Poverty and living standards in North Eastern (former province), Kenya: official figures
The most populous county in the former province is Mandera (1,007,000 in 2025); the poorest by share of people below the poverty line in 2022 was Mandera (72.9%) and the least poor Wajir (64.7%).
What is the poverty rate in the former North Eastern Province?
About 68.6% of the people in these counties lived below the overall poverty line in 2022, 1,820,000 people; the highest of the 8 former provinces (Kenya: 39.8%).
Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics · saved copyMore figures
- 1,396,000 people (52.6%) were food poor and 506,000 (19.1%) were in hardcore poverty in 2022 (Kenya: 31.7% and 7.1%). Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics · saved copy
- 60.5% of people in these counties had at least basic drinking water in 2022 and 32.2% a basic toilet (Kenya: 67.9% and 40.9%). Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Health (with ICF) · saved copy
- 2.2% 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 North Eastern (former province) compares with other former provinces
People below the overall poverty line, former provinces (2022)
North Eastern (former province) ranks 1 of 8, highest first. Former provinces: poor people in their counties divided by population.
| Rank | Region | People below the overall poverty line, former provinces |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Eastern (former province) | 68.6% |
| 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% |
More on North 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…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.