Alcohol Consumption Among Men and Women in Kenya by County

Alcohol is a common beverage in Kenya consumed by both men and women across the country. Common alcoholic drinks present in Kenya include wine, beer, spirits, busaa, chang’aa, mnazi, and muratina. 

According to the World Health Organization, alcohol consumption has a significant effect on the lives of people and is a risk factor for infectious diseases, maternal and child health issues, injuries, mental health issues, and non-communicable diseases^[1].

Quick Facts

1. The total alcohol consumption per person in Kenya was 2.47 liters in 2020. 
2. 25.9% of men aged 15 – 49 in 2022 consumed at least one alcoholic drink in the past month.
3. Among women, 5.4% consumed an alcoholic drink in the past month.
4. Alcohol consumption is more prevalent in urban than rural areas, with 8.6% of women and 29.9% of men drinking alcohol in the past month.
5. Alcohol consumption was highest among those with more than secondary education in both men and women.
6. In both men and women, alcohol consumption was highest among individuals in the highest wealth bracket.

Kenya does not consume as much alcohol as its neighbors

The typical Kenyan aged fifteen years and above consumed an average of 2.47 litres of pure alcohol per year in 2020.^[2]

However, compared to Uganda and Tanzania, Kenya does not consume nearly as much alcohol. For instance, Ugandans were estimated to consume 11.3 litres of alcohol per person per year in 2020, while Tanzanians consumed an average of 10.95 litres of alcohol per person per year. 

A quarter of Kenyan men reported drinking alcohol in the past month

A large number of people in Kenya reported consuming alcohol in the past month. In men, roughly a quarter, or 25.9% of the male population aged 15 – 49, reported drinking at least one alcoholic drink in the past month.^[3]

The prevalence of drinking in men increased among those in older age groups. For instance, among men aged 50 – 54 years, 37.7% reported having drunk at least one alcoholic drink in the past month.

Alcohol consumption was much lower in women than men in Kenya. In 2022, the share of women aged 15 – 49 who had consumed at least one alcoholic drink was 5.4%.

A larger proportion of people who consume alcohol are in urban areas.

Looking at the distribution in urban and rural areas, we find that alcohol consumption in men and women was more common in urban areas.

Among men aged 15 – 49 years in 2022, the proportion in urban areas that had consumed at least one alcoholic drink in the past month was 29.9%. Consumption was lower in rural areas, where the proportion of men drinking an alcoholic drink in the past month was 23.4%.

The same trend was observed in women, whereby 8.6% of female respondents living in urban areas had taken at least one alcoholic drink in the past month. In rural areas, only 3.2% of women had taken at least one alcoholic drink recently.

Unlike in men, the share of women who drank alcohol decreased with age.

This implies that fewer women in older age groups drink alcohol compared to women in younger age groups. On the contrary, more men in higher age groups drink alcohol compared to those in lower age groups. 

From the chart below, we see that ages 20 - 24 years and 25 - 29 years had the highest proportion of women who had drunk at least one alcoholic drink in the past month, at 6.6%. The prevalence of consumption declined afterwards, with only 4.2% of women aged 40 - 44 years drinking alcohol. 

This may suggest that modern women are drinking at higher rates than their counterparts from earlier years. 

In men, we see that consumption of alcohol starts low among those aged 15 – 19 years at 5.7% but then increases significantly going forward.

Among men aged 20 – 24 years, the percentage who had drunk at least one alcoholic drink in the past month was 21.8%, which rose to 32.2% among men aged 25 – 29 years and further increased to 36.8% among men aged 30 – 34.

Alcohol consumption was more prevalent with increasing education attainment.

Alcohol use in men was highest in higher education levels, with 33.8% of those with more than a secondary education drinking at least one alcoholic drink in the past month. It was lowest among those with no education where only 17% of the men drank alcohol. . 

This may indicate relative differences in socioeconomic status between groups, affecting the affordability of alcohol.

However, as will be discussed later, those with no education drank more times in the past month than those with more than secondary education, who preferred moderate drinking.

We observe the same pattern in women, where 11.7% of those with more than a secondary education had drunk at least one alcoholic drink in the past month, followed by those with no education at 4.5%. 

Alcohol consumption was more prevalent in higher wealth levels.

This view partly verifies our previous observation that differences in alcohol consumption may indicate relative differences in socioeconomic status.

Among men, 34.3% of those in the highest wealth quintile had drunk at least one alcoholic drink in the past month. Only 22.2% of men in the middle class had drunk in the past month – the lowest of all groups. 

In women, alcohol consumption increased progressively from the lowest to the highest wealth level, with 10.8% of women in the highest wealth level drinking at least one alcoholic drink in the past month. 

Individuals with no education drank more frequently than those with higher education attainment.

This tells us that even though more drinkers have higher education levels, the tendency to drink frequently and on more days of the month is mostly common among those with low education levels.

We see this phenomenon in the chart below, where a majority (70.6%) of men with more than secondary education drank for 1 to 5 days, while only 9% drank every day.

On the contrary, among male alcohol drinkers with no education, 42.2% drank for 1 – 5 days, while 11% drank every day.

This relationship extends to women, whereby a majority (74.8%) of women with more than secondary education drank for 1 – 5 days, with only 2.8% consuming alcohol every day.

On the other hand, among those with no education, fewer (56.8%) consumed alcohol for 1 – 5 days in a month, while 10.5% consumed alcohol every day.

Individuals at the lowest wealth level drink more frequently than those in the highest wealth bracket.

As we've seen with education, the frequency of alcohol consumption was higher among men and women in the lowest wealth bracket in Kenya than in the highest.

Among men in the highest wealth level, for instance, 71.9% drank alcohol for 1 – 5 days, while only 8.7% consumed alcohol every day.

On the other hand, only half (50.3%) of men in the lowest wealth level consumed alcohol for 1 – 5 days, with 18.6% consuming alcohol most days of the month.

The same trend is evident among women in Kenya, whereby a majority (76.2%) of those in the highest wealth level consumed alcohol for 1 – 5 days, while 4.4% consumed alcohol every day.

However, among women in the lowest wealth level, only around half (56.8%) consumed alcohol for 1 – 5 days, with 15.5% consuming it almost every day.

These findings are suggestive of higher addiction levels among individuals with lower wealth and education levels.

Alcohol consumption among men in Kenya by county

Alcohol consumption in Kenya varies by county, with some counties having a higher number of drinkers than others.

Alcohol consumption was highest in Tharaka Nithi County, where 49.6% of men aged 15 – 49 reported drinking at least one alcoholic drink in the past month. Next was Machakos at 40%, Embu 39.7%, Murang'a 39.5%, Nairobi 37.3%, Taita Taveta 36.7%, Nyandarua 35.8%, Kiambu 35.6%, Makueni 33.3%, and Nyeri 31.7%.

The percentage of men who had drunk at least one alcoholic drink in the past month was lowest in Mandera at 0.7%, Wajir 1.6%, Garissa 2.8%, Tana River 4.6%, Marsabit 5.9%, Isiolo 10.7%, Lamu 11%, Kakamega 12%, Siaya 12.7%, Kwale 13.2%, Baringo 14.5%, Kisumu 14.8%, Nakuru 16.4%, Homa Bay 16.7%, Bomet 16.8%, and Kericho 17.3%.

Alcohol consumption among women in Kenya

Alcohol consumption is much less common in women than in men, with some counties having a negligible number of female drinkers.

The county with the highest percentage of women who claimed to have drunk at least one alcoholic drink in the past month was Turkana, at 14.8%. Kiambu followed it at 11.3%.

Others include Murang’a at 10.9%, Nairobi at 8.7%, Bungoma at 8.5%, Nyeri at 8.2%, Kajiado at 7.7%, Baringo at 7%, Kirinyaga at 6.7%, Mombasa at 6.5%, and Uasin Gishu at 6.4%.

The counties with the lowest proportion of women who had drunk at least one alcoholic drink include Marsabit, Mandera, and Wajir at 0%. Others include Tana River at 0.4%, Isiolo at 0.8%, Bomet at 0.9%, Siaya at 1.1%, Kericho at 1.5%, Nandi at 1.5%, Kwale at 1.6%, and Garissa at 1.7%.

See Also

1. Tobacco Smoking in Kenya by County
2. Adult mortality rate in Kenya by county
3. Number of deaths in Kenya by county
4. Male and female homicide rates in Kenya

References