Meru County

Introduction

Meru County is located in Eastern Province and had a total population of 1,646,000 people in 2024. According to the 2019 census, Meru had a total population of 1,545,714, comprising 426,360 households and an average household size of 3.6 people per household.

Meru has a total land area of 7,006.3 square kilometres and a population density of 221 people per square kilometre. 

Meru County is bordered to the North by Isiolo, the South East by Kitui, the South by Tharaka Nithi, the South West by Kirinyaga and Nyeri, and the West by Laikipia County.

Sub counties in Meru include Buuri East, Buuri West, Igembe Central, Igembe North, Igembe South, Imenti North, Imenti South, Meru Central, Tigania East, Tigania West, Meru National Park, and Mt Kenya Forest.

Meru County Economy

Meru County had a Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 407.4 billion between 2018 and 2022, representing an average county contribution to Gross Value Added of 3.3%.

Meru County's average contribution to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities was 7.6%, while its contribution to manufacturing activities was 1.9%. Meru County contributed, on average, 2.1% to service activities between 2018 and 2022.

Meru County had a Gross County Product per capita of Ksh 253,718 in 2022.

Poverty Rates

Meru County had an overall headcount poverty rate of 26.3% in 2021, with roughly 411,000 people estimated to live in poverty. In Kenya, the overall poverty rate in the same period was 38.6%.

The hardcore poverty rate in Meru County was 5%, with 79,000 people estimated to live in extreme poverty. Kenya, on the other hand, had a hardcore poverty rate of 5.8% in the same period.

Meru County had a food poverty rate of 23.4%, with an estimated 367,000 people living in food poverty. In Kenya, the food poverty rate in 2021 was 30.5%.

The map below shows the distribution of poverty by constituency in Meru County in 2019: Buuri 9%, Igembe Central 15.6%, Igembe North 18.9, Igembe South 17.2%, Imenti Central 9%, Imenti North 35.9%, Imenti South 42.8%, Tigania East 16.9%, and Tigania West 14.7%.

The mean monthly food and non-food expenditures in Meru County were Ksh 3,443 and Ksh 3,825, respectively, in 2021. The percentage of food expenditure in the county was 56%, while the percentage of non-food expenditure was 44% in 2021. 

The major sources of household food consumption in Meru County were purchase or stock 78%, own production 15%, and gifts 6.9% in 2021.

The mean and median per adult equivalent expenditure in Meru County were Ksh 7,267 and Ksh 5,478, respectively, in 2021.

Meru County Demographics

Meru County had a population of 1,545,714 in 2019, consisting of 767,698 males, 777,975 females, and 41 intersex. Meru had a median age of 21 years in 2019.

The table below shows the population distribution in Meru County by sub-county and sex.

Marital Status

The percentage of women aged 12 and above in Meru County who were never married was 34.6% in 2019, while those who were married monogamously were 48.4%. Those in polygamous marriages were 1.8%, and the widowed were 7.2%. The distribution of women in Meru who were divorced or separated was 1.2% and 4.0%, respectively, in 2019.

Among men aged 12 and above in Meru County, 44.2% were never married, 48.4% married monogamous, 1.9% married polygamous, 1.3% widowed, 0.9% divorced, and 3.2% separated.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in Meru County was 20 years, while the median age at first marriage among men aged 30-54 in Meru was 25.5 years in 2022.

Polygyny

The percentage of married women aged 15-49 in Meru County who had one or more co-wives in 2022 was 6.9%. Those with no co-wife were 78.9%, while those with only one co-wife were 5.5%. Women with more than two co-wives in the Meru were 1.4%.

Among married men aged 15-49, 97.5% had one wife, and 2.5% had more than two wives in 2022.

Marriage Registration

The percentage of currently married women aged 15-49 in Meru County whose marriage was registered with civil authorities was 21.5% in 2022, while those whose marriage was registered and had a marriage certificate was 17.7%.

Teenage Marriages

The proportion of married males and females aged 12-15 in Meru County was 5.7% and 5.9%, respectively, in 2021. Among females aged 12-18, the married proportion in Meru was 8.8%.

The rate of teenage pregnancy in Meru County, consisting of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 23.6% in 2022.

Total Fertility Rate

Meru County had a Total Fertility Rate of 2.9 births per woman in 2019, a decline of 28.3% from 4.1 births per woman in 2009. Overall, Kenya had a Total Fertility Rate of 3.4 births per woman in 2019, a drop of 28.6% from 4.8 births per woman in 2009.

The total youth fertility rate in Meru County was 1 birth per woman, similar to the national youth fertility rate of one birth per woman.

Meru County had a Crude Birth Rate of 23.1 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 34.5% from a Crude Birth Rate of 35.3 births per 1,000 population in 2009. By comparison, Kenya had a Crude Birth Rate of 27.9 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 27.2% from a Crude Birth Rate of 38.4 births per 1,000 population in 2009.

Place of Birth and Notification Status

The share of recent births in Meru County occurring in a health facility was 94.5% in 2019, while those occurring in a non-health facility were 5.4%. In Kenya, the share of recent births occurring in a health facility in 2019 was 85.8%, while those occurring in a non-health facility were 14%.

The share of recent births in Meru County that were notified in 2019 was 95.9%, while those not notified were 4%. In Kenya, the % of notified births in 2019 were 90.4%, while the % of non-notified births were 9.3%.

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 66% of deaths in Meru County occurred in a health facility, while 33.3% occurred in the community. In Kenya, 59% of deaths in 2019 occurred in a health facility, while 40% did not occur in a health facility.

The share of deaths in Meru County that were notified in 2019 was 94.7%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Meru County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 8.2 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

Most residents of Meru County are Protestant 615,129, followed by Evangelical Churches 365,759, and Catholic 313,277.

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Meru County was 78%, representing the percentage of the population living within two kilometres of an all-weather road in 2019.
2. Household access to electricity in Meru County was 40.6% in 2019, up from 13.6% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Meru County was 89.8% in 2019, up from 78.1% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Meru County was 63.4% in 2019, up from 61.4% in 2009.
5. Meru had 97.5% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 18^th nationally in 2019.

The share of the population in Meru County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 50.3%. Among women, 74.1% owned any type of mobile phone in Meru County in 2022, while 32.5% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 80.7% in Meru owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 40.1% owned a smartphone. The percentage of men and women who had used a mobile phone for financial transactions in the year preceding the 2022 KDHS survey was 74.1% and 76.8%, respectively.

See Also

1. Embu County
2. Tharaka Nithi County
3. Isiolo County

References

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5. KNBS. (2023). 2023 Gross County Product: Measuring the economic evolution of counties (pp. 8-10).
6. KNBS. (2023). 2023 Gross County Product: Measuring the economic evolution of counties (pp. 15-21).
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8. Commission on Revenue Allocation. (2022). Kenya County Factsheet (3rd ed., p. 120).
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18. KNBS. (2019). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Distribution of population by socioeconomic status (Vol. IV, p. 422).
19. Commission on Revenue Allocation. (2022). Kenya County Factsheet (3rd ed., p. 120).