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 |
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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 |
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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 |
Kenya
Inflation & Debt
Inflation |
2013: 5.7% 2014: 6.9% 2015: 6.6% 2016*: 6.2% 2017*: 5.5% *Estimate |
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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) |
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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) |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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