Women married by age 18 in Kenya
Kenya: Women married by age 18 was 12.5 in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
12.5
World rank
28th
of 31 countries
All-time high
31
in 1989
All-time low
12.5
in 2022
Years of data
7
1989–2022
Women married by age 18 in Kenya, 1989–2022
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2022, women married by age 18 in Kenya stood at 12.5. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 45.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, women married by age 18 in Kenya peaked at 31 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 12.5, in 2022.
That places Kenya 28th out of 31 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Women married by age 18 in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 31 | — |
| 1993 | 28.1 | -9.4% |
| 1998 | 24.6 | -12.5% |
| 2003 | 24.6 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 26.4 | +7.3% |
| 2014 | 22.9 | -13.3% |
| 2022 | 12.5 | -45.4% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 12.5 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.8, 48% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 12.5 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 30.2, 41% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 31 | 31 | 31 | 1 |
| 1990s | 26.35 | 24.6 | 28.1 | 2 |
| 2000s | 25.5 | 24.6 | 26.4 | 2 |
| 2010s | 22.9 | 22.9 | 22.9 | 1 |
| 2020s | 12.5 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More gender data for Kenya
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 21,579 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.8794 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 41,524 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 41,524 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.3 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 740,912 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 751,960 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 725,839 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 736,424 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 712,907 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is women married by age 18 in Kenya?
- Women married by age 18 in Kenya was 12.5 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest women married by age 18 recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 31 in 1989.
- What is the lowest women married by age 18 recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.5 in 2022.
- How does Kenya rank for women married by age 18?
- Kenya ranks 28th out of 31 countries with data for 2022.
- Is women married by age 18 rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Women married by age 18. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).