School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Kenya
Kenya: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes was 1.35 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.35 million
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
18th
of 222 countries
All-time high
1.39 million
in 2022
All-time low
308,721
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Kenya, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 1.35 million for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and up 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Kenya peaked at 1.39 million in 2022 and was at its lowest, 308,721, in 1970.
That places Kenya 18th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 308,721 | — |
| 1971 | 323,043 | +4.6% |
| 1972 | 336,874 | +4.3% |
| 1973 | 353,799 | +5.0% |
| 1974 | 370,069 | +4.6% |
| 1975 | 386,327 | +4.4% |
| 1976 | 402,520 | +4.2% |
| 1977 | 419,123 | +4.1% |
| 1978 | 435,528 | +3.9% |
| 1979 | 450,105 | +3.3% |
| 1980 | 465,265 | +3.4% |
| 1981 | 481,522 | +3.5% |
| 1982 | 497,343 | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 514,781 | +3.5% |
| 1984 | 528,591 | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 542,533 | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 557,559 | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 575,329 | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 594,998 | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 613,387 | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 634,277 | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 655,945 | +3.4% |
| 1992 | 677,492 | +3.3% |
| 1993 | 703,792 | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 725,455 | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 746,860 | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 771,953 | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 795,394 | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 819,975 | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 842,126 | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 858,114 | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 873,415 | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 883,266 | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 892,622 | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 899,539 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 912,667 | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 928,682 | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 957,164 | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 983,018 | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 1.01 million | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 1.05 million | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 1.08 million | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 1.11 million | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 1.15 million | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 1.19 million | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 1.21 million | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 1.24 million | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 1.27 million | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 1.31 million | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 1.34 million | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 1.37 million | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 1.39 million | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 1.39 million | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 1.38 million | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 1.37 million | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 1.35 million | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 378,611 | 308,721 | 450,105 | 10 |
| 1980s | 537,131 | 465,265 | 613,387 | 10 |
| 1990s | 737,327 | 634,277 | 842,126 | 10 |
| 2000s | 920,167 | 858,114 | 1.01 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.19 million | 1.05 million | 1.34 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.37 million | 1.35 million | 1.39 million | 6 |
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 school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Kenya?
- School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Kenya was 1.35 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 1.39 million in 2022.
- What is the lowest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 308,721 in 1970.
- How does Kenya rank for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes?
- Kenya ranks 18th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.6%. 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 School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release