Data Table

KENYA
GDP
$61.51 billion
GDP real growth rate
1.7%
GDP per capita
$1713.03
Population living below the poverty line
50%
Life expectancy
male: 57; female: 58
Adult literacy
85.1%
Birth rate
36.64 births/ 1000 population
Death rate
9.72 deaths/1000 population
Population growth rate
2.691%
Age structure
0-14 years: 42.3% (male 8,300,393/female 8,181,898) 15-64 years: 55.1% (male 10,784,119/female 10,702,999) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 470,218/female 563,145)

Kenya has an interesting economy. Their per capita GDP is only $1,713.03 while the population growth rate is 2.691% (CIA, 1009). These numbers are concerning especially compared to the United States per capita GDP of 47,500 dollars and their population growth of only .915% (CIA, 2009). Kenya’s low per capita GDP goes along with its high population growth rate, because as countries have higher population growth rates they tend to have lower per capita GDPs that go along with it.
Kenya has an 85.1 percent literacy rate which is slightly higher than the world literacy rate of 82 percent (CIA, 2009). However when more closely examined these numbers reveal a higher truth. Over ninety percent of the male population in Kenya is literate while less than eighty percent of women in Kenya can read (CIA, 2009). These numbers strongly suggest that women are not often educated in Kenya. Women are expected to be mothers at very young ages. Since Kenyans have little availability and education about contraception there is high population growth (CIA, 2009). This lowers the standard of living for these women because they have to dedicate most of their money to several children rather than one child.
Forty two percent of the population in Kenya is under fourteen which means a large portion of Kenyan citizens have the ability to work, but they most likely would not be productive (CIA, 2009). This likely helps to explain why fifty percent of Kenyans are living below the poverty line. Stated simply, if people cannot work, they cannot gain money and they are destined to poverty. Kenya is slightly below average with their 1.7 percent GDP real growth rate. The average world growth rate is 2.01 percent (CIA, 2009). This could also help explain why so many people are living below the poverty line. Over the years as other countries have prospered by largely increasing their GDP, Kenya has increased their GDP by less than everyone else has (CIA, 2009). This is likely because while other countries are finding more productive ways to produce their multiple goods and services, Kenya is still farming largely by hand. The large number of people living below the poverty line could be a leading cause for why the average life expectancy in Kenya is only 57.49 years for males and 58.24 years for females while the world’s average life expectancy is 68.9 years (CIA, 2009). When people are living below the poverty line they are not able to afford the nutritious foods and necessary medications which people above the poverty line are able to consume in order to prolong their lives.
Additionally Kenya’s GDP is 61.51 billion dollars while the United State’s average GDP is 13.2 trillion dollars (CIA, 2009). Perhaps Kenya would have a higher GDP if more women would become educated so they could later play more important roles in the labor force, generating more money for the country. All in all, Kenya is significantly below average in many aspects of their economy.

References:

CIA. "Kenya Economy." CIA World Factbook. CIA, Nov. 2009. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ke.html>. CIA. "Literacy." CIA World

Factbook. CIA, Nov. 2009. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2103.html>. CIA. "United States Economy."

CIA. "United States Economy." CIA World Factbook. CIA, Nov. 2009. Web. 20 Nov. 2009.
.Economy." CIA Worls Factbook. CIA, Nov. 2009. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. .