Some aspects of Kenya's demographic trends

The author examines fertility and mortality trends in Kenya since 1948. Among the findings it is noted that "the total fertility ratio for Kenya rose from 6.7 in 1948 to 8.1 in 1989. The population growth rate according to the 1989 census was 4.2 per cent, the highest in the world. There has been a decline in mortality. [The] crude death rate declined from 25 per thousand in 1948 to 12 per thousand in 1989. There has also been a sharp decline in infant mortality from 184 per thousand in 1948 to 72 per thousand by 1989. Mortality differentials by the level of formal education show that mortality for children whose mothers have no formal education is highest, and lowest for children whose mothers have secondary education."