Migori County

Introduction

Migori County had a population of 1,358,000 in 2024. According to the national census, Migori had 1,116,436 people and a land area of 2,613.5 square kilometers in 2019. The county had a population density of 427 people per square kilometer.

With 240,168 total number of households, Migori had an average household size of 4.6 people per household.

Migori is bordered to the East by Narok, the North East by Kisii, the North by Homa Bay, and the West by Lake Victoria.

Migori has eight sub-counties: Awendo, Kuria East, Kuria West, Nyatike, Rongo, Suna East, and Uriri.

Migori County Economy

Migori County had an economy worth Ksh 158.1 billion in 2022, representing a 1.3% contribution to the Gross value added. The five-year average contribution to the GVA from 2018 to 2022 was 1.2%.

Migori County contributed, on average, 2.1% to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities in the five years between 2018 and 2022. During the same period, Migori contributed 0.5% to manufacturing and 1.0% to service activities.

Migori County had a Gross Conty Product (GCP) per capita of Ksh. 131,203 in 2022, an increase from Ksh. 119,643 in 2021.

Poverty Rates

In 2021, Migori County's overall headcount poverty rate was 48%, higher than the national headcount poverty rate of 38.6%. The estimated number of people living in poverty in the county was 557,000.

Migori County also had a hardcore poverty rate of 7.0%, higher than the national headcount poverty rate of 5.8%. The estimated number of people living in extreme poverty was 81,000.

The map below shows poverty rates by constituency in Migori County. Awendo had a poverty rate of 37.3%, Kuria East 44.4%, Kuria West 47.9%, Nyatike 14%, Rongo 12.2%, Suna East 40.5%, Suna West 41.4%, and Uriri 38.7%. 

The food poverty rate in Migori County was 30.7% in 2021, with an estimated 357,000 people living in food poverty.

The overall share of food and non-food expenditures in Migori County was 66.6% and 33.4%, respectively. This corresponded to a total expenditure of Ksh 5,019, of which 3,167 was spent on food and 1,852 on non-food items. 

The mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditures in Migori County were Ksh 5,019 and Ksh 4,339.

Migori County Demographics

Migori County had 1,116,436 people in 2019, of whom 536,187 were male, 580,214 were female, and 35 were intersex. Migori had a median age of 15 years in 2019.

Marital Status

In 2019, 36.1% of women aged 12 years and above in Migori County were never married, while 45.4% were married monogamously. Moreover, 8.5% were married polygamously, while 8.8% were widowed. Those divorced and separated were 0.4% and 0.7%, respectively.

Among men, 49.4% were never married, 44.1% were married monogamously, and 7.0% were married polygamously. Moreover, 0.7% were widowed, 0.2% divorced, and 0.7% separated.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), the median age of first marriage among women in Migori County aged 20-49 was 18.4 years. The median age of first marriage among women aged 25-49 was 18.

Among men, the median age of first marriage in 2022 was 23.3 years among those aged 25-54 and 23 years among men in the county aged 30-54.

Polygyny

According to the KDHS, 19.2% of married women aged 15-49 in Migori County had one or more co-wives in 2022. However, 80.3% did not have a co-wife, 15.1% had one co-wife, and 4.1% had more than two co-wives. Among men aged 15-49 in Migori, 84.9% had one wife, while 15.1% had more than two wives.

Marriage registration

The percentage of married women aged 15-49 in Migori County whose marriage is registered was 15.8%. Those whose marriages are registered and have a marriage certificate were 8.4%.

Teenage marriages

The proportions of married males and females aged 12-15 in Migori County in 2019 were 4.2% and 4.4% in females.

The rate of teenage pregnancy in Migori County was 22.4% in 2022, comprising women aged 15-19 who have ever had a live birth.

Total Fertility Rate

Migori County's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) was 3.9 births per woman in 2019, a 39.4% decline from 6.4 births per woman in 2009. By comparison, the national TFR was 3.4 births per woman in 2019, a drop of 28.6% from 4.8 births per woman in 2009.

The total fertility rate of the youth aged 15-24 in Migori County was 1.4 births in 2019.

Migori County's Crude Birth Rate (CBR) was 30.8 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 40.2% from 51.5 births per 1,000 population in 2009. In the same period, Kenya had a crude birth rate of 27.9 births per 1,000 people, a decrease of 27.2% from 38.4 births per 1,000 in 2009.

The percentage of births occurring in health facilities in Migori County was 90.9%, and 9% occurred in non-healthcare facilities. Moreover, 91.3% of births in Migori County in 2019 were notified, while 8.5% were not. 

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 63.1% of deaths in Migori County occurred in a health facility, while 36.2% 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 Migori County that were notified in 2019 was 74.8%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Migori County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 12.3 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

Most residents of Migori County are Protestants 411,800, followed by Evangelical Churches 280,400, and Catholics 190,734.

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Migori County was 85%, representing the percentage of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
2. Household access to electricity in Migori County was 23.5% in 2019, up from 5.3% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Migori County was 75.0% in 2019, up from 51.4% in 2009.
4. Households access to safe drinking water in Migori County was 46.1% in 2019, up from 28.81% in 2009.
5. Migori had 98.7% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 12^th nationally in 2019.

The share of the population in Migori County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 37.5%. Among women, 59.7% owned any type of mobile phone in Migori County in 2022, while 21.9% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 72.1% of Migori owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 36.9% 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 77.5% and 63.2%, respectively.

See Also

1. Kisumu County
2. Siaya County
3. Homa Bay 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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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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16. KNBS. (2022). 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census: Analytical report on fertility and nuptiality (Vol. VI, pp. 34-42).
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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).