The
population of Kenya is estimated at
28,337,071 (July 1998) [1] The Kenyan
government conducts a full census
every ten years. The first official
census since independence was conducted
in April 1969. It put the nation's
population at 10,942,705. When the
next census was undertaken in August
1979, the figure had risen to 15,327,061
(allowing for an estimated under-enumeration
of 5%). According to 1989 official
estimates, the total population had
climbed to 21.4 million, a figure
that yields an annual growth rate
of 3.3%, down from 4.1% ten years
earlier. The UN has estimated Kenya's
population in mid-1996 at 31.8m, and
the World Bank has forecast the nation's
average demographic growth in 1993-2000
at 2.5%. In recent years, the average
family size has decreased from 6.7
children per woman in 1989 to 5.4
in 1993, according to a report by
the Ministry of Training, Technology
and Research. An important factor
in this decline is an increase in
the number of deaths due to AIDS.
The
1989 census did not provide a breakdown
of the population by national origin,
so the numbers of non-Africans is
unknown. Estimates from a decade earlier
put the Asian population at 59,000,
a significant drop from 139,000 in
1969. During the 1970s many Asians
emigrated, mainly to the UK. Today,
the Asian population has stabilized.
The most recent census (taken in 1989,
but released only in March 1994) is
the first to record the ethnic composition
of the population, though its findings
are contested on several grounds (see
also the Kenya "Ethnicity"
section).
There
are few reliable data on total employment
levels in Kenya due to difficulties
in assessing the informal sector.
In a 1994-96 Development Plan, the
Ministry of Planning and National
Development estimated that 2.24m Kenyans
were employed (in 1995) in the urban
and rural informal sectors. In 1993,
6.54m Kenyans were estimated to be
employed in some capacity, including
part-time, in rural areas. The Development
Plan projected that total employment
would increase from 8.78m in 1993
to 10.25m in 1996, with 75% of new
jobs in rural areas.[2]
Demographic Statistics
Population
Year19401950196019701980199020002010
Millions4.56.08.111.216.724.937.556.6
Population
distribution by age:
Age%
0-1451.4
15-2924.8
30-4413.2
45-597.0
60-743.0
75 and over0.6
Source:
Kurian, George Thomas 1992. Encyclopedia
of the Third World, fourth edition,
volume III, Facts on File: New York,
N.Y
Other demographic
indicators, 1998 estimates
Population
growth rate1.71%
Birth rate
per 1,00031.68
Death rate
per 1,00014.19
Sex Ratio
(Males/Females)
At birth1.03
Under 151.02
15-641.0
over 650.78
Infant mortality
rate per 1,000 births59.38
Total fertility
rate 4.07 children born per woman
Source:
CIA World Fact Book, 1998.
[1] CIA
World Fact Book,1998 [2] The Economist
Intelligence Unit, 1998, Country Profile.
Kenya, The Unit: London, pp.17-18.
Resources researched
by
Abdelaziz Marhoum, & David A. Samper
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