Tobacco Smoking in Kenyan Men and Women by County

Smoking is common in Kenya, though not as common as alcohol consumption. We have more alcohol drinkers in Kenya than tobacco smokers. 

Cigarettes are the most common type of tobacco smoked in Kenya. However, other people in the country smoke tobacco in pipes, cheroots, cigars, cigarillos, and water pipes^[1].

Smoking is harmful to health and is a risk factor for many medical conditions, including cancers. Secondhand smoke also has serious health impacts on non-smokers^[2].

Quick Facts

1. The prevalence of tobacco smoking among men aged 15 – 49 in 2022 was 11.1%.
2. Among women of the same age group, the prevalence of tobacco smoking was 0.8%.
3. In women, tobacco smoking was more common in urban areas, while in men, smoking was higher in rural areas.
4. Tobacco smoking in men was highest in men with low education attainment.
5. Tobacco smoking was highest in men of low wealth levels.
6. A majority of tobacco smokers smoke on a daily basis.
7. A majority (38.6%) of men aged 15 – 49 who use cigarettes smoke fewer than five of them a day, while 7.3% smoke more than 25 roles in a day.
8. Meru County had the highest prevalence of smoking among men at 28.4% in 2022.

Tobacco smoking in Kenya is more prevalent in men than women

The proportion of men aged 15 – 49 in 2022 who smoked any type of tobacco was 11.1%. This was higher than the proportion of women of the same age group who smoked any type of tobacco at 0.8%. 

In men, smoking was more prevalent among individuals of higher age groups, with the proportion of men aged 50 – 54 who smoked any type of tobacco being 28.1%. This may suggest that smoking was more common in the past than it is today.

The proportion of men and women in Kenya who smoke rises with age

From the data, we find that smoking is less prevalent in younger age groups than in older ones. For instance, among men aged 20 – 24, only 5.6% smoked tobacco in 2022.

However, in higher age groups, the proportion of smokers increased. Among men aged 45 – 49 years, 26.3% smoked tobacco.

The proportion was even higher among men aged 50 – 54, where 28.1% smoked tobacco.

This may suggest that smoking among men was more common in previous decades than it is today, with fewer younger people taking on smoking.

In men, smoking was more common in rural than urban areas

Comparing tobacco smoking in rural and urban areas, we find that 12.3% of men in rural areas smoked any type of tobacco compared to 9.2% of men in urban areas.

The opposite trend was observed among women, where 1% of women in urban areas smoked compared to 0.6% in rural areas.

Tobacco smoking was more common among individuals of lower educational attainment.

Tobacco smoking declines as we move from low levels of education to higher ones. This means that among men with higher education levels, fewer of them are smokers.

For instance, among men with no education in Kenya, 13.8% of them were tobacco smokers. The percentage of smokers was highest among men with only a primary education, where 17.6% of them were smokers.

Among men with a secondary education, 7.8% were smokers, while in men with more than a secondary education, 5.8% of them smoked any type of tobacco.

In women the highest proportion of smokers was among women with no education, where 2% were smokers.

Tobacco smoking is less common among individuals in higher wealth levels

As is the case with education, a larger proportion of smokers were found in lower wealth levels than in higher levels.

Among men in the lowest wealth level, 16.9% smoked tobacco, compared to only 5.4% of men in the highest wealth level.

A majority of tobacco smokers in Kenya smoke on a daily basis

When Kenyan men aged 15 – 49 were asked how often they smoked, 7.8% said they smoked on a daily basis, 3.3% only smoked occasionally, and 88.9% were non-smokers.

Among men aged 50 – 54, 23.3% smoked on a daily basis, while 4.8% smoked occasionally. 71.9% of men in that age group were non-smokers.

Overall, 8.6% of men aged 15 – 54 smoked daily, 3.4 smoked occasionally, and 88% did not smoke.

A majority of tobacco smokers in Kenya smoked fewer than five cigarettes

Among men aged 15 – 49, 38.6% smoked fewer than five cigarettes compared to 7.3% who smoked twenty-five cigarettes or more.

The same trend is evident among men aged 50 – 54, a majority of whom smoked fewer than five cigarettes at 39.7%, compared to 4.6% who smoked twenty-five cigarettes or more.

Smoking among men in Kenya by county

The prevalence of smoking in Kenya differed by county, with Meru County having the highest percentage of smokers at 28.4%.

Other counties with high smoking rates include Murang'a, at 27.3%; Tharaka Nithi, at 25.6%; Embu, at 25.6%; Makueni, at 25%; Isiolo, at 23.8%; Kitui, at 20.6%, and Mombasa, at 20.3%.

The counties with the lowest prevalence of smoking were Wajir at 1.8%, Nyamira at 2.5%, Migori at 2.9%, Kisii at 3.2%, Kisumu at 3.6%, Busia at 3.7%, Siaya at 4.1%, Homa Bay at 4.3%, Bungoma at 4.5, and Kericho at 5.1%.

See Also

1. Alcohol Consumption in Kenya by County
2. The adult mortality rate in Kenya by County
3. Male and female homicide rates in Kenya by county

References