Marriage rates are an essential demographic indicator and are used to assess pregnancy risks and fertility levels within a population. The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022 found that 55.4% of women and 45.8% of men between the age of 15-49 were married.[1]
Quick Facts
- Most recent estimates from the KDHS show that 55.4% of women and 45.8% of men were married during the time of the survey in 2022.
- The survey also found that 32.5% of women and 48.2% of men between the age of 15 – 49 were never married.
- Among women, 2.8% were widowed at the time of the survey compared to 0.4% in men.
- The percentage of women and men who were divorced during the time of the survey was 1.4% and 1%, respectively.
- The percentage of women who were separated was 7.9%, and of men, 4.6%.
Data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) mostly focus on women of reproductive age, explaining why marital status is restricted to those aged between 15 – 49.[2] Bypassing this limitation requires looking into the prevalence of marriages in Kenya from census reports, where data on marital status is collected from men and women aged 12 and above.
Marriage rates were higher in women than in men.
Bringing together men and women aged 12 and above who were either in monogamous or polygamous unions, the 2019 census found that 51.1% of women were married compared to 48.8% of men.[3]
The share of never-married women was 39.2% compared to 48.2% among men.
The share of men who were in monogamous marriages in 2019 was 45.6%, while those in polygamous marriages were 2.8%.
Among women, 48.1% were in monogamous unions, while 3% were in polygamous unions.
The share of women that was widowed was disproportionately higher than that of men.
In 2019, only 0.9% of men aged 12 and above were widowed, compared to 6% among women of the same age group.
Lower rates of widowhood among men can be attributed to several factors, including higher rates of remarriage. For instance, data from the United States showed that men had a higher remarriage rate of 35.1 remarriages per 1,000 previously wedded men and women compared to women, whose rate was 19.4 remarriages per 1,000.[4][5]
Moreover, the widowhood effect – or the increased risk of mortality following the loss of a spouse was found to be higher in men than women, meaning there will be fewer male widows overall compared to women.[6]
Divorce and separation were higher in women than men
In 2019, the share of men aged 12 and above who were divorced was 0.6%, while those who were separated were 1.7%.
Among women, the percentage that was divorced was 1.1 %, while the separated were 2.5%.
As is the case with widowhood, lower divorce and separation in men than in women could be attributed to higher remarriage rates in men.
The prevalence of marriage in Kenya by county
The percentage of women who were never married was highest in Uasin Gishu at 45%, Nandi at 44.5%, Nairobi at 43.5%, Elgeyo Marakwet at 43.1%, and Bomet at 42.7%.
On the other hand, the proportion of married women was highest in Tana River at 59.6%, West Pokot at 58.8%, Narok at 58.8%, Samburu at 58.3%, and Nyamira at 55.6%.
Among men, the proportion of never-married men aged 12 and above was highest in Turkana at 59.1%, Garissa at 57.7%, Marsabit at 56.7%, Samburu at 56.4%, Kitui at 53.3%, and Wajir at 53%.
On the contrary, the highest rates of marriage among men in Kenya were highest in Nairobi at 55.4%, followed by Mombasa at 54.3%, Kajiado at 52.8%, Nyamira at 52.4%, and Kiambu at 52%.
Men in urban areas had a higher rate of marriage than those in rural areas.
The proportion of men living in urban areas who were married in 2019 was 53.8%, while those who were never married were 44%. Among men living in rural areas, 46.2% were married while 50.2% were never married.
Unlike rural areas, urban areas in Kenya attract working-class people, with many likely to be married. Rural areas, on the other hand, tend to have a large number of children and teenagers, with a majority yet to be married despite higher levels of teenage marriages.
Among women, however, the proportion that was married in urban areas was lower than in rural areas. In urban areas, 48.7% of women aged 12 and above were married, while 42.2% were never married.
In rural areas, the proportion of women who were married was 52.2%, while those who were never married were 37.7%.
See Also
References
[1] KNBS and ICF. 2023. Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022: Volume 1. Nairobi, Kenya, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: KNBS and ICF.
[3] KNBS (2022). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Analytical report on fertility and nuptiality. Vol. VI
[4] Reynolds, L. (2021). The US remarriage rate, 2019: Trends and geographic variation by gender. Family Profiles, FP-21, 18.
[5] Loo, J. (2024). Age variation in the remarriage rate, 1990 & 2022. Family Profiles, FP-24-09. Bowling Green, OH: National Center for Family & Marriage Research. https://doi.org/10.25035/ncfmr/fp-24-09
[6] Dabergott, F. (2021). The gendered widowhood effect and social mortality gap. Population Studies/Population Studies, 76(2), 295–307. https://doi.org/10.1080/00324728.2021.1892809
