Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths in Kenya

Kenya: Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths was 571,316 children in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
571,316 children
Change on year
down 6.5%
World rank
6th
of 139 countries
All-time high
1.24 million children
in 2007
All-time low
58,818 children
in 1990
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths in Kenya, 1990–2024

0250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1.2M1990200720241990: 58.8k children1991: 88.5k children1992: 129.1k children1993: 182.5k children1994: 250.2k children1995: 331.3k children1996: 422.9k children1997: 522.2k children1998: 626.6k children1999: 731.6k children2000: 832.5k children2001: 926.9k children2002: 1.0M children2003: 1.1M children2004: 1.1M children2005: 1.2M children2006: 1.2M children2007: 1.2M children2008: 1.2M children2009: 1.2M children2010: 1.2M children2011: 1.1M children2012: 1.1M children2013: 1.1M children2014: 1.0M children2015: 987.5k children2016: 934.1k children2017: 876.8k children2018: 816.6k children2019: 767.1k children2020: 726.5k children2021: 694.5k children2022: 654.2k children2023: 610.8k children2024: 571.3k children

Source: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in children.

Analysis

In 2024, children orphaned due to aids deaths in Kenya stood at 571,316 children.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.5% on the previous year and down 44.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, children orphaned due to aids deaths in Kenya peaked at 1.24 million children in 2007 and was at its lowest, 58,818 children, in 1990.

Kenya ranks 6th of 139 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 334,363 children 58,818 children 731,567 children 10
2000s 1.11 million children 832,547 children 1.24 million children 10
2010s 992,251 children 767,147 children 1.19 million children 10
2020s 651,467 children 571,316 children 726,526 children 5

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 3 Tanzania 932,484 children compare
  2. 4 Uganda 894,562 children compare
  3. 5 South Africa 625,113 children compare
  4. 7 Democratic Republic of Congo 511,169 children compare
  5. 8 Zimbabwe 505,492 children compare
  6. 9 Cameroon 412,664 children compare

See the full ranking of 139 places →

More reference data data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is children orphaned due to aids deaths in Kenya?
Children orphaned due to aids deaths in Kenya was 571,316 children in 2024, according to Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest children orphaned due to aids deaths recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 1.24 million children in 2007.
What is the lowest children orphaned due to aids deaths recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 58,818 children in 1990.
How does Kenya rank for children orphaned due to aids deaths?
Kenya ranks 6th out of 139 countries with data for 2024.
Is children orphaned due to aids deaths rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 44.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Kenya data come from?
The figures come from Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths
Unit
children
Source
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
139 places, 4,809 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

Number of children, aged 17 and under, who have been orphaned by the death of one or both parents from AIDS at any point in their lives. This is the central estimate.