Births attended by skilled health staff in Kenya

Kenya: Births attended by skilled health staff was 70.2% in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
70.2%
Change on year
up 13.6%
World rank
146th
of 169 countries
All-time high
70.2%
in 2016
All-time low
41.6%
in 2003
Years of data
8
1989–2016

Births attended by skilled health staff in Kenya, 1989–2016

0204060801989200220161989: 50.1 % of total1993: 45.1 % of total1998: 44.3 % of total2000: 42.6 % of total2003: 41.6 % of total2009: 43.8 % of total2014: 61.8 % of total2016: 70.2 % of total

Source: State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Measured in % of total.

Analysis

In 2016, births attended by skilled health staff in Kenya stood at 70.2%. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 13.6% on the previous year and up 68.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, births attended by skilled health staff in Kenya peaked at 70.2% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 41.6%, in 2003.

That places Kenya 146th out of 169 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Births attended by skilled health staff in Kenya, year by year

Annual values for Births attended by skilled health staff (% of total) in Kenya, 1989 to 2016.
Year % of total Change
1989 50.1%
1993 45.1% -10.0%
1998 44.3% -1.8%
2000 42.6% -3.8%
2003 41.6% -2.3%
2009 43.8% +5.3%
2014 61.8% +41.1%
2016 70.2% +13.6%

Kenya compared with similar countries

  • Kenya's 70.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 84.0%, 84% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
  • Kenya's 70.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 78.1%, 90% of the median. (39 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 50.1% 50.1% 50.1% 1
1990s 44.7% 44.3% 45.1% 2
2000s 42.7% 41.6% 43.8% 3
2010s 66.0% 61.8% 70.2% 2

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 143 Uganda 74.2% compare
  2. 144 Mozambique 73.0% compare
  3. 145 Mauritania 70.4% compare
  4. 147 Guatemala 69.6% compare
  5. 148 Togo 69.4% compare
  6. 149 Cameroon 69.0% compare

See the full ranking of 169 places →

More health data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is births attended by skilled health staff in Kenya?
Births attended by skilled health staff in Kenya was 70.2% in 2016, according to State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
What is the highest births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 70.2% in 2016.
What is the lowest births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 41.6% in 2003.
How does Kenya rank for births attended by skilled health staff?
Kenya ranks 146th out of 169 countries with data for 2016.
Is births attended by skilled health staff rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is up 68.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Kenya data come from?
The figures come from State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), published as part of Births attended by skilled health staff (% of total). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Births attended by skilled health staff in Kenya. Statizoid, drawing on State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/births-attended-by-skilled-health-staff-percent-of-total/kenya/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/births-attended-by-skilled-health-staff-percent-of-total/kenya/">Births attended by skilled health staff in Kenya</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Births attended by skilled health staff (% of total)
Unit
% of total
Source
State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
169 places, 2,906 data points, 1980–2022
Last refreshed

Births attended by skilled health staff are the percentage of deliveries attended by personnel trained to give the necessary supervision, care, and advice to women during pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period; to conduct deliveries on their own; and to care for newborns.