Kenya's internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases) was 7,700 in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 86% from 55,000 in 2013 (17.85% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 7,700 | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 10,000 | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 55,000 | 2013 |
| Highest | 220,000 | 2014 |
| Lowest | 1,800 | 2019 |
| Average since 2014 | 36,250 | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 50,000 | 2011 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, Kenya's internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases) fell 48.7% on 2022 (from 15,000 to 7,700).
Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2022), the average change was +74.8% and a typical year strayed about 142.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 300% in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 82% in 2019. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is downward, about 19,287 a year. A straight line explains 57% of the movement over 8 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2023, Kenya had the 22nd highest value of the 25 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 7,700 | 2023 |
| Lower middle income | 5.68 million | 2023 |
Closest to Kenya in the 2023 ranking
What this measures
Internally displaced persons are defined according to the 1998 Guiding Principles (http://www.internal-displacement.org/publications/1998/ocha-guiding-principles-on-internal-displacement) as people or groups of people who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of armed conflict, or to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights, or natural or human-made disasters and who have not crossed an international border. "New Displacement" refers to the number of new cases or incidents of displacement recorded over the specified year, rather than the number of people displaced. This is done because people may have been displaced more than once.
Limitations: Please note that most of the figures are estimates. The definition highlights two issues: 1) The coercive or otherwise involuntary character of movement. The definition mentions some of the most common causes of involuntary movements, such as armed conflict, violence, human rights violations and disasters. These causes have in common that they give no choice to people but to leave their homes and deprive them of the most essential protection mechanisms, such as community networks, access to services, livelihoods. Displacement severely affects the physical, socio-economic and legal safety of people and should be systematically regarded as an indicator of potential vulnerability.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.
All 11 values
| Year | Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 7,700 |
| 2022 | 15,000 |
| 2021 | 4,600 |
| 2020 | 3,900 |
| 2019 | 1,800 |
| 2018 | 10,000 |
| 2017 | 27,000 |
| 2016 | no data |
| 2015 | no data |
| 2014 | 220,000 |
Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases) in nearby economies
- Cameroon — 164,000 (2023)
- Central African Republic — 214,000 (2023)
- Congo, Dem. Rep. — 3.77 million (2023)
- Côte d'Ivoire — 15,000 (2020)
- Ethiopia — 794,000 (2023)
- Mali — 152,000 (2023)
- Nigeria — 291,000 (2023)
More public sector data for Kenya
- Military expenditure (current USD) — 1.47 billion (2025)
- Military expenditure (current LCU) — 190.01 billion (2025)
- Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.07% (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 117 million (2025)
- Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 4.63% (2025)
- Armed forces personnel, total — 24,000 (2020)
- Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.11% (2020)
- CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 4 (2025)
- CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3 (2025)
- CPIA economic management cluster average (1=low to 6=high)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Kenya's internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases)?
- 7,700 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2011?
- It is down 84.6% from 50,000 in 2011 (14.44% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 220,000 in 2014 and the lowest 1,800 in 2019.
- How does Kenya rank?
- 22nd highest of 25 economies with data for 2023.
- Is the latest change in internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases) unusual for Kenya?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator VC.IDP.NWCV, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), uri: http://www.internal-displacement.org/ Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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