If you lived in Kenya instead of France, you would:

Health

be 72.4% less likely to die by suicide

France has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kenya, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 10.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In France, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2023. In Kenya, that number is 3.0% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 19.2 years less

In France, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 96.0% less spent on your healthcare

France spends $6,868 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kenya spends $274 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 91.2% fewer doctors per person

France has 32.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Kenya has 2.9 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 37.6% less access to essential health services

France scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kenya scores 53 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 27.7% less likely to be unemployed

In France, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kenya, that number is 5.5% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 2.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In France, 15.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Kenya, however, that number is 39.8% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

make 95.2% less money

France has a GDP per capita of $48,986 as of 2025, while in Kenya, the GDP per capita is $2,363 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.8 times more children

In France, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kenya, there are 27.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 21.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In France, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Kenya, 149.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 10.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In France, approximately 3.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Kenya, on the other hand, 34.2 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 23.8% less likely to have access to electricity

In France, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Kenya, that number is 76% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 60.5% less likely to have internet access

In France, approximately 88.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kenya, about 35.0% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 34.4% less likely to have access to drinking water

In France, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 66% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 24.4% less on education

France spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Kenya spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

View global rankings →

spend 62.3% less on healthcare

France spends 11.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 89.0% less coastline

France has a total of 4,853 km of coastline. In Kenya, that number is 536 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 3.6 times more likely to be murdered

France has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Kenya, that number is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 6.0 times more likely to die in a road accident

In France, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kenya, they kill 28.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 93.8% less home broadband

France has 48.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kenya has 3.0 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 55.5% more strain on fresh water

France withdraws 21% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kenya withdraws 33% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 97.0% less electricity

France uses 6,447 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Kenya uses 195 kWh as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 90.5% less CO2

France emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kenya emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 3.3 times more likely to die from air pollution

In France, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kenya, it causes 33.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Kenya: At a glance

Kenya is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 569,140 sq km. Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when President Daniel MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but were viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. KIBAKI's NARC coalition splintered in 2005 over a constitutional review process. Government defectors joined with KANU to form a new opposition coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), which defeated the government's draft constitution in a popular referendum in November 2005. KIBAKI's reelection in December 2007 brought charges of vote rigging from ODM candidate Raila ODINGA and unleashed two months of violence in which as many as 1,500 people died. African Union-sponsored mediation led by former UN Secretary General Kofi ANNAN in late February 2008 resulted in a power-sharing accord bringing ODINGA into the government in the restored position of prime minister. The power sharing accord included a broad reform agenda, the centerpiece of which was constitutional reform. In August 2010, Kenyans overwhelmingly adopted a new constitution in a national referendum. The new constitution introduced additional checks and balances to executive power and significant devolution of power and resources to 47 newly created counties. It also eliminated the position of prime minister following the first presidential election under the new constitution, which occurred on 4 March 2013. Uhuru KENYATTA, the son of founding president Jomo KENYATTA, won the March elections in the first round by a close margin and was sworn into office on 9 April 2013.
Read more

How big is Kenya compared to France? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Kenya or France. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.