Tharaka-Nithi County

Introduction

Tharaka Nithi had a total population of 421,000 people in 2024. According to the 2019 census, the county had a total population of 393,177 people, comprising 109,860 households and an average household size of 3.6 people per household.

Tharaka Nithi has a total land area of 2,564.4 square kilometers and had a population density of 153 people per square kilometer in 2019.

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

Sub-counties in Tharaka Nithi County include Igambang'Ombe, Maara, Meru South, Tharaka North, Tharaka South, and Mt Kenya Forest.

Tharaka Nithi Economy

Tharaka Nithi had an average Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 78 billion between 2018 and 2022, representing an average county contribution to Gross Value Added of 0.6%.

The average county contribution to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities was 0.9%, while the average contribution to manufacturing activities was 0.3%. Tharaka Nithi County’s average contribution to service activities was 0.5%.

Tharaka Nithi had a Gross County Product per capita of Ksh 189,339 in 2022.

Poverty Rates

Tharaka Nithi had an overall headcount poverty rate of 28.1% in 2021, with 112,000 people estimated to live in poverty. By comparison, Kenya had an overall poverty rate of 38.6% in 2021.

The hardcore poverty rate in Tharaka Nithi was 0.6%, with roughly 3,000 people in the county estimated to live in extreme poverty. In Kenya, the hardcore poverty rate in 2021 was 5.8%.

Tharaka Nithi had a food poverty rate of 32% in 2021, and the number of people estimated to live in food poverty in the county was 128,000 in the same year. Overall, Kenya had a food poverty rate of 30.5% in 2021.

The map below shows the distribution of poverty by constituency in Tharaka Nithi County in 2019: Igambang'ombe 25.3%, Maara 16.8%, and Tharaka 33%.

The mean monthly food and non-food expenditure in Tharaka Nithi County was Ksh 3,271 and Ksh 3,167, respectively, in 2021. The percentage share of expenditure on food was 56.2%, while the share of non-food expenditure was 43.8%. 

The major sources of household food consumption in Tharaka Nithi in 2021 were purchase or stock 75.4%, own production 20.6%, and gifts 4.1%.

The mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditure were Ksh 6,438 and Ksh 5,263, respectively, in 2024.

Tharaka Nithi County Demographics

The total number of people in Tharaka Nithi was 393,177 in 2019, consisting of 193,764 males, 199,406 females, and 7 intersex. Tharaka Nithi had a median age of 22 years in 2019.

The table below shows the population distribution in Tharaka Nithi by sub-county and sex. 

Marital Status

The percentage distribution of women aged 12 and above in Tharaka Nithi who were never married in 2019 was 35.3%, while those who were married monogamous were 50.9%. On the other hand, those in polygamous unions were 1.4%. In comparison, the widowed were 7.2%—the distribution of women who were divorced and separated was 1.3% and 3.7%, respectively.

Among men aged 12 and above in Tharaka Nithi, the never-married were 44.5%, while those in monogamous marriages were 47.7% in 2021. The distribution of men in polygamous marriages was 1.5%, and the widowed were 1.6%. The percentage distribution of widowed and divorced men in Tharaka Nithi was 1% and 3.7%, respectively, in 2021.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in Tharaka Nithi County was 21.3 years in 2022. In men aged 25-54 and those aged 30-54, the median age at first marriage in Tharaka Nithi was 24.5 years and 24.2 years, respectively, in 2022.

Polygyny

The percentage of women aged 15-49 in Tharaka Nithi who had one more co-wife in 2022 was 2.8%. The rate of women in the county without co-wives was 94.9%.

Among men aged 15-49 in Tharaka Nithi County, 98.5% had one wife, while 1.6% had more than two wives in 2022.

Marriage Registration

The percentage of currently married women aged 15-49 in Tharaka Nithi County whose marriage was registered with the civil authorities was 26.2% in 2022, while those whose marriage was registered and had a marriage certificate was 21.2%.

Teenage Marriages

The proportion of married males and females aged 12-15 in Tharaka Nithi County was 4.2% and 4.3%, respectively 2019. Among females aged 12-18, the married proportion was 5.5% in the same year.

The rate of teenage pregnancies in Tharaka Nithi, consisting of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 9.9% in 2022.

Total Fertility Rate

Tharaka Nithi County had a Total Fertility Rate of 2.9 births per woman in 2019, a decline of 23.8% from a total fertility rate of 3.8 births per woman in 2009. By comparison, Kenya had a total fertility rate of 3.4 births per woman in 2019, a decline from 28.6% from 4.8 births in 2009.

The total youth fertility rate in Tharaka Nithi, which consists of women aged 15-24, was 0.9 births per woman in 2019, compared to a national youth fertility rate of 1 birth per woman.

The Crude Birth Rate of Tharaka Nithi County was 21.6 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 34.8% from a Crude Birth Rate of 33.1 births per 1,000 population in 2009. Overall, Kenya's Crude Birth Rate in 2019 was 27.9 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 27.2% from a Crude Birth Rate of 38.4 births per woman in 2009.

Place of Birth and Notification Status

The share of recent births occurring in a health facility in Tharaka Nithi County was 93% in 2019, while the share of births occurring in a non-health facility was 6.9%. In Kenya, the share of 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 Tharaka Nithi County that were notified was 95.4% in 2019, while those that were not notified were 4.5%. In Kenya, the share of recent births that were notified in 2019 was 90.4%, while those not notified were 9.3%. 

Place of Death and Notification Status

In 2019, 67.5% of deaths in Tharaka Nithi County occurred in a health facility, while 32.3% 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 Tharaka Nithi County that were notified in 2019 was 92.2%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Tharaka Nithi County Crude Death Rate (CDR) was 10.6 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

Most residents of Tharaka Nithi County are Protestant 172,266, followed by Catholic 108,266, and members of Evangelical Churches 70,043.

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Tharaka Nithi County was 76%, representing the percentage of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
2. Household access to electricity in Tharaka Nithi County was 35.3% in 2019, up from 8.4% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Tharaka Nithi County was 86.7% in 2019, up from 60.6% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Tharaka Nithi County was 59.1% in 2019, up from 48.2% in 2009.
5. Tharaka Nithi County had 82.9% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 31^st nationally in 2019.

The share of the population in Tharaka Nithi County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 51.3%. Among women, 85.5% owned any type of mobile phone in Tharaka Nithi County in 2022, while 40.8% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 79.5% in Tharaka Nithi County owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 36.7% 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 79.7% and 79%, respectively^.

See Also

1. Meru County
2. Embu County
3. Isiolo County

References

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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).
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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).