School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya
Kenya: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 1.37 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.37 million
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
19th
of 222 countries
All-time high
1.41 million
in 2016
All-time low
411,954
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya stood at 1.37 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya peaked at 1.41 million in 2016 and was at its lowest, 411,954, in 1970.
Kenya ranks 19th of 222 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 411,954 | — |
| 1971 | 428,966 | +4.1% |
| 1972 | 445,412 | +3.8% |
| 1973 | 460,013 | +3.3% |
| 1974 | 475,161 | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 491,288 | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 506,953 | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 524,064 | +3.4% |
| 1978 | 537,626 | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 551,345 | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 566,202 | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 584,037 | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 603,725 | +3.4% |
| 1983 | 622,174 | +3.1% |
| 1984 | 643,341 | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 665,303 | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 687,374 | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 714,143 | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 736,334 | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 758,326 | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 784,229 | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 808,544 | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 833,658 | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 856,293 | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 872,242 | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 887,435 | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 896,592 | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 905,212 | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 911,118 | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 923,185 | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 938,552 | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 966,576 | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 992,325 | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 1.02 million | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 1.06 million | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 1.09 million | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 1.12 million | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 1.16 million | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 1.20 million | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 1.23 million | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 1.26 million | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 1.29 million | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 1.33 million | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 1.36 million | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 1.39 million | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 1.41 million | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 1.41 million | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 1.40 million | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 1.39 million | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.37 million | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 1.36 million | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 1.37 million | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 1.37 million | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.37 million | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 1.38 million | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 1.37 million | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 483,278 | 411,954 | 551,345 | 10 |
| 1980s | 658,096 | 566,202 | 758,326 | 10 |
| 1990s | 867,851 | 784,229 | 923,185 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.08 million | 938,552 | 1.23 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.36 million | 1.26 million | 1.41 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.37 million | 1.36 million | 1.38 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More education data for Kenya
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 8.04 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.7181 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.1453 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.93 million (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Kenya was 1.37 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 1.41 million in 2016.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 411,954 in 1970.
- How does Kenya rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- Kenya ranks 19th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. 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, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release