Baringo County

Introduction

Baringo County had a total population of 749,000 people in 2024.^[1] According to the Kenya Population and Housing Census, the county had 666,763 people in 2019, comprising 142,518 households. The average household size in the county in that year was 4.7 people per household.^{[2] [3][4]}

Baringo County has a total land area of 10,976.4 square kilometers and a population density of 61 people per square kilometer.^[5]

Baringo County is bordered to the North by Turkana, to the North East by Samburu, to the East by Laikipia, to the South by Nakuru, to the South West by Kericho and Uasin Gishu, to the West by Elgeyo Marakwet, and the North West by West Pokot.

Baringo County has seven sub-counties, including Baringo Central, Baringo North, East Pokot, Koibatek, Marigat, Mogotio, and Tiaty East.

Baringo County Economy

Baringo County had an average Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 93.3 billion, representing an average country contribution to gross value added of 0.8% within the same period.^[6]

Baringo County's average contribution to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities was 1.1% between 2018 and 2022. Its contribution to manufacturing activities was 0.5%, while its contribution to service activities was 0.7%.^[7]

Baringo County had a GDP per capita of Ksh 130,030 in 2022.

Poverty Rates

Baringo County's overall headcount poverty rate was 47.5%, with an estimated 328,000 people living in poverty in 2021. The national headcount poverty rate in the same year was 38.6%.

The county also had a hardcore poverty rate of 5.1% in 2021, with an estimated 35,000 people living in hardcore poverty. The national hardcore poverty rate in 2021 was 5.8%.

Baringo had an estimated food poverty rate of 33.9%, with 233,000 people estimated to live in poverty in 2021. The national food poverty rate in the same year was 30.5%.^[8]

The map below shows the distribution of poverty by constituency in Baringo County: Baringo Central 29.3%, Baringo North 28.2%, Baringo South 33.4%, Eldama Ravine 25.8%, Mogotio 35%, and Tiaty East 56.7%.^[9]

The mean monthly food and non-food expenditures in Baringo County in 2021 were Ksh 3,004 and Ksh 2,108, with 63.4% of expenditures on food and 36.6% on non-food items.

The percentage distribution of household food consumption by source in Baringo County was 79.9% from purchase or stock, 16% from own production, and 4.2% from gifts.

The mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditure in Baringo County were Ksh 5,111 and Ksh 4,287, respectively, in 2021.^[10]

Baringo County Demographics

Baringo's total population was 667,763 people in 2019, consisting of 336,322 males, 330,428 females, and 13 intersex. Baringo had a median age of 16 years in 2019.

Marital Status

The percentage distribution of women aged 12 and above in Baringo County who were never married in 2019 was 41.7%, while those in monogamous unions were 46.1%. Those married polygamously in Baringo were 6.4%. The share of the widowed in the county in 2019 was 4%, while the divorced and separated were 0.4% and 1.3%, respectively.

Among men aged 12 and above in Baringo, the percentage distribution of the never married in 2019 was 52.9%, while those married monogamously was 40.4%. Those in polygamous unions were 4.5%, while the widowed in the county were 0.8%. The share of the divorced and separated in Baringo County was 0.2% and 1% in 2019.^[11]

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in Baringo County was 21.6 years, while the median age at first marriage among men aged 30-54 was 26.2 years.^[12]

Polygyny

The distribution of married women in Baringo County aged 15-49 who had one or more co-wives in 2022 was 23.1%. The distribution of those with more than two co-wives was 4.5%, while those with only one co-wife was 18.6%. The percentage without a co-wife in Baringo was 75.1%.

Among married men aged 15-49 in Baringo County, the share with one wife was 95.7%, while those with more than two wives was 4.3%.^[13]

Marriage Registration

The % of currently married women aged 15-49 in Baringo County whose marriage was registered with the civil authorities in 2022 was 18.4%. Those whose current marriage was registered with civil authorities and had a marriage certificate in 2022 were 11.3%.^[14]

Teenage Marriages

The proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Baringo County was 5.4% in 2019, while the proportion of married females of the same age group in the county was 6%. Among females aged 12-18, the proportion that was married in Baringo County in 2019 was 7.8%.^[15]

According to the KDHS 2022, the rate of teenage pregnancies in Baringo County, consisting of females aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 20.3%.^[16]

Total Fertility Rate

Baringo County had a Total Fertility Rate of 4 births in 2019, a 37.3% decrease from 6.3 births in 2009. By comparison, the national TFR in 2019 was 3.4 births, a 28.6% decrease from 4.8 births in 2009.

The total fertility rate of the youth of Baringo County in 2019 was 1.1 births, compared to the national youth fertility rate of 1 birth.

Baringo County also had a Crude Birth Rate of 27.4 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a 40.4% decrease from 45.9 births per 1,000 population in 2009. Kenya's crude birth rate in 2019 was 27.9 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a 27.2% decline from 38.4 births per 1,000 population in 2009.^[17]

Place of Birth and Notification Status

The share of recent births in Baringo County occurring in a health facility in 2019 was 74.7%, while those in a non-health facility were 24.9%. In Kenya, the share of recent births in a health facility in 2019 was 85.8%, while those in non-health facilities were 14%.

The share of recent births in Baringo County that were notified in 2019 was 81.1%, while those that were not notified were 18.5%. Nationally, the number of notified births in 2019 was 90.4%, while those that were not notified were 9.3%.^[18]

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 49.4% of deaths in Baringo County occurred in a health facility, while 48.9% 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 Baringo County that were notified in 2019 was 68.9%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Baringo County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 6.9 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

Most residents of Baringo County are Protestants 291,992, Catholics 122,620, and members of Evangelical Churches 111,615.^[19]

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Baringo County was 49%, representing the percentage of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
2. Household access to electricity in Baringo County was 28.7% in 2019, up from 9.6% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Baringo County was 60.7% in 2019, up from 41% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Baringo County was 34.7% in 2019, up from 25.9% in 2009.
5. Baringo had 70.8% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 34^th nationally in 2019.^[20]

The share of the population in Baringo County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 35%. Among women, 67.5% owned any type of mobile phone in Baringo County in 2022, while 26.5% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 73.2% in Baringo owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 36.2% 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 70.8% and 66.1%, respectively.

See Also

1. Turkana County
2. Samburu County
3. Elgeyo Marakwet County 
4. West Pokot

References