Kenya: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 13, 2026

News •

Kenyans brace for heavy El Niño rains as flood survivors recall their losses • Nov. 13, 2026, 2:20 AM ET (AP)

Kenya discharges last Ebola patient, beginning countdown to Ebola-free declaration • Nov. 11, 2026, 5:12 AM ET (AP)

Leader of Kenyan doomsday cult sentenced to 200 years in prison • Nov. 7, 2026, 5:42 AM ET (AP)

Kenya’s mining ambitions raise fears for farms and ancestral graves • Nov. 4, 2026, 8:15 PM ET (AP)

Kenya releases 5 Ebola patients after negative tests as 2 remain hospitalized • Nov. 3, 2026, 11:44 AM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	Republic of Kenya • Jamhuri Ya Kenya
Head Of State And Government	President: William Ruto
Capital	Nairobi
Population	(2026 est.) 54,249,000
Form Of Government	unitary multiparty republic with two legislative houses (Senate [68¹]; National Assembly [350²])
Official Languages	Swahili; English
Official Religion	none
Official Name	Jamhuri ya Kenya (Swahili); Republic of Kenya (English)
Total Area (Sq Km)	582,646
Total Area (Sq Mi)	224,961
Monetary Unit	Kenyan shilling (K Sh)
Population Rank	(2026) 27
Population Projection 2030	64,296,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2026) 241.2
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2026) 93.1
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2019) 31.2% • Rural: (2019) 68.8%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2021) 64.4 years • Female: (2021) 69.2 years
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2024) 117,783
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2024) 2,090
¹Includes 16 nonelective seats reserved for women, 2 reserved for youth, 2 reserved for people with disabilities, and 1 ex officio member.²Includes 12 nonelective seats and 1 ex officio member.

Photos and Videos

Political map of Kenya showing its national boundaries with South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda, as well as major cities such as Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Eldoret. The map includes rivers, lakes, and a small locator inset highlighting Kenya's position in eastern Africa.

Kenya: Great Rift Valley

Map of eastern Africa highlighting Kenya in tan, with surrounding countries labeled, including Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nairobi, Kenya's capital, is marked near the country's southern border. The Indian Ocean is shown to the southeast of Kenya.

Map of Kenya highlighting physical features such as major lakes, mountains, national parks, and reserves. Neighboring countries-Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania-are shown, along with the Indian Ocean coastline. An inset locator map at the bottom left shows Kenya's position within Africa.

Thousands of pink flamingos stand and wade in the shallow waters of Lake Nakuru, Kenya, with more flamingos visible in the distance.

Savanna in Kenya

A herd of zebras stands on grassy savanna near a lone acacia tree in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, with open plains and distant trees in the background.

Superb starling

How the Maasai protect wildlife in Kenya

Subsistence fishing off the coast of Mombasa, Kenya

The threatened habitat of the golden-rumped elephant shrew

Watch a modern textile mill in Nairobi, Kenya, weave fabrics featuring intricate East African designs

National anthem of Kenya

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Topics

nation-state list of cities and towns in Kenya list of presidents of Kenya Commonwealth East African Community ABANTU for Development member states of the Commonwealth Generation Z protests Mau Mau Rebellion Mau Mau United States India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan France

Raila Odinga

Raila Odinga

prime minister of Kenya

Uhuru Kenyatta in a suit and red patterned tie, smiling at an event with a green and white background featuring blurred text and graphics.

Uhuru Kenyatta

president of Kenya

William Ruto

William Ruto

president of Kenya

Jomo Kenyatta

Jomo Kenyatta

president of Kenya

Mwai Kibaki

Mwai Kibaki

president of Kenya

Richard Leakey

Richard Leakey

Kenyan anthropologist, government official, and paleontologist

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Oginga Odinga

vice president of Kenya

Wangari Maathai speaks at a podium, wearing a patterned green and black dress with a matching head wrap.

Wangari Maathai

Kenyan educator and government official

Daniel arap Moi

Daniel arap Moi

president of Kenya

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Tom Mboya

Kenyan politician

Mary Leakey stands beside a large fiberglass cast of ancient hominid footprints, holding the edge and looking toward the camera.

Mary Douglas Leakey

Kenyan archaeologist

Isak Dinesen, 1959

Isak Dinesen

Danish author

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Solomon M. Mutswairo

Zimbabwean author

A map of the continent of Africa, including its countries, boundaries, and capital cities. It also shows parts of Europe and Asia and surrounding bodies of water, including the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean.

Africa

continent

Map of East Africa showing political boundaries, major cities, and capitals, overlaid with shaded elevation zones. Higher elevations are concentrated in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, while lower elevations follow the coastal regions along the Indian Ocean and extend into Somalia and Mozambique. Major lakes such as Victoria, Tanganyika, and Rudolf are also marked.

Eastern Africa

region, Africa

Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi

national capital, Kenya

Map of Africa highlighting the location of Mombasa on the southeastern coast of Kenya, along the Indian Ocean. Neighboring countries such as Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia are labeled, with a small inset map showing Africa's position on the globe.

Mombasa

Kenya

Cooperative workers drying coffee on racks, Nyeri, Kenya.

Nyeri

Kenya

Eldoret, Kenya

Eldoret

Kenya

Lamu

Lamu

Kenya

Kisumu

Kisumu

Kenya

Flamingos in Lake Nakuru National Park

Nakuru

Kenya

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Embu

Kenya

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Meru

Kenya

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Thika

Kenya

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Kakamega

Kenya

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Mau Escarpment

rampart, Kenya

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Garissa

Kenya

Church of Saint George (Bet Giyorgis), Lalibela, Ethiopia. UNESCO World Heritage site.

Geography of Africa Quiz

Flags of all countries of the world. Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

The Country Quiz

Brown globe on antique map. Brown world on vintage map. North America. Green globe. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

Countries & Their Features

Skyscrapers in the business district of central Jakarta, Indonesia, around the Jalan Jenderal Sudirman thoroughfare.

Capital Cities of Countries on the Equator

Flags of the world against blue sky. Countries, International. Globalization, global relations, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Poland, Palestine, Japan. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

Which Country Is Larger By Population? Quiz

7:023 Geography: Think of Something Big, globe showing Africa, Europe, and Eurasia

Which Country Is Larger By Area? Quiz

Mount Kenya in Mount Kenya National Park is the highest mountain in Africa. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Giant Lobelia in foreground. (Mt. Kenya; Mt. Kenya National Park; mountains; rugged mountain; African geography, African landscape, stratovolcano)

Africa’s Physical Features

Brown globe on antique map. Brown world on vintage map. North America. Green globe. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz

10:087 Ocean: The World of Water, two globes showing eastern and western hemispheres

You Name It!

Actual continental drift of plates. Thematic map.

Geography Fun Facts

Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

Countries of the World

Opened passport with visas, stamps, seals, world map. (travel, tourism)

Guess the Country by Its Neighbors Quiz

Flags of all nations of the world. Grouping of various country flags on a world map.

Which Country Is Larger? Quiz