Kenya’s fertility rate declining as Embu, Kiambu women record lowest births

This is according to the Kenya Mini Demographic and Health Survey, 2025/2026, conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

As of 2025, the average number of births per woman in Kenya was 3.1, a drop from 3.4 in 2022. This trajectory has been observed since 2003.

While there were 3.1 average births per woman as of 2025, those in rural areas were likely to give birth to more children (3.6), as their counterparts in urban areas recorded 2.6 births per woman.

In its survey, KNBS found that women in Mandera County had the highest number of births (6.8), followed by Wajir County (5.8) and Tana River (5.7). In the period under survey, Turkana County also recorded above-average births of 5.6, while Garissa had 5.3 births per woman.

On the other hand, fertility rates were lowest in Embu County, where women were found to have an average of 2.2 births each. This was followed by Kiambu County, recording an average of 2.3 births per woman.

Below-average births per woman were also recorded in Mombasa (2.3), Nairobi and Kericho (2.6) and Kirinyaga and Tharaka Nithi counties recording 2.7 births per woman.

KNBS said the fertility rate was based on pregnancy histories from women aged 15–49.

“Of all pregnancy outcomes in the 3 years before the survey, 89% resulted in live births, 9% in miscarriages, 1% in stillbirths, and less than 1% in induced abortions,” the survey by KNBS further found.

The statistics body indicates that the number of children that a woman bears depended on factors such as age, birth intervals, and her fecundity.

"Postponing first births and extending the interval between births have played a role in reducing fertility levels in many countries," said KNBS.

As the fertility rate in Kenya declines, so are teenage pregnancies, with adolescent births falling from 73 to 63 per 1,000 girls.

However, teenage pregnancies remained high in West Pokot County (25%), Migori County (23%) and Kajiado County (20%).

Meanwhile, Nyeri, Isiolo and Makueni recorded the lowest teenage pregnancies at 2%, 3.4% and 3.7%, respectively.

On the other hand, Kenya, in the 5 years period before the survey, recorded an increased number of hospital births, with child mortality rates also dropping in the last two decades.