The proportion of Kenyan women attaining secondary education or higher has risen to 66 per cent, up from 58 per cent in 2022, pointing to an improvement in women’s educational attainment, according to the latest Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) survey.
The Kenya Mini Demographic and Health Survey 2025/2026 records an eight-percentage-point increase in the share of women who have reached at least secondary school level, providing an updated picture of educational progress among women in the country.
The findings form part of a wider assessment of changes in women’s lives, household characteristics and reproductive health, with the survey also recording a rise in the proportion of women heading households and a slight improvement in birth registration.
Women currently head 31 per cent of households in Kenya, highlighting their role in household leadership and family decision-making.
However, household headship is a measure of who is recognised as leading a household and does not necessarily indicate whether a woman is the sole income earner or the only adult responsible for its members.
The survey also recorded an improvement in birth registration, with the proportion rising from 76 per cent in 2022 to 77 per cent in 2025–2026.
Birth registration provides official recognition of a child’s identity and creates a formal record that can be important when accessing government services, obtaining identification documents later in life and establishing legal identity.
The increase in women’s educational attainment comes against the background of wider demographic changes in Kenya. The same survey found that the national fertility rate had declined from 3.4 births per woman in 2022 to 3.1 in 2025–2026.
The relationship between education and reproductive patterns is also reflected in previous demographic findings. The 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey showed that women with higher levels of education tended to have fewer children than those with no formal education.
However, the figures do not establish that the increase in educational attainment alone caused the decline in fertility.
The 2025–2026 survey was conducted between November 5, 2025, and February 10, 2026, using a nationally representative sample of 29,935 households. It was implemented by KNBS in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other partners.
The updated findings provide national and county governments with information for assessing progress in education, household welfare and other demographic indicators.
While the increase in women attaining secondary education or higher marks progress, the national percentage does not establish whether educational opportunities have improved equally across all counties and social groups.
The figures therefore provide an important measure of progress while leaving room for further examination of the regional and economic differences that influence women’s access to education.
