Fifteen in every 100 women and 17 in every 100 men aged between 15 years and 49 years have never had sex, the latest 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey shows.
The survey released by the Kenya Bureau of Statistics on Monday shows the percentage is highest among those aged between 18 to 24 years.
From the data, 48 per cent of the women and 35 per cent of the men have never been married.
According to the survey, 17 per cent and 19 per cent are women and men in rural areas respectively, the majority of them with secondary education level.
According to the data, 45 percent of men in Mandera had never had sex by the time of the survey, followed by Garissa at 43 percent, Wajir at 36 percent and Tana River and Kakamega at 31 per cent respectively.
The percentage of women who had never had sex by the time of the survey, on the other hand, was the highest in Wajir at 32 percent, Garissa at 31.7 percent, Vihiga at 26 percent, Mandera at 25 per cent and Kwale at 24.8 per cent.
“Rural women age 25 to 49 marry earlier than their urban counterparts; median age at first marriage is 20.1 in rural areas and 22.4 years in urban areas,” the report says.
According to the report, the median age at first marriage increases with the wealth quintile.
The report further shows 20 percent of men aged 25 to 49 had first sexual intercourse before age 15 compared with 15 percent among women in the same age group.
By age 20, 72 percent of both women and men aged 25 to 49 have had their first sexual intercourse, the report says.
