Kenya records rise in number of never-married women - KNBS Survey shows

The report shows that 32.9 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 have never been married, compared to 30 per cent in 2003.

Meanwhile, the proportion of women who are married or living with a partner fell from 60 per cent to 55 per cent over the same period.

The proportion of women who are divorced or separated also increased from six per cent to 10 per cent. The findings further show that 47.7 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 are married, while 7.3 per cent are living with a partner. Another 1.4 per cent are divorced, 8.2 per cent are separated, and 2.5 per cent are widowed.

The survey also examined the registration of marriages and unions, finding that only 17.6 per cent of women currently married or living with a partner said their union was registered.

The proportion was higher in urban areas, at 22.6 per cent, compared to 13.6 per cent in rural areas. Only 14 per cent of women reported having a marriage certificate.

Garissa recorded the highest proportion of registered marriages and unions at 53.8 per cent, followed by Isiolo at 52.8 per cent, Nandi at 32.8 per cent, Lamu at 32.2 per cent and Mombasa at 31.3 per cent. Wajir had the lowest proportion at 2.8 per cent, followed by Vihiga at 5 per cent, West Pokot at 5.5 per cent, Mandera at 8.9 per cent and Bungoma at 9.8 per cent.

On sexual behaviour, the survey found that 2.2 per cent of women aged 15 to 24 had two or more sexual partners in the 12 months preceding the survey.

The proportion was 0.9 per cent among those aged 15 to 19 and 3.5 per cent among women aged 20 to 24. Within the younger age group, the rate was 0.4 per cent among those aged 15 to 17 and 1.8 per cent among those aged 18 to 19.

Among women aged 20 to 24, it stood at 3.3 per cent for those aged 20 to 22 and 3.9 per cent for those aged 23 to 24.

The findings further indicate that women aged 15 to 24 who had ever been married were more likely to report having two or more sexual partners in the previous year, at 3.5 per cent, compared to 1.7 per cent among those who had never been married.

The proportion was also higher among women with more than secondary education, at 3.1 per cent, compared to 2.5 per cent among those with primary education and 2 per cent among those with secondary education. Women with no education recorded the lowest proportion, at 0.1 per cent.

The report also found that 21.6 per cent of women aged 15 to 24 had engaged in higher-risk sexual intercourse in the 12 months preceding the survey.

This referred to sexual intercourse with someone who was neither their husband nor a partner they were living with.

The proportion was higher among women aged 20 to 24, at 30.4 per cent, compared to 13.5 per cent among those aged 15 to 19.

The findings come against the backdrop of a continued decline in Kenya’s fertility rate. A separate report on the KMDHS findings, showed that the country’s fertility rate had dropped to 3.1 children per woman in 2025, down from 3.4 in 2022.

The rate has been declining since 2003, when it stood at 4.9 children per woman.

The report also showed differences across counties, with Embu recording the lowest fertility rate at 2.2 children per woman, followed by Kiambu and Mombasa at 2.3.

Mandera recorded the highest rate at 6.8, followed by Wajir at 5.8 and Tana River at 5.7. Fertility was also lower in urban areas, at 2.6 children per woman, compared to 3.6 in rural areas.