Kenya’s population at the time of the 1989 census was 21,443,636. In 2001 the population was around at 30,765,916. Population density is 53 persons per sq km. Nearly all of Kenya’s people are black Africans; Arabs, Asians, and Europeans together constituted less than 1 % of the population at the 1989 census. The rate of population increase in Kenya between 1980 and 1990 was 3.4 %, one of the highest in the world; by 2001 the rate of increase had declined to 1.3 %. In 2001 Kenya’s birth rate was around at 29 per 1,000 and its death rate at 14 per 1,000. The average life expectancy at birth in Kenya is 47 years. The high birthrate and low life expectancy have combined to give Kenya a young population: 50 % of the people are younger than age 15.

Kenya has a very various population that includes most major language groups of Africa. orthodox pastoralists, rural farmers, Muslims, and urban residents of Nairobi and other cities contribute to the cosmopolitan culture. The standard of living in major cities, once comparatively high compared to much of Sub-Saharan Africa, has been declining in recent years. Most city workers retain links with their rural, extended families and leave the city timeically to help work on the family farm. About 75% of the work force is engaged in agriculture, mainly as subsistence farmers. The national motto of Kenya is harambee, meaning "pull together." In that spirit, volunteers in hundreds of communities build schools, clinics, and other facilities each year and collect funds to send students abroad. The five state universities enroll about 38,000 students, representing some 25% of the Kenyan students who qualify for admission. There are 4 private universities.