |
| 1975 | 102.9% | +2.6% |
| 1976 | 99.2% | -3.6% |
| 1977 | 98.9% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 95.6% | -3.4% |
| 1979 | 115.6% | +20.9% |
| 1980 | 117.3% | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 115.1% | -1.9% |
| 1982 | 117.9% | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 118.2% | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 114.5% | -3.2% |
| 1985 | 109.8% | -4.1% |
| 1986 | 109.9% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 109.7% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 108.0% | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 108.9% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 105.3% | -3.3% |
| 1991 | 103.0% | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 101.5% | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 100.4% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 96.3% | -4.1% |
| 1995 | 93.3% | -3.1% |
| 1998 | 92.9% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 90.7% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 94.3% | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 95.2% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 89.2% | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 103.9% | +16.4% |
| 2004 | 103.7% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 103.6% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 101.2% | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 107.6% | +6.3% |
| 2008 | 107.1% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 107.9% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 111.4% | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 107.1% | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 104.8% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 104.1% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 102.0% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 99.8% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 77.5% | -22.3% |
| 2020 | 92.0% | +18.6% |
| 2021 | 93.8% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 98.6% | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 98.2% | -0.3% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 98.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 102.7%, 96% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 98.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 98% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates 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 | +47.7% | 67.9% | 100.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 86.8% | 60.3% | 115.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 112.9% | 108.0% | 118.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 97.9% | 90.7% | 105.3% | 8 |
| 2000s | 101.4% | 89.2% | 107.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 101.0% | 77.5% | 111.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 95.6% | 92.0% | 98.6% | 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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Kenya?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Kenya was 98.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 118.2% in 1983.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.3% in 1970.
- How does Kenya rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Kenya ranks 130th out of 217 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.