This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from Kenya statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from Kenyan statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other Kenyan-specific metadata information.
| Goal |
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels |
|---|---|
| Target |
Target 16.9: By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration |
| Indicator |
Proportion of children under 5 years of age whose births have been registered with a civil authority, by age |
| Metadata update |
2022 |
| Organisation |
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics] |
| Contact person(s) |
Senior Manager, Population Statistics |
| Contact organisation unit |
Population Statistics Division |
| Contact person function |
Collect, collate, compile, analyze, publish and disseminate data on fertility, mortality, migration and vital statistics |
| Contact phone |
+254 735004401,+254 202911001,+254 202911000 |
| Contact mail |
P.O. Box 30266 – 00100 Nairobi |
| Contact email |
info@knbs.or.ke, diectorgeneral@knbs.or.ke |
| Definition and concepts |
Definition: Proportion of children under 5 years of age whose births have been registered with a civil authority. Concepts: • Birth registration: Birth registration is defined as ‘the continuous, permanent and universal recording, within the civil registry, of the occurrence and characteristics of births in accordance with the legal requirements of a country’. • Birth certificate: A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term ‘birth certificate’ can refer either to the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth, or to a certified copy or representation of the registration of that birth, depending on the practices of the country issuing the certificate. • Civil authority: Official authorized to register the occurrence of a vital event and to record the required details. |
| Unit of measure |
Percentage |
| Classifications |
Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System |
| Data sources |
2014 KDHS;2019 KPHC;2022 KDHS] |
| Data collection method |
Census and Household or other population-based surveys: In Kenya this indicator is measured using Census and KDHS data to report on the percentage of children under age 5 (0-59 months) with a birth certificate, regardless of whether or not it was seen by the interviewer, or whose birth was reported as registered with civil authorities at the time of survey. Census is carried out after every 10 years while DHS is carried out after 5 years. |
| Data collection calendar |
Every 5 and 10 years] |
| Data release calendar |
2022 |
| Data providers |
Department of Civil Registration; Kenya National Bureau of Statistics] |
| Data compilers |
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics] |
| Institutional mandate |
Department of Civil Registration Services (CRS); The department of Civil Registration is mandated to carry out registration of all births and deaths that occur in Kenya and those of Kenyans occurring abroad; Issuance of birth and death certificates; Production and dissemination of Vital Statistics. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) is established under the Statistics Act, 2006 as the principal agency of the Government for collecting, analyzing and disseminating statistical data in Kenya, as the custodian of official statistical information and promoting effective statistical coordination of NSS. |
| Rationale |
Registering children at birth is the first step in securing their recognition before the law, safeguarding their rights, and ensuring that any violation of these rights does not go unnoticed. Children without official identification documents may be denied health care or education. Later in life, the lack of such documentation can mean that a child may enter into marriage or the labour market, or be conscripted into the armed forces, before the legal age. In adulthood, birth certificates may be required to obtain social assistance or a job in the formal sector, to buy or prove the right to inherit property, to vote and to obtain a passport. Children’s right to a name and nationality is enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) under Article 7. |
| Comment and limitations |
Getting reliable administrative data from the Department of Civil Registration services (CRS)] |
| Method of computation |
Number of children under age of five whose births are reported as being registered with the relevant national civil authorities divided by the total number of children under the age of five in the population multiplied by 100] |
| Validation |
Different stakeholders were invited to validate the report before it was released] |
| Methods and guidance available to countries for the compilation of the data at the national level |
Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System] |
| Quality management |
KNBS developed a quality assurance framework (KeSQAF), to record and reference the full range of quality concepts, dimensions, and practices. These include; Relevance, accuracy, reliability, timeliness, punctuality, accessibility, clarity, coherence, consistency, methodological soundness, and integrity.] [The United Nations National Quality Assurance Frameworks Manual for Official Statistics (UN NQAF)] [Principles of official statistics] |
| Quality assurance |
Different stakeholders were invited to validate the report before it was released] |
| Quality assessment |
Different stakeholders were invited to validate the report before it was released] |
| Data availability and disaggregation |
By sex, age, residence and wealth quintile] |
| Comparability/deviation from international standards |
None] |
| References and Documentation |
https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/standmeth/principles/m19rev3en.pdf http://data.unicef.org/child-protection/birth-registration.html https://data.unicef.org/resources/a-generation-to-protect/ ] |
| Metadata last updated | Aug 28, 2025 |