Vihiga County

Introduction

Vihiga County is located in Western Kenya and had an estimated total population of 631,000 people in 2024. According to the 2019 Census, the county had a total population of 590,013 people, consisting of 143,365 households, and an average household size of 4.1 people per household.

The total land area in Vihiga County is 563.8 square kilometers, and the county has a population density of 1,047 people per square kilometer, the third highest after Nairobi with a population density of 6,247 and Mombasa with a population density of 5,495.

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

Vihiga County has six sub-counties: Emuhaya, Vihiga, Sabatia, Luanda, Hamisi, and Kakamega Forest.

Vihiga County Economy

Vihiga County had an average Gross County Product of Ksh 101.182 billion at current prices between 2018 and 2022, representing an average Gross Value Added of 0.8%.

The county's average contribution to Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Activities between 2018 and 2022 was 1.4%. Vihiga County's average contribution to manufacturing in the same period was 0.2%, while its contribution to service activities was 0.7%.

Vihiga County had a GDP per Capita of Ksh 163,068 in 2022.

Poverty Rates

Vihiga County had an overall headcount poverty rate of 48.8% in 2021, representing an estimated 290,000 people living in poverty. The national poverty rate in the same period was 38.6%.

The estimated hardcore poverty rate in Vihiga was 3.7%, with an estimated 22,000 people living in extreme poverty. Nationally, the hardcore poverty rate in the country was 5.8% in 2021.

Vihiga had a food poverty rate of 42.6%, with an estimated 253,000 people living in food poverty. The country's national food poverty rate in 2021 was 30.5%.

The map below shows the poverty rate by constituency in Vihiga County in 2019. Emuhaya had a poverty rate of 42.2%, Hamisi 38.5%, Luanda 38.7%, Sabatia 36.6%, and Vihiga 46%.

An analysis of consumption patterns in Vihiga County in 2021 showed that the mean monthly expenditure on food and non-food items was 58.5% and 41.5%. This represents a mean monthly expenditure of Ksh 2,626 on food and Ksh 2,068. 

A large share of food consumed in Vihiga is from purchase or stock, comprising 74.4%, 21.1% from own production, and 4.6% from gifts.

The mean and median per adult equivalent consumption In Vihiga was Ksh 4,694 and Ksh 4,171, respectively.

Vihiga County Demographics

The total population in Vihiga County in 2019 was 590,013 people, consisting of 283,678 males, 306,323 females, and 12 intersex people. Vihiga had a median age of 18 years in 2019.

The table below shows the distribution of the population in Vihiga by Sub-County.

Marital Status

The share of women in Vihiga County aged 12 and above who were never married in 2019 was 38.5%. Those in monogamous unions were 46.8%, while 0.9% were in polygamous unions. On the other hand, 11.3% were widowed, 0.6% were divorced, and 1.9% were separated.

Among men aged 12 and above in Vihiga, 50.3% were never married, 41.6% were married monogamously, and 1.2% were married polygamously. The widowed in Vihiga were 2.4%, while 0.8% and 3.6% were divorced and separated, respectively.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in Vihiga County was 20.6 years. On the other hand, the median age at first marriage among men aged 25-54 was 24.8 years, while among those aged 30-54 years was 24.5 years.

Polygyny

According to the KDHS 2022, the percentage of married women aged 15-49 in Vihiga County with one co-wife was 1.9%, while 90% did not have a co-wife.

On the other hand, the percentage distribution of married men aged 15-49 who had more than two wives in Vihiga County was 1.6%, while 98.4% only had one wife.

Marriage Registration

The percentage of currently married women aged 15-49 in 2022 whose marriage was registered by authorities was 11.7% in Vihiga County. Those whose marriages were registered and had a marriage certificate were 8.3%.

Teenage Marriages

The proportion of married males in Vihiga County aged 12-15 was 3.1% in 2019. Among females of the same age group in Vihiga, 3.3% were married. The proportion of females aged 12-18 who were married was 4.3%.

The teenage pregnancy rate in Vihiga, consisting of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 7.7% in 2022.

Total Fertility Rate

The total fertility rate (TFR) of Vihiga County in 2019 was 3.5 births per woman, a decrease of 22.7% from 4.5 births in 2009. By comparison, the national TFR was 3.4 births in 2019, a reduction of 28.6% from 4.8 births in 2009.

Among the youth of Vihiga County aged 15-24, their total fertility rate in 2019 was 1.1 births compared to a national youth TFR of 1.0 births.

Vihiga County had a Crude Birth Rate of 22.8 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a 38.1% decrease from 36.9 births per 1,000 population in 2009.

Place of Birth and Notification

The percentage of births in Vihiga County that occurred in health facilities in 2019 was 92.5%, with 7.5% occurring in non-health facilities. Nationally, 85.8% of births occurred in a health facility, while 14% did not.

The share of births notified in Vihiga was 94.8% in 2019, while 5.1% were not notified. Nationally, the share of births notified was 90.4%, while 9.3% were not notified.

Place of Death and Notification

In 2019, 44.7% of deaths in Vihiga County occurred in a health facility, while 54.6% 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 Vihiga County that were notified in 2019 was 94.4%. Overall, the share of deaths that were notified in Kenya in 2019 was 85.6%.

Vihiga County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 9.4 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.

Religious Affiliation

Most residents of Vihiga County are affiliated with Evangelical Churches 240,628, Protestant 201,738, and African Instituted Churches 88,697.

Development

1. The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Vihiga County was 87%, representing the share of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
2. Household access to electricity in Vihiga County was 38.6% in 2019, up from 7% in 2009.
3. Household access to improved sanitation in Vihiga County was 90.2% in 2019, up from 85.6% in 2009.
4. Household access to safe drinking water in Vihiga County was 68.3% in 2019, up from 63.2% in 2009.
5. Vihiga had 99% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 10^th highest in the country in 2019.

The share of the population in Vihiga County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 43.1%. Among women, 65.3% owned any type of mobile phone in Vihiga County in 2022, while 26.2% owned a smartphone.

Among men, 65.7% in Vihiga owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 34.3% 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 87% and 68.1%, respectively.

See Also

1. Bungoma County
2. Kakamega County
3. Trans Nzoia County
4. Busia County 

References

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19. Commission on Revenue Allocation. (2022). Kenya County Factsheet (3rd ed., p. 120).