Society · Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) · Kenya
Kenya’s poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) was 45.5% of population in 2022.
45.5% of population
2022Derived
Down 0.9 pp from 2021.
Stale — last updated 18 Oct 2026
In plain words
45.5% of population
What it is. This measure counts the share of Kenya's population living below a daily poverty line, valued at 2021 purchasing power parity so that a dollar buys a comparable basket of goods across countries. The World Bank models it from household surveys and interpolates or extrapolates between survey years, so the figure for a year without a survey is an estimate. It captures income against a single money line and leaves out health and schooling, as well as how resources are shared within a household.
Lower is better. A lower headcount means fewer people lack the money for basic needs, so a falling line is good news. The latest figure is 45.5% of population in 2022, down from 46.4% of population a year earlier, a fall of 0.9 percentage points. Since 1992 the series has ranged from 32% of population in 1992 to a high of 46.4% of population in 2021. The 2022 reading sits close to the top of that range, just below the peak.
Why it matters. Nearly half of Kenyans live below this line, so a large part of the population spends almost all its income on food and other necessities. A rise in food or fuel prices can push these households into cutting meals or taking children out of school. Firms selling to them face thin purchasing power, and the state faces steady demand for support from a tax base that is small relative to that need.
| Period | Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) · Kenya |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 32% of population |
| 1994 | 32% of population |
| 1997 | 32.6% of population |
| 2005 | 44.6% of population |
| 2015 | 37.7% of population |
| 2020 | 44.4% of population |
| 2021 | 46.4% of population |
| 2022 | 45.5% of population |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day), Kenya, 2022; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 18 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/society/poverty-headcount/kenya
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
What this means
Working this out from the published figures…
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Methodology
Share of the population living on less than $3.00 a day (2021 purchasing power parity). A World Bank modelled estimate from household surveys, interpolated or extrapolated between survey years; not an official national release.
Share of the population living on less than $3.00 a day (2021 purchasing power parity). Unit: % of population.
This is a World Bank modelled estimate. It is built from household surveys and interpolated or extrapolated between survey years. It is not an official national release, and every value carries the Derived label.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series SI.POV.DDAY), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.