Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Kenya, you would:
Health
live 10.9 years longer
In Kenya, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022. In United States, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.
be 5.1 times more likely to be obese
In Kenya, 7.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In United States, that number is 36.2% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 13.2 times more money
Kenya has a GDP per capita of $4,900 as of 2022, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $64,600 as of 2022.
be 35.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Kenya, 5.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In United States, that number is 3.6% as of 2022.
be 58.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Kenya, 36.1% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In United States, however, that number is 15.1% as of 2010.
pay a 32.0% higher top tax rate
Kenya has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In United States, the top tax rate is 39.6% as of 2016.
Life
be 96.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Kenya, approximately 530.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In United States, 21.0 women do as of 2020.
be 81.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Kenya, approximately 27.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In United States, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2022.
have 52.3% fewer children
In Kenya, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 30.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Kenya, approximately 76% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In United States, 100% of the population do as of 2021.
be 3.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Kenya, approximately 29.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In United States, about 92.0% do as of 2021.
be 40.3% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Kenya, approximately 71% of people have improved drinking water access (91% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2020. In United States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 27.1% more on education
Kenya spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. United States spends 6.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 4.4 times more on healthcare
Kenya spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In United States, that number is 18.8% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 37.2 times more coastline
Kenya has a total of 536 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Service.
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Kenya? See an in-depth size comparison.