Nandi County

Introduction

Nandi County had a total population of 967,000 people in 2024. According to the 2019 population and housing census, the county had 885,711 people. Nandi had a total of 199,426 households and an average household size of 4.4 people per household.

The county's total land area is 2,844.8 square kilometers, with a population density of 310 people per square kilometer.

Nandi County is bordered to the North and East by Uasin Gishu, South East by Kericho, South by Kisumu, South West by Vihiga, and West by Kakamega.

Nandi has six sub-counties: Chesumei, Nandi Central, Nandi East, Nandi South, and Tinderet.

Nandi County Economy

Nandi County had an average Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 193.18 billion between 2018 and 2022, representing a 1.5% five-year average contribution to Gross Value Added.

Nandi County’s average contribution to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities between 2018 and 2022 was 3.7%, while its contribution to manufacturing activities was 1.3%. Nandi County contributed 0.9% to service activities.

Nandi County had a Gross County Product per capita of Ksh 206,348 in 2022.

Poverty Rates

The overall poverty rate in Nandi County in 2021 was 35.7%, representing an estimated 325,000 people living in poverty. The overall poverty rate in Kenya in the same year was 38.6%.

Nandi County had a hardcore poverty rate of 13.1%, with an estimated 119,000 people living in extreme poverty. By comparison, Kenya had a hardcore poverty rate of 5.8% in 2021.

The estimated food poverty rate of Nandi County in 2021 was 31.3%, with roughly 285,000 people living in food poverty. In Kenya, the food poverty rate in the same year was 30.5%.

The map below shows the distribution of poverty by Constituency in Nandi County in 2019: Aldai 36.9%, Chesumei 34.1%, Emgwen 36.5%, Mosop 41.8%, Nandi Hills 14.4%, and Tinderet 39.5%.

The mean monthly food and non-food expenditures in Nandi County were Ksh 3,344 and Ksh 3,184, respectively, in 2021. The share of expenditure on food was 61.6%, while the share of non-food expenditure was 38.4%. 

The distribution of household food consumption in Nandi County by source showed that 66.2% was from purchase or stock, 27.7% from own production, and 6.1% from gifts.

The mean and median per adult equivalent expenditure in Nandi County in 2021 was Ksh 5,258 and Ksh 5,185, respectively.

Nandi County Demographics

Nandi County had a total population of 885,711 people in 2019, with 441,259 males, 444,430 females, and 22 intersex. Nandi had a median age of 18 years in 2019.

The table below shows the population distribution in Nandi County by sex and sub-county in 2019.

Marital Status

The percentage distribution of women aged 12 and above in Nandi County who were never married in 2019 was 44.5%, while those in monogamous unions were 47.5%. The share of women in polygamous marriages was 1.5%, while those who were widowed were 4.7%. The share of women in Nandi County who were divorced and separated in 2019 was 0.4% and 1.3%, respectively.

In men, the percentage distribution of those aged 12 and above who were never married in 2019 was 51.3%. The share of men in Nandi who were in monogamous marriages was 44.7%, while those in polygamous marriages were 1.4%. The widowed in the county were 0.8%, while the divorced and separated were 0.3% and 1.3%, respectively.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 was 21.8 years. Among men aged 30-54, the median age at first marriage was 25.6 years.

Polygyny

The distribution of married women aged 15-49 in Nandi County with one or more co-wives in 2022 was 4.8%. The share without a co-wife was 92.6%, with a single co-wife was 3.8%, and more than two co-wives was 1%.

Among married men aged 15-49 in Nandi County, the share with only one wife was 98%, while the share of men with more than two wives was 2%.

Marriage Registration

The % of currently married women aged 15-49 whose marriage is registered with civil authorities in Nandi County was 25.8% in 2022. The share whose current marriage was registered with a civil authority and who had a marriage certificate in 2022 was 24.8%.

Teenage Marriages

The proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Nandi County who were married in 2019 was 3.7%, while the proportion of married females of the same age group who were married was 3.9%. In addition, the proportion of married females aged 12-18 in Nandi County was 4.8%.

According to the KDHS 2022, the rate of teenage pregnancies in Nandi County, comprising teenage women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 10.5%.

Total Fertility Rate

Nandi County had a Total Fertility Rate of 3.2 births per woman in 2019, a decrease of 35.1% from 4.9 births in 2009. By comparison, Kenya's TFR in 2019 was 3.4 births per woman in 2019, a reduction of 28.6% from 4.8 births in 2009.

In 2019, the total youth fertility rate in Nandi County was one birth per woman, similar to the national youth fertility rate of one birth per woman. 

Nandi County's Crude Birth Rate was 24.7 births per 1,000 people in 2019, a 42.5% decrease from 43 births per 1,000 women in 2009. Overall, the national Crude Birth Rate was 27.9 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a 27.2% reduction from 38.4 births per 1,000 population in 2009.

Place of Birth and Notification Status

In 2019, 83% of recent births in Nandi County occurred in a health facility, while 16.8% occurred in a non-health facility. Nationally, the share of recent births in a health facility was 85.8%, with 14% occurring in a non-health facility. 

The share of recent births in Nandi County that were notified in 2019 was 89.7%, while those that were not notified were 10.1%. Overall, the share of births that were not notified in Kenya was 90.4%, while those that were not were 9.3%.

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 57% of deaths in Nandi County occurred in a health facility, while 42.8% 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 Nandi County that were notified in 2019 was 90.2%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

In 2019, Nandi County's Crude Death Rate (CDR) was 12.8 deaths per 1,000 population, compared to 10.5% in Kenya.

Religious Affiliation

Most residents of Nandi County are Protestants 401,975, Catholics 216,901, and members of Evangelical Churches 153,342.

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Nandi County was 55%, representing the percentage of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
2. Household access to electricity in Nandi County was 30.7% in 2019, up from 6.4% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Nandi County was 86.7% in 2019, up from 72.7% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Nandi County was 45.8% in 2019, up from 37.6% in 2009.
5. Nandi had 98.2% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 13^th highest in the country in 2019.

The share of the population in Nandi County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 42.5%. Among women, 73.9% owned any type of mobile phone in Nandi County in 2022, while 39.3% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 80.2% in Nandi owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 42.9% 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 77% and 75.3%, respectively.

See Also

1. Uasin Gishu County
2. Elgeyo Marakwet County
3. Kericho County
4. Bomet County

References

1. KNBS. (2022). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Analytical report on population projections (Vol. XVI, pp. 23-25).
2. KNBS. (2022). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Population by county and subcounty (Vol. I, p. 7).
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4. KNBS. (2019). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Population by county and subcounty (Vol. I, p. 10).
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).
7. KNBS. (2023). The Kenya Poverty Report: Based on the 2021 Kenya Continuous Household Survey (pp. 35-47).
8. Commission on Revenue Allocation. (2022). Kenya County Factsheet (3rd ed., p. 120).
9. KNBS. (2023). The Kenya Poverty Report: Based on the 2021 Kenya Continuous Household Survey (pp. 27-31).
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14. KNBS. (2022). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Analytical report on fertility and nuptiality (Vol. VI, pp. 19-21).
15. KNBS and ICF. 2023. Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022: Volume 1. Nairobi, Kenya, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: KNBS and ICF. (pp. 169-170).
16. KNBS. (2022). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Analytical report on fertility and nuptiality (Vol. VI, pp. 34-42).
17. KNBS. (2022). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Analytical report on fertility and nuptiality (Vol. VI, pp. 43-46).
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).