Mombasa County

Introduction

Mombasa County is located in the Coast Province. It is the second-largest city in Kenya, with a total population of 1,340,000 in 2024. According to the 2019 census, the county had 1,208,333 people, comprising 378,422 households and an average household size of 3.1 people per household.

Mombasa has the smallest land area in the country, covering 219.9 square kilometers, and the second-highest population density, with 6,094 people living per square kilometer.

Mombasa County borders Kilifi County to the North and Kwale County to the South. Mombasa has six sub-counties: Changamwe, Jomvu, Kisauni, Likoni, Mvita, and Nyali.

Mombasa County Economy

Mombasa County had the fourth largest economy in Kenya, with an average Gross County Product (GCP) at current prices of Ksh 564.1 billion between 2018 and 2022, behind Nakuru County (Ksh. 600.5 billion), Kiambu County (721.2 billion), and Nairobi County (3,379.4 billion). The economy of Mombasa represents an average county contribution to Gross Value Added (GVA) of 4.9%.

Mombasa County contributed, on average, 9.6% to manufacturing activities, ranking behind Nairobi, which contributed 36.9%, and ahead of Kiambu and Machakos Counties, whose average manufacturing contributions were 8.4% and 7.8%, respectively.

Between 2018 and 2022, Mombasa County contributed 5.6% to service activities and 0.2% to agriculture, forestry, and fishing. By comparison, Nairobi contributed 37.3% to services, Kiambu 5.0%, Nakuru 4.4%, and Kisumu 2.7%. Mombasa County’s contribution to agriculture, forestry, and fishing was the lowest in the country, with Meru County (7.6%), Nakuru (5.2%), Nyandarua (4.5%), Murang’a (4.1%), and Kiambu (4.0%) contributing the highest.

In 2022, Mombasa County's Gross County Product (GCP) per capita was Ksh. 439,390, the second-highest behind Nairobi County's GCP of Ksh. 723,335 and ahead of Nyeri County's GCP of Ksh. 292,944.

Poverty Rates

In 2021, Mombasa County's overall headcount poverty rate was 31.8%, with 402,000 people estimated to be living in poverty. Kenya's overall headcount poverty rate was 38.6% in 2021.

Mombasa had a hardcore poverty rate of 1%, with 13,000 people estimated to live in extreme poverty in 2021. Overall, Kenya had a hardcore poverty rate of 5.8%.

The food poverty rate in Mombasa was 29.3%, with 370,000 people in the county estimated to live in food poverty. In Kenya, the national food poverty rate in 2021 was 30.5%.

The map below shows the distribution of poverty by constituency in Mombasa County in 2019. Nyali had the highest poverty rate at 32.2%, followed by Kisauni at 25%. Jomvu had a poverty rate of 27.1%, Likoni 24.5%, Mvita 24.2%, and Changamwe 16.4%. 

In 2021, the mean monthly food and non-food expenditures in Mombasa County were Ksh 4,013 and Ksh 6,701, respectively. The percentage share of food expenditures was 41.2%, while the percentage share of non-food expenditures was 58.8%. 

The major food sources in Mombasa were purchase or stock 96.9%, own production 1.4%, and gifts 1.7%.

In 2021, the mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditure in Mombasa County were Ksh 10,714 and Ksh 9,249, respectively.  

Mombasa County Demographics

According to the 2019 population and housing census, Mombasa had a total population of 1,208,333, including 610,257 males, 598,046 females, and 30 intersex people. Mombasa had a median age of 23 years in 2019.

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

Marital Status

In 2019, 37.8% of women aged 12 and above in Mombasa County were never married, while 50.9% were married monogamously. On the other hand, 1.3% of women were married polygamous, while 3.9% were widowed. The percentages of the divorced and separated in Mombasa County were 2.9% and 3.2%, respectively. 

Among men aged 12 and above in 2019, 42.2% were never married. On the other hand, 52.1% were married monogamously, and 2.2% polygamously. The share of the widowed was 0.7%, while the divorced and separated were 1.3% and 1.4%, respectively.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, the median age of first marriage among women in Mombasa County aged 25-49 was 22.2 in 2022, while the median age at first marriage among men aged 30-54 was 25.5.

The median age of first sexual intercourse among women aged 20-49 in Mombasa County was 19.7 years and 19.6 among women aged 25-49. In men, the median age of first sexual intercourse in Mombasa County was 18.7 years among those aged 20-54 and 18.6 years among men aged 25-54 years.

Polygyny

Furthermore, 7.7% of married women in Mombasa County had one or more co-wives. Among men, the KDHS found that 94.7% of married men aged 15-49 had a single wife, while 5.3% had more than two wives.

Marriage Registration

The percentage of married women aged 15-49 in Mombasa County whose marriage was registered with the civil authorities was 35% in 2022, while those whose marriage was registered with authorities and had a birth certificate was 29.9%.

Teenage Marriages

In 2019, the proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Mombasa County was 2.0%, compared to a national average of 3.9%, while the proportion of married females aged 12-15 was 2.2%, compared to a national average of 4.1%.

The teenage pregnancy rate in Mombasa County, consisting of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 9.4%.

Total Fertility Rate

Mombasa County's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) was 2.9 births per woman in 2019, a decline of 13.4% from 3.3 births per woman in 2009. Overall, Kenya's TFR was 3.4 births per woman in 2019.

In 2019, the total youth fertility rate in Mombasa, consisting of women aged 15-24, was 0.8 births per woman. Overall, Kenya had a youth fertility rate of 1 birth per woman in the same year.

Mombasa County's Crude Birth Rate (CBR) was 29.3 births per 1,000 live births in 2019, a 7.8% decrease from 37.1 births per 1,000 population in 2009. In Kenya, the national crude birth rate in 2019 was 27.9 births, a decline of 10.5% from 38.4 births per 1,000 population in 2009.

Place of Birth and Notification Status

In 2019, 95.1% of recent births in Mombasa County occurred in a health facility, while 4.8% of births did not. In Kenya, 85.8% of births occurred in a health facility, while 14% did not.

The share of recent births in Mombasa County that were notified in 2019 was 94.5%, while those that were not notified were 5.4%. In Kenya, notified births were 90.4%, while non-notified births were 5.4% in 2019.

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 64.3% of deaths in Mombasa County occurred in a health facility, while 35.1% 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 Mombasa County that were notified in 2019 was 86.3%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Mombasa County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 9.7 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

The largest share of the population in Mombasa County were Muslims, 450,568; Protestants, 241,554; Catholics, 170,797; and other Christians, 100,568.

People with Disabilities 

In 2019, the total number of people aged 5 and above with disabilities in Mombasa County was 14,241. Males with disabilities were 6,383, while females with disabilities were 7,857.

By type of disability, 5,600 had visual disabilities, 3,262 had hearing disabilities, 5,202 had mobility disabilities, 2,693 had cognition disabilities, 2,201 had self-care disabilities, and 2,211 had communication disabilities. 

Development in Mombasa

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Mombasa County in 2019 was 95%, representing the percentage of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road.
2. The share of households accessing electricity in Mombasa County in 2019 was 86.3%, up from 59% in 2009.
3. In 2019, 91.1% of households in Mombasa County had access to improved sanitation, up from 73.9% in 2009.
4. The share of households accessing safe drinking water in Mombasa County was 56.6% in 2019, down from 73.9% in 2009.
5. The share of public primary schools in Mombasa County connected to electricity was 97.9% in 2019.

In 2019, Mombasa County had a mobile ownership of 61.8%, higher than the national average of 47%. Mobile phone ownership among men was 63.9%, while ownership among women was 59.6%.

According to the 2022 KDHS estimates, 83.2% of women in Mombasa County owned mobile phones, while 52.9% owned smartphones. Among men, 88.9% owned mobile phones, while 62.5% owned smartphones. 

See Also

1. Kilifi County
2. Kwale County
3. Lamu County
4. Taita Taveta County
5. Tana River County