The number of refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya rose by 19.1 percent to 823,932 last year, from 691,868 in 2023, according to the Economic Survey released on Tuesday.
More than half of these refugees and asylum seekers came from Somalia (56.9 percent) and South Sudan (23.4 percent).
The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Burundi were also significant contributors with over 63,000, 42,000 and 32,380 people respectively.
According to the State Department for Refugee Services, persons of concern from other nationalities, including Sudan, Uganda, Eritrea and Rwanda, accounted for approximately three percent of the total population.
This increase reflects both the dangers faced by asylum seekers in their home countries and Kenya's position as a safe destination for those seeking protection, even amid recent incidents of insecurity in the country.
"The number of registered refugees and asylum seekers increased by 19.1 percent to 823,932 in 2024. The number of children and adults registered as refugees and asylum seekers increased by 22.4 percent and 15.5 percent respectively during the year," the State Department for Refugee Services stated in the report.
The survey also found that men and children each make up slightly over half of the total refugee and asylum seeker population, at 51.1 percent and 53.3 percent respectively.
More than half (50.5 percent) of the refugees and asylum seekers live in Dadaab camp in Garissa County, while 36.2 percent are in Kakuma camp in Turkana County and 13.3 percent live in urban centres, mainly in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret and Nakuru.
This increase coincides with a rise in cases of double registration among refugees in Dadaab and Kakuma camps, where some individuals falsely claim to be refugees in order to access short-term refugee status.
Kenya is a major host country for refugees, with some of the world's largest camps for internally and internationally displaced people. In the last four years, the number of asylum seekers and refugees has increased by 63.2 percent from 504,854 to 823,932.
According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), there are currently about 843,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya, many of whom are completely dependent on humanitarian assistance to meet their most basic needs.
Over the years, the European Union has consistently provided humanitarian support to refugee operations in Kenya and has allocated €14.5 million (Sh2.1 billion) in humanitarian funding for 2025 to support essential life-saving assistance, including food aid and health care.
