Browse a full set of economic indicators

Kenya

Includes Kenya real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Kenya economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Kenya best banks and safest banks are also available.

Basic Information

Government Type: Presidential republic

Capital City: Nairobi

GDP & Economic Information

Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data

Central Bank Central Bank of Kenya
Currency Kenyan shillings (KES)

International Reserves USD 7.5 billion (2015)

International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved January 2017
Gross Domestic Product – GDP USD 74.7 billion (2017, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
Intl$ 165.6 billion (2017, estimate)

GDP Data

Real GDP growth 2006: 5.9%
2007: 6.9%
2008: 0.2%
2009: 3.3%
2010: 8.4%
2011: 6.1%
2012: 4.6%
2013: 5.7%
2014: 5.3%
2015: 5.7%
2016*: 6.0%
2017*: 6.1%
*Estimate
GDP per capita – current prices USD 1,599.4 (2017, estimate)
GDP per capita – PPP Intl$ 3,543.7 (2017, estimate)
GDP (PPP) – share of world total 1980: 0.13%
1990: 0.14%
2000: 0.11%
2010: 0.12%
2017*: 0.1%
*Estimate
GDP – composition by sector agriculture: 32.7%
industry: 18%
services: 49.3%
(2016 estimate)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) N/A
Inflation 2013: 5.7%
2014: 6.9%
2015: 6.6%
2016*: 6.2%
2017*: 5.5%
*Estimate

Inflation & Debt

Inflation 2013: 5.7%
2014: 6.9%
2015: 6.6%
2016*: 6.2%
2017*: 5.5%
*Estimate
Government Bond Ratings Standard & Poor’s: B+

Moody’S: B1

Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s (Updated January 2017)
Unemployment rate N/A
Household saving rates N/A
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) 2013: 41.5%
2014: 46.7%
2015: 51.3%
2016*: 52.7%
2017*: 53%
*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) 2013: -5.7%
2014: -7.4%
2015: -8.3%
2016*: -7.4%
2017*: -6.4%
*Estimate
Market value of publicly traded shares N/A
Largest Companies N/A

Import/Export

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) 9.7% (2020)
Shares in world total merchandising export 0.03% (2020)
Shares in world total commercial services export 0.08% (2019)
Total exports USD 9.7 billion (2020 estimate)
Export commodities Tea, cut flowers, refined petroleum, coffee, titanium (2019)
Total imports USD 18.5 billion (2020 estimate)
Import commodities
Refined petroleum, cars, packaged medicines, wheat, iron products (2019)
Exports – major partners Uganda 10%, United States 9%, Netherlands 8%, Pakistan 7%, United Kingdom 6%, United Arab Emirates 6%, Tanzania 5% (2019)
Imports – major partners China 24%, United Arab Emirates 10%, India 10%, Saudi Arabia 7%, Japan 5% (2019)

Competitiveness & Trade

Current account balance USD -5.5 billion (2021 estimate)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP
-5% (2021 estimate)
FDI inflows 2018: USD 1,139 million
2019: USD 1,098 million
2020: USD 717 million
FDI Outflows 2018: USD 11 million
2019: USD 11 million
2020: USD -7.1 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser N/A


United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – World Investment Report
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 N/A
Best countries for doing business
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking: 56 out of 190 countries (2020)

Subcategories:

Starting a business: 129 out of 190 countries

Enforcing Contracts: 89 out of 190 countries

Registering Property: 134 out of 190 countries

Getting Credit: 4 out of 190 countries

Protecting Minority Investors: 1 out of 190 countries

Trading Across Borders: 117 out of 190 countries

Paying Taxes: 94 out of 190 countries

Dealing with Construction Permits: 105 out of 190 countries

Getting Electricity: 106 out of 190 countries

Resolving Insolvency: 50 out of 190 countries
Global competitiveness ranking 13 out of 141 (2019)
Index of Economic Freedom Ranking: 138 / Score: 52.6 (Mostly Unfree)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

Population & Geographic Data

Time Zone UTC+3

Total Area 580,367 sq km
Total Population 1990: 23.7 million
2000: 32.0 million
2010: 42.0 million
2015: 47.9 million
2020: 53.8 million
*Estimate
Urban population as % of total population 1960: 7.4%
1980: 15.6%
2000: 19.9%
2020: 28.0%
Population median age 20 years (2020 estimate)
Population growth rate 2.12% (2022 est.)
Life expectancy 69.7 years (2020 estimate)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day
66.5% (last available estimate, 2015)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) 40.8 (last available estimate, 2015)
Freedom House rating Total score: 48/100

Status: Partly Free

Political Rights: 19/40

Civil Liberties: 29/60 (2022)
Total telephone subscribers as % of population Fixed: 0.1%

Mobile: 114.2% (2020)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population 29.5% (2020)

Language & Religon

Languages English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages
Literacy
Total population: 81.5%

Male: 85%

Female: 78.2% (2018)

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Religions Christian 85.5% (Protestant 33.4%, Catholic 20.6%, Evangelical 20.4%, African Instituted Churches 7%, other Christian 4.1%), Muslim 10.9%, other 1.8%, none 1.6%, don’t know/no answer 0.2% (2019 est.)

World Rankings

Population 53.8 M
Mercer Cost of living index N/A
C02 Emissions per capita 0.36 metric tons per capita (2018)

Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Kenya

Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.


Data Sources:

IMF World Economic Outlook

UN World Population Prospects

World Inequality Report

S&P Global Ratings

Moody’s

Fitch Ratings

IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

CIA The World Factbook

World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution

Forbes Global 2000

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