Median Age at First Marriage in Kenya by County

The median age at first marriage is the age by which half of the surveyed population was married. In Kenya, the DHS surveys people and determines the age at which a respondent starts living with their spouse. From these data, we can tell whether people marry at earlier ages or defer until later. 

Quick Facts

1. Kenya had a median age at first marriage of 21 years among women aged 25 – 49 in 2022.
2. The median age at first marriage among men was higher at 25.8 years in men aged 30 – 49.
3. The prevalence of child marriages was 4.1% in girls aged 12 – 15 and 6.1% in girls aged 12 – 18.

The median age at first marriage in Kenya has been rising

Across the world, the mean age at first marriages has been increasing, with people waiting longer before they can marry. In Slovenia, the age at first marriage for women is 34 years, while in Estonia, it is 33.6 years.^[1]

In Kenya, the median age at first marriage has also seen an upward trend, reaching 21 years among women and 25 years in men.^[2] In 2003, the median age was lower than today, with half the women marrying at 19.7 years while men married at 25.1 years.^[3]

However, as we show in our article on child marriages, an increasing median age at first marriage, especially in women, does not necessarily mean that teenage marriages are non-existent. 

In 2022, 6.5% of women aged 20 – 49 had married at exactly age 15. When we look at samples of slightly older women aged 25 – 49, the percentage of women who married at exactly age 15 increases to 7.7.

Earlier marriages, we also found, are associated with a lower median age at first sexual intercourse, higher fertility rates, and higher rates of teenage pregnancies.

The age at first marriage is higher in younger men and women

Young people defer marriages for later at a higher rate than people in older age groups.   Among women aged 25 – 29, the median age is slightly higher than the average at 21.6 years compared to women aged 45 – 49 who marry at a younger median age of 20.9. Among men, the median age is more stable across the age groups than in women. 

Living in urban areas is associated with a higher age at first marriage

Populations living in rural and urban areas tend to differ in many ways, including the age at which they marry. In Kenya, women in rural areas were more likely to marry early at 20.1 years, compared to those in urban areas at 22.4 years.

The same trend is evident in men, whereby those living in urban areas married later at 26.4 years compared to those living in rural areas at 25.4 years.

Looking at lifetime and recent migration in Kenya, we find evidence of rural-urban migration, suggesting that the age at first marriage will continue to increase as more regions urbanize and more people shift residences to urban areas.

Higher education attainment is associated with higher age at first marriage.

Having a higher level of education was associated with later marriages in both men and women in Kenya.^[4] In women, for instance, those with no education married early at a median age of 17.9 years, compared to those with a secondary education at 21.8 years.

In men, those with no education married earlier at 25 years compared to those with a secondary education or higher who married at a median age of 27.4 years. The effect of education and the average years of schooling have a known impact on marriage, with this study showing that completing more years in school increases the odds of a woman marrying after the age of 18.^[5]

Higher wealth is linked to a higher age at first marriage

As with education, people tend to defer marriage to later ages as they become wealthy. In Kenya, this is evident in both women and men. In women, those in the lowest wealth quintile married at a median age of 18.8 years, compared to 23.4 among those in the highest wealth quintile.

In men, those in the lowest wealth quintile married earlier at 24.7 years, while those in the highest wealth quintile married later at 27 years.

The age at first marriage in Kenya varies by county

The highest age at first marriage among women in Kenya is found in the following counties:

1. Nairobi – 23 years
2. Nyeri – 22.9 years
3. Kiambu – 22.4 years
4. Machakos – 22.4 years
5. Mombasa – 22.1 years

Counties with the lowest median age at first marriage among women in Kenya include:

1. Samburu – 17.7 years
2. Migori – 18 years
3. Homa Bay – 18.4 years
4. Narok – 18.5 years
5. Garissa – 18.7 years

Among men, the following counties have the highest median age at first marriage in Kenya:

1. Taita Taveta – 28 years
2. Samburu – 28 years
3. Marsabit – 27.5 years
4. Nyeri – 27.3 years
5. Kirinyaga – 27.3 years

Counties with the lowest median age at first marriage among men include:

1. Migori – 23 years
2. Homa Bay – 23.4 years
3. Busia – 23.6 years
4. Bungoma – 23.8 years
5. West Pokot – 23.9 years

See Also

1. Child marriages in Kenya by county
2. Child marriages are associated with higher teenage pregnancies
3. Child marriages are associated with higher fertility rates
4. Marriage rates in Kenya by county
5. Polygamy in Kenya by County

References