Poverty and living standards in Western (former province), Kenya: official figures
The most populous county in the former province is Kakamega (2,073,000 in 2025); the poorest by share of people below the poverty line in 2022 was Busia (52.7%) and the least poor Kakamega (38.2%).
What is the poverty rate in the former Western Province?
About 45.6% of the people in these counties lived below the overall poverty line in 2022, 2,448,000 people; 2nd highest of the 8 former provinces (Kenya: 39.8%).
Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics · saved copyMore figures
- 1,911,000 people (35.6%) were food poor and 451,000 (8.4%) were in hardcore poverty in 2022 (Kenya: 31.7% and 7.1%). Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics · saved copy
- 69.8% of people in these counties had at least basic drinking water in 2022 and 38.1% a basic toilet (Kenya: 67.9% and 40.9%). Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Health (with ICF) · saved copy
- 7.8% 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 Western (former province) compares with other former provinces
People below the overall poverty line, former provinces (2022)
Western (former province) ranks 2 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 Western (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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