School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) in Kenya
Kenya: School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) was 2.75 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Kenya, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Kenya is 2.75 million, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and up 18.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Kenya peaked at 2.77 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 827,761, in 1970.
That places Kenya 33rd out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 827,761 | — |
| 1971 | 874,770 | +5.7% |
| 1972 | 919,610 | +5.1% |
| 1973 | 962,509 | +4.7% |
| 1974 | 1.01 million | +4.7% |
| 1975 | 1.05 million | +4.6% |
| 1976 | 1.10 million | +4.7% |
| 1977 | 1.15 million | +4.4% |
| 1978 | 1.20 million | +4.3% |
| 1979 | 1.25 million | +4.1% |
| 1980 | 1.30 million | +3.8% |
| 1981 | 1.34 million | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 1.39 million | +3.4% |
| 1983 | 1.44 million | +3.4% |
| 1984 | 1.49 million | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 1.53 million | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 1.58 million | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 1.62 million | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 1.67 million | +2.9% |
| 1989 | 1.17 million | -30.1% |
| 1990 | 1.21 million | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 1.24 million | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 1.29 million | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 1.33 million | +3.3% |
| 1994 | 1.38 million | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 1.42 million | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 1.47 million | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 1.51 million | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 1.56 million | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 1.61 million | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 1.66 million | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 1.70 million | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 1.73 million | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 1.75 million | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 1.77 million | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 1.79 million | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 1.81 million | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 1.84 million | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 1.88 million | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 1.94 million | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 1.99 million | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 2.06 million | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 2.12 million | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 2.18 million | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 2.26 million | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 2.33 million | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 2.38 million | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 2.44 million | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 2.50 million | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 2.56 million | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 2.63 million | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 2.70 million | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 2.74 million | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 2.77 million | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 2.77 million | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 2.75 million | -0.8% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 2.75 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 902,081, 3.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 2.75 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.12 million, 2.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | -30.1% | 1.67 million | 1.17 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.04 million | 827,761 | 1.25 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.45 million | 1.17 million | 1.67 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.40 million | 1.21 million | 1.61 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.79 million | 1.66 million | 1.94 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.28 million | 1.99 million | 2.56 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.73 million | 2.63 million | 2.77 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, lower secondary education, both sexes in Kenya?
- School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Kenya was 2.75 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 2.77 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 827,761 in 1970.
- How does Kenya rank for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes?
- Kenya ranks 33rd out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.1%. 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, lower secondary 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