Nyeri County
Introduction
Nyeri County is located in Central Kenya and had a total population of 853,000 in 2025. According to the Census, Nyeri had a total population of 759,164 people in 2019, comprising 248,050 households. The average household size in Nyeri County was 3 people per household.
Nyeri has a total land area of 3,325 square kilometers and had a population density of 228 people per square kilometer in 2019.
Nyeri County is bordered to the North by Laikipia, the North East by Meru, the East by Kirinyaga, the South by Murang'a, and the West by Nyandarua.
Nyeri has ten sub-counties: Tetu, Kieni East, Kieni West, Mathira East, Mathira West, Nyeri South, Mukurwe-ini, Nyeri Central, Mt. Kenya Forest, and Aberdare Forest.
Nyeri County Economy
Nyeri County had an average Gross County Product at current prices of Ksh 265.2 billion in 2023, with the county contributing, on average, 2% to the Gross Value Added in the same period.
Nyeri County's contribution to agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities was 3.2%, while its contribution to manufacturing activities was 1.4%. The county's average contribution to service activities was 1.8%.
Nyeri County had a Gross County Product per capita in Kenya at Ksh 317,459 in 2023,
Nyeri County Poverty Rates
Nyeri County had an overall poverty rate of 26% in 2022, with an estimated 210,000 people living in poverty. Overall, the national poverty rate in the same year was 39.8%.
Nyeri also had a hardcore poverty rate of 2.4%, with roughly 19,000 people living in extreme poverty. In Kenya, the hardcore poverty rate was 7.1% in 2022.
The food poverty rate in Nyeri County in 2022 was 18.2%, with 147,000 people estimated to be living in food poverty. In Kenya, the overall food poverty rate in 2022 was 31.7%.
The map below shows the distribution of poverty by constituency in Nyeri County in 2019: Kieni 10.8%, Mathira 11.2%, Mukurwe-Ini 40.7%, Nyeri Town 30.3%, Othaya 53.7%, and Tetu 8.4%.
The mean monthly food and non-food expenditure in Nyeri County was Ksh 4,317 and Ksh 3,332. The share of expenditure on food was 63.4%, while the share of expenditure on non-food items was 36.6% in 2022.
The major sources of household food in Nyeri were purchase or stock 74%, own production 23%, and gifts 3%.
The mean and median per adult equivalent consumption expenditure was Ksh 7,503 and Ksh 6,047 in 2021.
Nyeri County Demographics
Nyeri County had a total population of 759,164 people in 2019, consisting of 374,288 males, 384,845 females, and 31 intersex. Nyeri had a median age of 26 years in 2019.
|
Sub county |
Male |
Female |
Inter sex |
Total |
|
Tetu |
39,293 |
41,155 |
5 |
80,453 |
|
Kieni East |
55,360 |
55,012 |
4 |
110,376 |
|
Kieni West |
43,843 |
44,677 |
5 |
88,525 |
|
Mathira East |
48,070 |
50,992 |
3 |
99,065 |
|
Mathira West |
29,480 |
30,412 |
3 |
59,895 |
|
Nyeri South |
44,115 |
46,964 |
2 |
91,081 |
|
Mukurwe-Ini |
43,975 |
45,156 |
6 |
89,137 |
|
Nyeri Central |
69,955 |
70,380 |
3 |
140,338 |
|
Mt. Kenya Forest |
123 |
65 |
0 |
188 |
|
Aberdare Forest |
74 |
32 |
0 |
106 |
|
Total |
374,288 |
384,845 |
31 |
759,164 |
Marital Status
The percent distribution of women aged 12 and above in Nyeri County who were never married in 2019 was 37.7%, while those who were monogamous were 48.4%. On the other hand, the distribution of those who married polygamous was 0.4%, and the divorced was 1.2%. The share of the divorced and separated in Nyeri County was 1.2% and 3.6%, respectively.
In Nyeri men aged 12 and above, the distribution of those never married was 44.8%. In comparison, those in monogamous unions were 48.4% in 2019. On the other hand, those married polygamous were 0.8% while the widowed were 1.6%. The percentage distribution of the divorced and separated in Nyeri County was 0.8% and 3.3%, respectively, in 2019.
According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, the median age at first marriage among women aged 25-49 in Nyeri County was 22.9 years in 2022, while the median age at first marriage among men aged 30-54 in the county was 27.3 years.
Polygyny in Nyeri County
The percentage of married women aged 15-49 in Nyeri County who had one or more co-wives in 2022 was 4.1%. Those without co-wives were 81.3%, while those with only a single co-wife were 4.1%.
Among married men aged 15-49 in Nyeri County, 98.4% had only one wife, while 1.6% had more than two wives.
Marriage Registration
The percentage of currently married women aged 15-49 in Nyeri County whose current marriage was registered with civil authorities in 2022 was 20.1%. Those whose current marriage was registered with civil authorities and had a marriage certificate were 16.8%.
Teenage Marriages
The proportion of married males aged 12-15 in Nyeri County was 2.8% in 2019. Similarly, the proportion of married females aged 12-15 in Nyeri was 2.8%. Among females aged 12-18, the married proportion was 3.4% in 2019.
The rate of teenage pregnancies in Nyeri County, comprising of women aged 15-19 who have ever been pregnant, was 4.5% in 2022.
Total Fertility Rate
Nyeri County had a Total Fertility Rate of 2.9 births per woman in 2019. By comparison, Kenya had a total fertility rate of 3.4 births per woman in the same year.
Nyeri's total youth fertility rate was 0.8 births per woman in 2019. Overall, the national youth fertility rate comprising those aged 15-24 was 1 birth per woman in 2019.
Nyeri had a Crude Birth Rate of 20.8 births per 1,000 population in 2019, a decline of 43.4% from a Crude Birth Rate of 36.8 births per 1,000 population in 2009. Kenya's crude birth rate in 2019 was 27.9 births per 1,000 population, a decline of 27.2% from 38.4 births per 1,000 population in 2009.
Place of Birth and Notification Status
The share of recent births in Nyeri County in a health facility in 2019 was 98.6%, while those in non-health facilities were 1.1%. In Kenya, the share of recent births occurring in health facilities in 2019 was 85.8%, while those occurring in non-health facilities were 14%.
The completeness of birth registration in Nyeri County was 80.8% in 2023.
Place of Death and Notification Status
In 2019, 68.7% of deaths in Nyeri County occurred in a health facility, while 31% occurred in the community. In Kenya, 59% of deaths in 2019 occurred in a health facility, while 40% did not occur in a health facility.
The completeness of death registration in Nyeri County was 55.7% in 2023.
Nyeri County had a Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 10.2 deaths per 1,000 population in 2019. Overall, Kenya had a Crude Death Rate of 10.5%.
Religious Affiliation
The majority of residents of Nyeri County are Protestants 285,723, followed by Catholics 210,407, and Evangelical Churches 145,046.
|
Catholic |
210,407 |
|
Protestant |
285,723 |
|
Evangelical Churches |
145,046 |
|
African Instituted Churches |
68,441 |
|
Orthodox |
4,772 |
|
Other Christians |
21,342 |
|
4,501 |
|
|
Hindu |
171 |
|
Traditionists |
575 |
|
Other Religion |
4,578 |
|
No religion Atheists |
6,102 |
Nyeri County Development
- The Rural Access Index (RAI) in Nyeri County was 94%, representing the share of the population living within two kilometers of an all-weather road in 2019.
- Household access to electricity in Nyeri County was 72% in 2019, up from 26.31% in 2009.
- Household access to improved sanitation in Nyeri County was 94.4% in 2019, up from 74.3% in 2009.
- Household access to safe drinking water in Nyeri County was 82.1% in 2019, up from 65.1% in 2009.
- In 2019, household access to piped water in Nyeri County was 64.3%, up from 56.0% in 2009
- Nyeri had 100% of its public primary schools connected to electricity, ranking 1st highest in the country in 2019.
The share of the population in Nyeri County owning mobile phones in 2019 was 64.1%. Among women, 89.8% owned any type of mobile phone in Nyeri County in 2022, while 61.9% owned a smartphone.
Among men, 90.5% in Nyeri owned any kind of mobile phone in 2022, while 56.1% owned a smartphone. The percentage of men and women who had used a mobile phone for financial transactions in the year preceding the 2022 KDHS survey was 87.9% and 85.9%, respectively.
|
Nyeri County |
||
|
Mobile Phone Ownership
|
64.10% |
Census 2019 |
|
90.15% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
|
% of the Population Making Mobile Money Transactions |
86.90% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
% of the Population with Mobile Money Accounts |
89.80% |
2021 FinAccess Survey |
|
% of the Population Using the Internet |
21.40% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of Population who have Ever Searched and Bought Goods Online |
4.20% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of Population Using Computer/Tablet/laptop |
13.70% |
Census 2019 |
|
% of the Population Using a Bank
|
50.75% |
KDHS 2022 |
|
34.40% |
2021 FinAccess Survey |
|
Nyeri County Finance
In the financial year (FY) 2024/25, Nyeri County approved a supplementary budget of Ksh 9 billion, comprising Ksh 2.9 billion and Ksh 6.1 billion allocation for development and recurrent expenditures, respectively.
Other highlights in FY 2024/2025 included:
- Equitable share – Ksh 6.58 billion
- Conditional grants and additional allocations – Ksh 512.63 million
- Own Source Revenue – Ksh 1.45 billion
- Cash balances – Ksh 457.41 million
- Expenditure on salaries/personnel emoluments – Ksh 4,505,890,000.
- Expenditure on operations and maintenance – Ksh 1,432,670,000.
- Expenditure on development – Ksh 1,973,080,000.
- Total expenditure – Ksh 7,911,640,000.
- Expenditure on Domestic travel – Ksh 339,070,000.
- Expenditure on Foreign travel – Ksh 65,070,000.
- Total expenditure on travel in Nyeri – Ksh 404,140,000.
- Nyeri County outstanding pending bill – Ksh 354,900,000.
- The average MCA sitting allowance – Ksh 36,508.
HIV/AIDS in Nyeri County
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Nyeri County was 2.4%. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Nyeri was 17,044, while the number of HIV-related deaths was 196.
|
HIV/AIDS in Nyeri County – 2025 |
|
|
HIV Prevalence (%) |
2.4 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Total |
17,044 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Children |
548 |
|
People Living with HIV (PLHIV) - Adults |
16,496 |
|
New HIV Infections - Total |
128 |
|
New HIV Infections - Children |
24 |
|
New HIV Infections - Adults |
103 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Total |
196 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Children |
19 |
|
AIDS Related Deaths - Adults |
175 |
See Also