Kenya: Secondary education, pupils

Key figures

Since 1970 it is up 2,147% from 299,881 in 1970 (6.05% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 19 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2023, Kenya's secondary education, pupils rose 2.8% on 2022 (from 6.56 million to 6.74 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1971 to 2022), the average change was +8% and a typical year strayed about 5.5% 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 29.3% in 1985. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those 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 7th highest value of the 51 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.

Closest to Kenya in the 2023 ranking

• Türkiye — 3rd of 51: 12.31 million
• Russian Federation — 4th of 51: 10.8 million
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 5th of 51: 7.93 million
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 7th of 51: 6.62 million
• Japan — 8th of 51: 6.61 million
• United Kingdom — 9th of 51: 6.4 million

What this measures

Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 35 values

Secondary education, pupils in nearby economies

• Angola — 2.59 million (2023)
• Benin — 929,099 (2022)
• Botswana — 175,513 (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 1.19 million (2024)
• Burundi — 590,027 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 55,831 (2022)
• Cameroon — 2.01 million (2023)
• Central African Republic — 137,844 (2017)
• Chad — 764,990 (2024)
• Comoros — 67,764 (2022)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 7.93 million (2023)

More education data for Kenya

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 8.04 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 98.25% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 96.63% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 99.85% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.97 (2019)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Kenya's secondary education, pupils?

6.74 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 2,147% from 299,881 in 1970 (6.05% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 6.74 million in 2023 and the lowest 299,881 in 1970.

How does Kenya rank?

7th highest of 51 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in secondary education, pupils unusual for Kenya?

In 2023, Kenya's secondary education, pupils rose 2.8% on 2022 (from 6.56 million to 6.74 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1971 to 2022), the average change was +8% and a typical year strayed about 5.5% 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.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.ENRL, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. 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.

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