Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Kenya fits inside the United States 17 times
Kenya: 591,970 km² (2024) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 37 times as long as Kenya’s
Kenya: 536 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 991 m above Kenya’s
Kenya: 5,199 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 50% of Kenya, versus 46% of the United States
Kenya: 50% (2024) · United States: 46.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 5.9 times as many people as Kenya
Kenya: 57.5 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Kenya is 2.7 times as densely populated as the United States
Kenya: 99 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 6.5 cm taller than in Kenya
Kenya: 170.5 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 3.9 cm taller than in Kenya
Kenya: 159.4 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 18 years older than in Kenya
Kenya: 19.5 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Kenya have 1.5 more children on average than in the United States
Kenya: 3.17 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 3.0% in Kenya
Kenya: 3% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Kenya hosts 8 times as many refugees per resident as the United States
Kenya: 10.7 per 1,000 (2025) · United States: 1.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Kenya 0.2
Kenya: 0.2 (2026) · United States: 8.7 (2026)
How many official languages?
Kenya has 2 official languages, the United States 1
Kenya: 2 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 226 times the size of Kenya’s
Kenya: $136 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 13 times as much per person as Kenya
Kenya: Int$7,016 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Kenya (Gini 3.3 points higher)
Kenya: 38.5 (2022) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
46% of people in Kenya live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.1% in the United States
Kenya: 45.5% (2022) · United States: 1.1% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.4% in Kenya, versus 4.2% in the United States
Kenya: 5.4% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.1% of its GDP on the military, Kenya 1.1%
Kenya: 1.1% (2025) · United States: 3.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Kenya’s central government collects 14% of GDP in tax, the United States’ 11%
Kenya: 14.1% (2023) · United States: 10.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 3× Kenya’s
Kenya: 34% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 159 times as much on health per person as Kenya
Kenya: $85 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 15 years longer than in Kenya
Kenya: 63.8 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Kenya is 6.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States
Kenya: 34.2 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 13 times as many doctors per person as Kenya
Kenya: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United States has 2 times as many hospital beds per person as Kenya
Kenya: 1.3 per 1,000 (2019) · United States: 2.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Kenya is 44% higher than in the United States
Kenya: 19.1 per 100k (2023) · United States: 13.3 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 10% in Kenya
Kenya: 10.4% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the United States smoke, versus 9.6% in Kenya
Kenya: 9.6% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 2.14 points higher than in Kenya
Kenya: 4.67 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 4.3 times as much alcohol as in Kenya
Kenya: 2.2 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 12 times as much meat per person as Kenya
Kenya: 10.2 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,801 kcal more food per person per day than Kenya
Kenya: 2,146 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Kenya put in 246 more hours a year than in the United States
Kenya: 2,035 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 5.3 years longer than in Kenya
Kenya: 8.6 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 7.7 times as many tourists per resident as Kenya (2019)
Kenya: 0.03 (2017) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United States has 19 more World Heritage sites than Kenya (27 against 8)
Kenya: 8 (2026) · United States: 27 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United States has won 3,137 Olympic medals, Kenya 124
Kenya: 124 (2026 edition) · United States: 3,137 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 35% in Kenya
Kenya: 35% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United States is 9.7 times as fast as in Kenya
Kenya: 41 Mbps (2026) · United States: 401 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United States have electricity, versus 77% in Kenya
Kenya: 77% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 32% in Kenya
Kenya: 32% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Kenya has 126 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113
Kenya: 126 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 39 times as long as Kenya’s
Kenya: 3,819 km (2018) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 31 times as many passengers per resident as those from Kenya
Kenya: 0.09 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 6.6% of Kenya
Kenya: 6.6% (2024) · United States: 33.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 38 times as much CO₂ as someone in Kenya
Kenya: 0.4 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
90% of Kenya’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States
Kenya: 90% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Kenya carries 2.9 times as much fine dust as in the United States
Kenya: 22 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 18% more likely to be murdered in the United States than in Kenya
Kenya: 4.9 per 100k (2022) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kenya are 2.1 times as deadly as in the United States
Kenya: 55.3 per 100k (2023) · United States: 26.3 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Kenya is on average 15.4 °C warmer than the United States
Kenya: 25.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United States gets 22% more rain than Kenya
Kenya: 696 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Kenya bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Kenya fits inside the United States 17 times.
Which has more people, Kenya or the United States?
The United States has 5.9 times as many people as Kenya (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Kenya or the United States?
People in the United States live 15 years longer than in Kenya. Life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years in Kenya and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Kenya or the United States?
Men in the United States are 6.5 cm taller than in Kenya (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
