Kenyan Study Links Higher Female Education to Lower Desired Number of Children

Study examines the relationship between women’s educational attainment and their preferred number of children using data from the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, covering a nationally representative sample of 12,000 reproductive‑age women.

Findings indicate that women who have completed secondary education or higher tend to prefer fewer children, with an average desired family size of about three, compared with four to five among women with only primary schooling, especially in rural counties such as Turkana and Kitui.

Implications suggest that expanding access to secondary education for girls could be an effective strategy for moderating fertility rates and supporting Kenya’s long‑term socioeconomic development goals, potentially lowering the national fertility rate by 0.3 births per woman.

Researchers recommend policymakers integrate educational incentives with family‑planning programs, noting that informed women are more likely to delay childbirth and invest in child health and education; the study was led by Dr. Amina Njeri of the University of Nairobi.