Difference in male and female life expectancy in Kenya
Kenya: Difference in male and female life expectancy was 4.24 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Difference in male and female life expectancy in Kenya, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for difference in male and female life expectancy in Kenya is 4.24, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and up 23.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, difference in male and female life expectancy in Kenya peaked at 4.71 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.5352, in 1996.
That places Kenya 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Difference in male and female life expectancy in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.98 | — |
| 1951 | 1.96 | -1.0% |
| 1952 | 3.4 | +73.5% |
| 1953 | 3.49 | +2.9% |
| 1954 | 3.49 | -0.2% |
| 1955 | 3.48 | -0.3% |
| 1956 | 3.56 | +2.5% |
| 1957 | 2.04 | -42.8% |
| 1958 | 2.06 | +1.0% |
| 1959 | 2.09 | +1.5% |
| 1960 | 2.17 | +4.1% |
| 1961 | 2.2 | +1.4% |
| 1962 | 2.23 | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 2.26 | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 2.3 | +1.8% |
| 1965 | 2.24 | -2.6% |
| 1966 | 2.1 | -6.0% |
| 1967 | 1.93 | -8.1% |
| 1968 | 2.11 | +9.1% |
| 1969 | 2.07 | -1.8% |
| 1970 | 2.1 | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 2.37 | +12.8% |
| 1972 | 2.59 | +9.2% |
| 1973 | 2.78 | +7.2% |
| 1974 | 2.91 | +4.9% |
| 1975 | 2.95 | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 3.09 | +4.7% |
| 1977 | 3.23 | +4.6% |
| 1978 | 3.3 | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 3.28 | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 3.24 | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 3.22 | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 3.21 | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 3.02 | -5.7% |
| 1984 | 3.09 | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 3.02 | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 3.19 | +5.6% |
| 1987 | 3.36 | +5.4% |
| 1988 | 3.58 | +6.5% |
| 1989 | 3.56 | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 2.82 | -20.6% |
| 1991 | 2.78 | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 2.85 | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 2.48 | -12.9% |
| 1994 | 1.87 | -24.5% |
| 1995 | 1.28 | -31.8% |
| 1996 | 0.5352 | -58.1% |
| 1997 | 0.5475 | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 0.6916 | +26.3% |
| 1999 | 0.735 | +6.3% |
| 2000 | 0.5419 | -26.3% |
| 2001 | 0.7885 | +45.5% |
| 2002 | 1.04 | +31.5% |
| 2003 | 0.9715 | -6.3% |
| 2004 | 1.2 | +23.4% |
| 2005 | 1.46 | +21.5% |
| 2006 | 1.83 | +25.4% |
| 2007 | 2.33 | +27.4% |
| 2008 | 2.54 | +9.2% |
| 2009 | 2.68 | +5.5% |
| 2010 | 2.91 | +8.5% |
| 2011 | 3.17 | +8.8% |
| 2012 | 3.29 | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 3.43 | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 3.62 | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 3.81 | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 3.98 | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 4.13 | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 4.06 | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 4.02 | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 4.71 | +16.9% |
| 2021 | 4.23 | -10.1% |
| 2022 | 4.33 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 4.24 | -2.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 4.24 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.19, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 4.24 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.08, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Difference in male and female life expectancy in Kenya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | +73.5% | 1.96 | 3.4 |
| 1996 | -58.1% | 1.28 | 0.5352 |
| 1957 | -42.8% | 3.56 | 2.04 |
| 2001 | +45.5% | 0.5419 | 0.7885 |
| 1995 | -31.8% | 1.87 | 1.28 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.75 | 1.96 | 3.56 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.16 | 1.93 | 2.3 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.86 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.25 | 3.02 | 3.58 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.66 | 0.5352 | 2.85 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.54 | 0.5419 | 2.68 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.64 | 2.91 | 4.13 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.38 | 4.23 | 4.71 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More health data for Kenya
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6026 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 16,059 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 89 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0621 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.063 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is difference in male and female life expectancy in Kenya?
- Difference in male and female life expectancy in Kenya was 4.24 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest difference in male and female life expectancy recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 4.71 in 2020.
- What is the lowest difference in male and female life expectancy recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5352 in 1996.
- How does Kenya rank for difference in male and female life expectancy?
- Kenya ranks 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is difference in male and female life expectancy rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Difference in male and female life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).