Kenya Demographic and
Health Survey 2022

KDHS 2022: Kenya's Health Sector Data & Statistics

About the 2022 KDHS

About the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey

The 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) is designed to provide data for monitoring the population and health situation in Kenya. The 2022 KDHS is the 7th Demographic and Health Survey conducted in Kenya since 1989. The survey was aimed at providing up-to-date information on socio- demographic and health indicators for planning, policy formulation, and monitoring and evaluation of projects and programmes. This report presents new indicators not collected in previous KDHS surveys such as early childhood development, health expenditures, and information on chronic diseases. The 2022 KDHS also provides indicators relevant to monitoring achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Kenya, as well as indicators relevant for monitoring national and sub-national development agendas such as the Kenya Vision 2030, Medium Term Plans (MTPs), and County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs).

Partners and Donors

This survey was implemented by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders

The 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (2022 KDHS) was implemented by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and other stakeholders. Funding for the survey was provided by the Government of Kenya, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Nutrition International, the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The UN Resident Coordinator office assured the coordination of UN agencies supporting the 2022 KDHS. ICF provided technical assistance through The DHS Program, a USAID-funded project providing support and technical assistance in implementing population and health surveys in countries worldwide.

Additional information about the 2022 KDHS may be obtained from Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS),

Participants

Who participated in the survey?

A nationally representative sample of 32,156 women age 15–49 in 37,911 households and 14,453 men age 15–54 in half of the selected households were interviewed. This represents a response rate of 95% of women and 87% of men. The sample design for the 2022 KDHS provides estimates at the national level, for urban and rural areas, and for some indicators for each of Kenya’s 47 counties.

The 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (2022 KDHS) was implemented by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and other stakeholders

2022 KDHS County Fact Sheets

Characteristics Of Households And Respondents

Household Composition

Households in Kenya have an average of 3.7 members

Women head 34% of Kenyan households. Forty percent of the household population in Kenya is under age 15.

Household Durable Goods

The most commonly found item in Kenyan households is a mobile phone (94%)

Sixty-six percent of households own a radio, including 71% in urban areas and 62% in rural areas. Half of households own a television, including 68% in urban areas and 38% in rural areas. Nationally, only 11% of households own a computer, including 21% of urban households and 4% of rural households. Seventy-one percent of rural households own agricultural land, compared to 33% of urban households. In addition, 78% of rural households own farm animals, compared to 41% of urban households.

Mass Media Exposure and Internet Use

Radio is the most common form of media exposure for both women (62%) and men (71%)

Eight percent of women and 16% of men read a newspaper and 55% of women and 60% of men watch television on a weekly basis. Overall, more men (12%) than women (5%) regularly use all 3 media.

Forty-four percent of women and 56% of men used the Internet in the past 12 months. Among those, about two-thirds of both women and men used it on a daily basis.

Education and Literacy

Ninety-one percent of women and 94% of men are literate in Kenya

Nineteen percent of women and 21% of men have more than secondary education, while 6% of women and 3% of men have no education.

Education and Literacy

Ninety-one percent of women and 94% of men are literate in Kenya

Nineteen percent of women and 21% of men have more than secondary education, while 6% of women and 3% of men have no education.

Cooking, Space Heating, and Lighting

Fifty-eight percent of Kenyan households have electricity, including 90% in urban households and 36% in rural households

Twenty-four percent of the household population in Kenya has access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking, including stoves/cookers using electricity, LPG/natural gas/biogas, solar, and alcohol/ethanol. Use of clean fuels and technology for cooking is substantially higher in urban areas than in rural areas (59% versus 6%).

The majority of households in Kenya do not heat their homes. For those who do, only 5% use clean fuels and technologies for heating.

Nine in ten Kenyans use clean fuels and technologies for lighting, including electricity, LPG/natural gas/ biogas, solar, and alcohol/ethanol.

Household Water and Sanitation

Drinking Water

Nationally, 68% of the population has access to at least basic drinking water service

91% of the population has access in urban areas and 56% does in rural areas. The county with the lowest percent of the population with at least basic service for drinking water is Kitui (21%), and the highest is Nairobi City (99%).

Sixty-five percent of the population has sufficient quantities of drinking water when needed. Over half (54%) do not have drinking water on the premises and must travel to collect it. Sixty-nine percent of those who collect the drinking water are women age 53% 15 or older.

Handwashing

51% of the population has a basic handwashing facilities

In Kenya, 51% of the population has a basic handwashing facility with soap and water on the premises.

Menstrual Hygiene

Almost all women (98%) age 15–49 who were at home during their last menstrual period were able to wash and change in privacy

Further, 97% used appropriate materials during their last menstruation. The most commonly used material to collect or absorb blood from the most recent menstrual period is disposable sanitary pads (91%) followed by reusable sanitary pads (5%).

Sanitation

Forty-one percent of the population has at least basic sanitation service

This number is slightly higher in urban areas (47%) than in rural areas (38%).

Two thirds (66%) of the population is connected to a sewer system or safely disposes of excreta on-site or removes it for treatment off-site.

Fertility and Its Determinants

Total Fertility Rate

Currently, women in Kenya have an average of 3.4 children

Fertility in Kenya has declined from 6.7 children per woman in 1989 to 3.4 children per woman in 2022.

On average, women in rural areas have more children than women in urban areas (3.9 versus 2.8 children). By county, fertility ranges from 2.6 children per woman in Nairobi City to 7.7 children per woman in Mandera.

Fertility in Kenya declines with increasing education, from 5.3 children among women with no education to 2.8 children among those with more than secondary education. Fertility also declines with household wealth.* Women in the poorest households have 5.3 children on average, compared to 2.7 among women in the richest households.

Teenage Pregnancy

In Kenya, 15% of adolescent women age 15-19 have ever been pregnant

12% have given birth, 1% have had a pregnancy loss, and 3% are pregnant with their first child. By county, teen pregnancy ranges from 50% in Samburu to 5% in Nyeri and Nyandarua.

Pregnancy Outcomes and Induced

Abortion

Of all pregnancies to women age 15-49 ending in the 3 years before the survey, 88% resulted in live births, 10% were miscarriages, 2% stillbirths, and less than 1% were induced abortions.

Polygyny

Nine percent of married women report having 1 or more co-wives while 5% of married men report having 2 or more wives.

Family Planning

Current Use of Family Planning

In Kenya, 70% of sexually active unmarried women use any method of family planning

59% use a modern method. The most popular type of family planning method for sexually active unmarried women is the male condom. The use of implants is higher in rural areas (16%) than in urban areas (7%).

Trends in Family Planning Use

The use of modern methods of family planning among married women has increased from 18% in 1989 to 57% in 2022.

The use of traditional methods has remained relatively stable over the last three decades at about 6%.

Maternal and Newborn Health Care

Antenatal Care

Skilled providers include doctors, nurses, midwives, and clinical officers

In Kenya, nearly all women (98%) age 15-49 with a live birth or stillbirth in the two years before the survey received antenatal care (ANC) from a skilled provider.

Two-thirds of the women had at least four ANC visits during their most recent pregnancy, including 4% of women who had eight or more visits. Only 29% of women had their first ANC visit during the first trimester.

Ninety percent of women took some form of iron supplementation, and 28% took deworming medication during their pregnancy. In addition, 75% of women received sufficient tetanus toxoid injections to protect their babies against neonatal tetanus.

Delivery Care

In Kenya, 88% of live births are delivered in a health facility; the majority (64%) are delivered in a public sector facility

Health facility births declined slightly between 1993 and 2003, but more than doubled between 2003 and 2022. Still, 11% of births are delivered at home. By county, home births are most common in Mandera (50%), Tana River (48%), Turkana (47%), Wajir (46%), and Samburu (45%) counties.

Cesarean Sections

In Kenya, 17% of live births are delivered by Cesarean section (C-section)

Twenty-eight percent of births delivered in private non-NGO health facilities are by C-section. C-section deliveries are most common among women with more than secondary education (34%), women in the wealthiest households (33%), and women in urban areas (24%).

Infant and Child Mortality

Rates and Trends

During the 5 years before the survey, the neonatal mortality rate was 21 deaths per 1,000 live births

The infant mortality rate was 32 deaths per 1,000 live births, and the under-5 mortality rate was 41 deaths per 1,000 live births. Childhood mortality rates have declined over time. After peaking in 2003, under-5 mortality declined from 115 deaths per 1,000 live births to the current rate of 41 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Mortality Rates by Background Characteristics

The under-5 mortality rate does not differ by place of residence

The under-5 mortality rate does not differ by place of residence (41 deaths per 1,000 live births in both rural and urban areas) for the 5-year period before the survey. Childhood mortality generally declines with increasing mother’s education for the 10-year period before the survey.

By county, under-5 mortality ranges from 15 deaths per 1,000 live births in Marsabit to 73 deaths per 1,000 live births in Migori for the 10-year period before the survey.

Child Health

Vaccination Coverage: Basic Antigens

In Kenya, 80% of children age 12-23 months are fully vaccinated against all basic antigens

1 dose each of BCG and measles-rubella and 3 doses each of DPT-containing vaccine and polio vaccine. Basic antigen coverage declined from 79% in 1993 to 52% in 2003 and then increased to 80% in 2022. Overall, 2% of children age 12-23 months have received no vaccinations.

Vaccination Coverage: National Schedule

Fifty-five percent of children are fully vaccinated according to the national schedule

1 dose of BCG, 4 doses of OPV and one of IPV, 3 doses of DPT-HepB- Hib, 3 doses of PCV, 2 doses of RV, and 1 dose of MR.

Vaccination coverage according to the national schedule increases as mother’s education increases, from 23% of children whose mothers have no education to 62% of children whose mothers have more than secondary education. More than 8 in 10 children in Kisii and Tharaka-Nithi counties are fully vaccinated according to the national schedule. Only 6% of children in Mandera County are fully vaccinated according to the national schedule.

Childhood Illnesses

Two percent of children under age 5 had symptoms of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in the 2 weeks before the survey

Two percent of children under age 5 had symptoms of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in the 2 weeks before the survey, and among them, advice or treatment was sought for 82%.

In Kenya, fever is a key symptom of malaria and other acute infections in children under age 5. In the 2 weeks before the survey, mothers reported that 17% of children under age 5 had fever. Advice or treatment was sought for 70% of children with fever.

Fourteen percent of children under age 5 had a diarrhoeal episode in the 2 weeks before the survey. Advice or treatment was sought for 58% of the children under age 5 with diarrhoea. Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) and supplemental zinc, combined with continued feeding, are the recommended interventions for treating diarrhoea. Twenty percent of children with diarrhoea were given oral rehydration salts, zinc, and continued feeding.

Children’s Status

Birth Registration

In Kenya, 3 in 4 children under age 5 are registered with the civil registration authority

Thirty-four percent of children are registered and have a birth certificate.

Access to Education

In Kenya, 88% percent of children who were age 5 at the beginning of the school year participated in organized learning

Participation in organized learning is an indicator that measures the exposure of children to organized learning activities 1 year before they start primary school. In Kenya, 88% percent of children who were age 5 at the beginning of the school year participated in organized learning; 66% attended an early childhood education program, and 22% attended primary school.

Eighty-six percent of children within the official primary school age range (6-13) are attending primary school. About half of the children within the official secondary-school age range (14-17) are attending secondary school.

Over time, primary school attendance rates have remained high, ranging from 79% in 2003 and 2008 to 86% in 2014 and 2022. Secondary school attendance rates have increased dramatically in that time, from 13% in 2003 to 49% in 2022.

Nutrition of Children and Adults

Children’s Nutritional Status

The 2022 KDHS measures children’s nutritional status by comparing height and weight measurements against an international reference standard

Overall, 18% of children under age 5 are stunted, or too short for their age. Stunting is an indication of chronic undernutrition.

Five percent of children under age 5 are wasted, or too thin for their height. Wasting is an indication of acute malnutrition.

Ten percent of children under age 5 are underweight (too thin for their age), while 3% are overweight.

Children’s nutritional status has improved over the last three decades. Stunting has steadily declined since 1993, from 40% to 18% in 2022.

Women’s Nutritional Status

Weight and height measurements of 94% of eligible women age 15–49 were collected

Weight and height measurements of 94% of eligible women age 15–49 were collected. Among adolescent women age 15-19, 18% are thin according to body mass index for age (BMI-for-age), while 13% are obese or overweight. Among women age 20–49, 7% are thin according to BMI, while 45% are obese or overweight.

Five percent of women age 20-49 in urban areas are thin compared with 9% in rural areas. Fifty-three percent of women in urban areas are overweight or obese compared with 39% in rural areas.

By county, Turkana has the highest percentage of women who are thin (44%), and Kirinyaga has the highest percentage of women who are overweight or obese (65%).

Men’s Nutritional Status

Weight and height measurements were collected for 86% of eligible men

Among adolescent men age 15-19, 43% are thin according to BMI-for-age and 2% are overweight or obese. Among men age 20-49, 14% are thin according to BMI and 19% are overweight or obese.

Twelve percent of men age 20-49 in urban areas are thin compared with 16% in rural areas. Twenty-five percent of men in urban areas are overweight or obese compared with 14% in rural areas.

Turkana County has the highest percentage of men who are thin (54%), while Kajiado County has the highest percentage of men who are overweight or obese (31%).

Feeding Practices and Supplementation

Breastfeeding and the Introduction of Complementary Foods

In Kenya, nearly all (98%) children born in the 2 years before the survey were ever breastfed

Sixty percent of children are put to breast within 1 hour of birth, while 83% of children are exclusively breastfed for the first 2 days after birth.

WHO recommends that children receive nothing but breastmilk (exclusive breastfeeding) for the first 6 months of life. In Kenya, 60% of children age 0-5 months are exclusively breastfed. Complementary foods should be introduced when a child is 6 months old to reduce the risk of malnutrition. In Kenya, 87% of children age 6-8 months were fed solid, semi-solid, or soft foods the day before the survey.

Minimum Acceptable Diet and Unhealthy Feeding Practices

Children age 6-23 months have a minimum acceptable diet when they are fed from at least 5 of 8 defined food groups

Children age 6-23 months have a minimum acceptable diet when they are fed from at least 5 of 8 defined food groups the minimum number of times or more during the day before the survey. In Kenya, 37% of children received minimum dietary diversity the day before the survey and 71% received minimum meal frequency. Overall, 31% received the minimum acceptable diet.

For healthy growth, infants and young children should not be given sweet foods and beverages and instead should be fed healthy foods including fruits and vegetables. In Kenya, 49% of children age 6-23 months were given a sweet beverage in the day before the survey, 26% had unhealthy foods, and 25% consumed zero vegetables or fruit. Unhealthy feeding practices vary by breastfeeding status, with breastfed children fed fewer unhealthy foods.

Micronutrient Supplementation and Deworming

Sixty-four percent of children age 6-59 months were given vitamin A supplements in the last 6 months

Micronutrients are essential vitamins and minerals required for good health. Vitamin A, which prevents blindness and infection, is particularly important
for children. Sixty-four percent of children age 6-59 months were given vitamin A supplements in the last 6 months.

Iron is important for maintaining healthy blood. In Kenya, 23% of children age 6-59 months were given iron-containing supplements in the 12 months before the survey.

Deworming programmes help to reduce the burden of helminth infections. Two-thirds of children age 12- 59 months were given deworming medication in the last six months.

HIV and Tuberculosis

Knowledge of HIV Prevention Methods

Ninety-two percent of women and 93% of men age 15-49 have heard of antiretroviral medicines (ARVs) that treat HIV

Seventy-six percent of women and 72% of men know that the risk of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV can be reduced by the mother taking ARVs.

Knowledge that the risk of MTCT can be reduced by taking ARVs has increased from 33% in 2003 to 76% in 2022 among women, while for men, it increased from 38% in 2003 to 72% in 2022 KDHS.

Half of women (48%) and men (49%) have heard of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. Among those who have heard of PrEP, 7 in 10 women (71%) and 6 in 10 men (62%) approve of PrEP use to prevent HIV.

HIV Testing

Ninety-five percent of women who gave birth in the 2 years before the survey were tested for HIV during ANC or labour and received results

Overall, 85% of women and 73% of men have ever been tested for HIV and received results, and 47% of women and 39% of men have been tested for HIV in the past 12 months and received the results of the last test.

Fifty-five percent of women and 65% of men have ever heard of HIV self-test kits. However, only 10% of women and 9% of men have ever used one.

The percentage of women who have been tested for HIV in the past 12 months and received the results of the last test increased from 7% in 2003 and peaked at 53% in 2014 before declining to 47% in 2022. The percentage of men who have been tested for HIV in the past 12 months and received the results of the last test increased from 8% in 2003 to 46% in 2014 and declined to 39% in 2022.

Multiple Sexual Partners

Four percent of women had 2 or more sexual partners in the last 12 months

About a quarter (24%) of these women used a condom during the last sexual intercourse. Nineteen percent of women had sexual intercourse in the last 12 months with a person who was neither their husband nor lives with them (non-cohabiting partner). Among these women, 37% used a condom during the last sexual intercourse with such a partner.

Fifteen percent of men had 2 or more sexual partners in the last 12 months, and 35% had sexual intercourse in the last 12 months with a person who was neither their wife nor lives with them (non- cohabiting partner). Among men with two or more sexual partners, 45% reported using a condom during their last sexual intercourse. Sixty-eight percent of men who had intercourse in the last 12 months with a person who neither was their wife nor lived with them used a condom during the last sexual intercourse with such a partner.

Tuberculosis (TB)

Ninety-seven percent of women and 98% of men have ever heard of TB disease

Five percent of women and 4% of men think that all people with TB also have HIV.

Less than 1% of women and 1% of men had been diagnosed with TB in the past 12 months.

Male Circumcision

Most (94%) men age 15–49 are circumcised

Most (94%) men age 15–49 are circumcised, with 32% traditionally circumcised only, 57% medically circumcised only, and 5% are both traditionally and medically circumcised.

Malaria

Endemicity Zones

There are 4 epidemiological malaria zones in Kenya:
  • Endemic areas: stable malaria transmission around Lake Victoria and in the coastal regions.
  • Seasonal malaria transmission areas: arid and semi-arid zones experience short periods of intense malaria transmission during rainy seasons.
  • Highland epidemic prone areas: seasonal depending on rainy seasons and minimum temperatures around 18°C.
  • Low risk areas: central highlands, including Nairobi, where temperatures are low.

Ownership of Insecticide-Treated Nets

Fifty-four percent of households have at least 1 insecticide-treated net (ITN)

Fifty-four percent of households have at least 1 insecticide-treated net (ITN); on average, there are 1.2 ITNs per household.

Malaria in Pregnancy (IPTp)

In Kenya, intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) is given to pregnant women in the lake and coastal endemic zones

In Kenya, intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) is given to pregnant women in the lake and coastal endemic zones as well as in several high malaria transmission sub-counties in the highland epidemic prone zone. In these areas, 70% of women age 15–49 with a live birth in the 2 years before the survey received at least one dose of SP/Fansidar, 53% had at least two doses, and 34% had at least three doses.

Careseeking for Children with Fever

mong children under age 5 in the 2 weeks before the survey, 17% had fever

Advice or treatment was sought for 70% of those children, including 33% who had blood taken from a finger or heel for testing.

Chronic Conditions and Risk Factors

Hypertension

Nine percent of women and 3% of men age 15-49 reported that they had been told by a doctor or other healthcare worker that they have high blood pressure or hypertension

Among these women and men, 32% of both are taking medication to control blood pressure.

Diabetes

One percent of both men and women age 15-49 were told they have high blood sugar or diabetes by a doctor or other healthcare worker

Among these women and men, 63% of women and 73% of men are taking medication to control blood sugar.

Heart Disease

One percent of both women and men age 15-49 have been told by a doctor or other healthcare worker they have a heart disease or chronic heart condition

Among these women and men, 43% of women and 30% of men are receiving treatment.

Lung Disease

One percent of women and men age 15-49 have been told by a doctor or other healthcare worker that they have a lung disease or a chronic lung condition

Sixty- six percent of these women and 41% of these men are receiving treatment.

Mental Health Conditions, Depression, and Anxiety

Four percent of women age 15-49 reported having ever been told by a doctor or other healthcare worker that they have depression or anxiety

Twenty-seven percent of these women are receiving treatment. Three percent of men age 15-49 have ever been told by a doctor or other healthcare worker that they have depression or anxiety. Twenty-one percent of them are receiving treatment.

Breast and Cervical Cancer Examinations

Forty-five percent of women age 15-49 are aware that they can self-examine for lumps and cancer in the breast

Fourteen percent of women have ever been examined for breast cancer and 17% have been tested for cervical cancer. Less than 1% of the women tested have been told by a doctor or other healthcare worker that they have breast or cervical cancer.

Arthritis

Three percent of women age 15-49 have been told by a doctor or other healthcare worker they have arthritis

About half of these women (49%) are receiving treatment. One percent of men age 15-49 have been told by a doctor or other healthcare worker that they have arthritis, and 45% of these men are receiving treatment.

Prostate Cancer

Less than 1% of men age 15-49 have been told that they have prostate cancer

Less than 1% of men age 15-49 have been told that they have prostate cancer, and 14% of these men are receiving treatment.

Use of Alcohol and Tobacco

Twenty-six percent of men and 5% of women consumed at least one alcoholic beverage in the month before the survey

Twenty-six percent of men and 5% of women consumed at least one alcoholic beverage in the month before the survey.

Tobacco use is rare in Kenya. One percent of women and 11% of men age 15-49 use any type of tobacco.

Disability, Health Insurance, Social Assistance

Disability

The 2022 KDHS included questions about 6 functional domains of disability – seeing, hearing, communicating, cognition, walking, and self-care

The 2022 KDHS included questions about 6 functional domains of disability – seeing, hearing, communicating, cognition, walking, and self-care – among the household population age 5 and above.

Overall, 5% of the household population age 5 and above has a lot of difficulty or cannot function in at least one domain. Fifteen percent of the population age 5 and older are reported to have some level of difficulty in at least one domain. The most common type of disability is disability in mobility (2%) followed by disability in vision (2%).

Among persons age 15 or more, 7% of women and 5% of men have a lot of difficulty or cannot function in at least one domain.

Disability is more prevalent among widowed women and men; 28% for women and 21% for men.

Health Insurance Coverage

Nationally, 1 in 4 Kenyans has some form of health insurance

The National Health Insurance Fund is the most common type of health insurance. Health insurance coverage is twice as high in urban areas than in rural areas; 40% of the urban population has some form of health insurance compared to 19% of the rural population.

Health insurance coverage increases with increasing wealth, from 5% in the lowest wealth quintile to 58% in the highest wealth quintile. By county, health insurance coverage varies from a low of 5% in Tana River and 6% in Mandera counties to a high of 44% in Laikipia and 46% in Nairobi City counties.

Social Assistance

Nationally, 17% of households receive a cash transfer or social assistance

National or county governments are the primary providers of cash transfers or social assistance (11%), followed by friends, relatives and neighbors (6%). The primary reasons that households receive cash transfers or social assistance are for supporting older persons (4%) and for food for work or cash for work (3%). Twenty percent of households in rural areas receive cash transfers or other social assistance compared to 13% of households in urban areas.

Nine in ten households (91%) receiving cash transfers or social assistance for elderly persons receive it from the government. Households in rural areas
are more likely to receive cash transfer or other social assistance to support older persons (30%) than households in urban areas (9%). One in five households (20%) in the lowest wealth quintile receive food aid for persons in arid and semi-arid lands.

Migration

Migration

Fifty-seven percent of women were born outside their current place of residence;

55% were born in Kenya but outside of their current place of the residence and 2% were born outside of Kenya. A lower proportion of men (37%) were born outside of the current place of residence, including 36% of men who were born in Kenya and 1% who were born outside of Kenya.

Migration is most common among women and men age 25-29; 67% of women and 49% of men in this age group were born outside their current place of residence.

Migration increases with level of education. Seven in 10 women with more than secondary education have migrated from the place they were born, while 28% of women with no education have migrated. Similarly, 58% of men with more than secondary education do not reside where they were born, compared with 24% of men with no education who have migrated.

Women’s Empowerment

Employment

In Kenya, 67% of married women and 98% of married men age 15-49 were employed in the last 12 months

Overall, 77% of married women and 93% of married men who were employed in the last 12 months earned cash, while the proportion of women who were not paid for their work is almost 5 times higher than that of men (19% versus 4%).
Of those married women who were employed in the last 12 months and earned cash, 96% made decisions on how to spend their earnings either alone or jointly with their husband/partner. Among married women who received cash earnings, 9% earn more than their husband/partner, 71% earn less, and 13% earn about the same as their husband/partner.

Ownership of Assets

In Kenya, 33% of women and 45% of men own a house either alone or jointly

Twenty-seven percent of women and 34% of men own land either alone or jointly.

About 4 in 5 women and men own a mobile phone, while 43% of women and 49% of men own a smartphone. Twenty-nine percent of women and 39% of men have and use a bank account. Across Kenya, about 4 in 5 women and men have
and use a bank account or used a mobile phone for financial transactions in the last 12 months. Use of mobile phones or bank accounts is higher in urban areas (88% for women, 93% for men) than in rural areas (73% for women, 75% for men).

Participation in Household Decisions

More than 8 in 10 married women participate in decisions about their own health care

78% participate in decisions about making major household purchases, and 82% participate in decisions about visiting their own family or relatives.

Sixty-six percent of women participate in all three decisions. Women’s participation in all three decisions increases with the level of education, from 55% among married women with no education to 78% among those with more than secondary education. A higher percentage of married women in urban areas (71%) participate in all the three decisions compared with those in rural areas (63%).

Gender-based Violence

Experience of Physical Violence

Thirty-four percent of women age 15-49 have experienced physical violence since age 15

In the last 12 months, 16% of women experienced physical violence. By marital status, 37% of women who are currently married or living together have ever experienced physical violence compared to 12% of never-married women who have never had an intimate partner and 25% of never-married women who have ever had an intimate partner. Among women who are divorced, separated, or widowed, 58% have ever experienced physical violence.

Intimate Partner Violence

In addition to physical and sexual violence, experience of other types of violence among intimate partners was measured in the 2022 KDHS

In addition to physical and sexual violence, experience of other types of violence among intimate partners was measured in the 2022 KDHS: psychological/ emotional violence (being humiliated in front of others, being threatened with harm against yourself or someone you care about, being insulted or making you feel bad about yourself) and economic violence (restrict, exploit, or sabotage your ability to acquire or access or maintain economic resources).

Four in ten women who have ever had a husband or intimate partner (41%) have ever experienced economic, psychological/emotional, physical, or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent husband/intimate partner.

Among men who have ever had a wife or intimate partner, 36% have ever experienced any form of economic, psychological/emotional, physical, or sexual violence from their current or most recent wife or intimate partner.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

In Kenya, 15% of women age 15-49 are circumcised

The prevalence of FGM declined from 38% in 1998 to 15% in 2022.

Two percent of girls age 0-14 have been circumcised. Among girls whose mothers’ have no education, 11% have been circumcised, while <1% of girls whose mothers have more than secondary education have been circumcised.

Ninety-six percent of women and men who have ever heard of female circumcision do not believe that their religion requires it. Moreover, 88% of women and 87% of men believe that their culture does not require it, and 92% of women and 93% of men do not believe FGM is required by their society.

More than 9 in 10 women and men who have heard of female circumcision believe that the practice should not be continued.

Key Indicators & Sustainable Development Goal Indicators

Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022 Summary

Funding for the survey

Funding for the survey was provided by the Government of Kenya, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Nutrition International, the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

2022 KDHS Reports

Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022

The 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) is designed to provide data for monitoring the population and health situation in Kenya.

Share This Page

Skip to content