Poverty and living standards in Turkana, Kenya: official figures
82.7% of people in Turkana lived below the overall poverty line in 2022, about 818,000 people; the highest of Kenya's 47 counties (Kenya: 39.8%, 20.16 million people). The line is the cost of basic food and non-food needs per adult per month.
How many people in Turkana cannot afford enough food?
64.3% of Turkana's residents were food poor in 2022, unable to afford the minimum daily food energy requirement, and 42.6% were in hardcore poverty, unable to afford it even if they spent everything on food (Kenya: 31.7% and 7.1%).
Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics · saved copyHow many children in Turkana live in poverty?
Child poverty is lower: 80.9% of children under 18 in Turkana lived in poor households in 2022 (Kenya: 42.4%).
Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics · saved copyHow unequal is Turkana?
Inequality in spending, measured by the Gini index, was 37.8 in Turkana in 2022, against 52.2 in 2015/16 (Kenya: 38.4; 0 means everyone spends the same).
Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics · saved copyDo families in Turkana go hungry?
80.0% of households in Turkana said they had lacked food or money to buy food in the week before the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey, the highest of Kenya's 47 counties (Kenya: 28.8%), and 61.4% received a cash transfer or social assistance (Kenya: 16.8%).
Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Health (with ICF) · saved copyDo people in Turkana have clean water and toilets?
41.7% of people in Turkana had at least basic drinking water (an improved source within a 30-minute round trip) in 2022, 6th lowest of Kenya's 47 counties (Kenya: 67.9%); 8.8% had at least a basic toilet not shared with other households (Kenya: 40.9%), and 70.8% had no toilet at all.
Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Health (with ICF) · saved copyWhat do households in Turkana cook with?
1.8% of people in Turkana lived in homes that mainly cook with clean fuels such as gas or electricity in 2022, 4th lowest of Kenya's 47 counties (Kenya: 23.8%); most others cook with wood or charcoal.
Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Health (with ICF) · saved copyHow Turkana compares with other counties
People below the overall poverty line (2022)
Turkana ranks 1 of 47, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People below the overall poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turkana | 82.7% |
| 2 | Mandera | 72.9% |
| 3 | Samburu | 71.9% |
| 4 | Garissa | 67.8% |
| 5 | Tana River | 66.7% |
| 6 | Marsabit | 66.1% |
| 7 | Wajir | 64.7% |
People with at least basic drinking water (2022)
Turkana ranks 42 of 47, highest first.
| Rank | Region | People with at least basic drinking water |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | Nandi | 46.2% |
| 40 | Makueni | 46.0% |
| 41 | Kisii | 44.4% |
| 42 | Turkana | 41.7% |
| 43 | Marsabit | 41.3% |
| 44 | Baringo | 38.7% |
| 45 | West Pokot | 38.1% |
More on Turkana: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · 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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