Poverty and living standards in Eastern (former province), Kenya: official figures
The most populous county in the former province is Meru (1,666,000 in 2025); the poorest by share of people below the poverty line in 2022 was Marsabit (66.1%) and the least poor Embu (24.3%).
What is the poverty rate in the former Eastern Province?
About 42.7% of the people in these counties lived below the overall poverty line in 2022, 3,101,000 people; 4th lowest of the 8 former provinces (Kenya: 39.8%).
Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics · saved copyMore figures
- 2,288,000 people (31.5%) were food poor and 521,000 (7.2%) were in hardcore poverty in 2022 (Kenya: 31.7% and 7.1%). Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics · saved copy
- 56.9% of people in these counties had at least basic drinking water in 2022 and 46.2% a basic toilet (Kenya: 67.9% and 40.9%). Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Health (with ICF) · saved copy
- 13.8% of people lived in homes cooking mainly with clean fuels such as gas or electricity in 2022 (Kenya: 23.8%). Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Health (with ICF) · saved copy
How Eastern (former province) compares with other former provinces
People below the overall poverty line, former provinces (2022)
Eastern (former province) ranks 5 of 8, highest first. Former provinces: poor people in their counties divided by population.
| Rank | Region | People below the overall poverty line, former provinces |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Western (former province) | 45.6% |
| 3 | Coast (former province) | 44.8% |
| 4 | Rift Valley (former province) | 44.6% |
| 5 | Eastern (former province) | 42.7% |
| 6 | Nyanza (former province) | 36.9% |
| 7 | Central (former province) | 24.8% |
| 8 | Nairobi City | 16.5% |
More on Eastern (former province): overview · economy and jobs · health · Kenya
Sources
- Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Health (with ICF): Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022, Volume 1: county tables (C tables), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 202dd70451a0…)
- Kenya National Bureau of Statistics: The Kenya Poverty Report 2022 (2022 Kenya Continuous Household Survey): Tables 3.2 and 4.6, Annex Tables A1, B1, C1 and E.2, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e3298f81209a…)
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