The skyline in Kenya

Kenya Economy

Kenya's economy in numbers:

Nominal GDP of USD 114.3 billion in 2022.

GDP per capita of USD 2,257 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

Average real GDP growth of 4.5% over the last decade.

Share of the region's population
Share of the region's GDP

Economic structure:

In 2021, services accounted for 61% of overall GDP, manufacturing 7%, other industrial activity 10%, and agriculture 22%. Looking at GDP by expenditure, private consumption accounted for 76% of GDP in 2021, government consumption 12%, fixed investment 20%, and net exports -8%.

GDP by economic sector
GDP by type of expenditure

International trade:

In 2021, manufactured products made up 30% of total merchandise exports, mineral fuels 1%, food 48%, ores and metals 6% and agricultural raw materials 15%, with other categories accounting for 0% of the total. In the same period, manufactured products made up 63% of total merchandise imports, mineral fuels 18%, food 16%, ores and metals 1% and agricultural raw materials 2%, with other goods accounting for 0% of the total. Total exports were worth USD 7 billion in 2022, while total imports were USD 19 billion.

Key exports
Key imports
Key export partners
Key import partners

Economic growth:

The economy recorded average annual growth of 4.5% in the decade to 2022. To read more about GDP growth in Kenya, go to our dedicated page.

Fiscal policy:

Kenya's fiscal deficit averaged 6.7% of GDP in the decade to 2022. Find out more on our dedicated page.

Unemployment:

The unemployment rate averaged 4.0% in the decade to 2022. For more information on Kenya's unemployment click here.

Inflation:

Inflation averaged 6.5% in the decade to 2022. Go to our Kenya inflation page for extra insight.

Monetary Policy:

Kenya's monetary policy rate ended 2022 at 8.75%, down from 11.00% a decade earlier. See our Kenya monetary policy page for additional details.

Exchange Rate:

From end-2012 to end-2022 the shilling weakened by 30.2% vs the U.S. dollar. For more info on the shilling, click here.
Our Consensus is for the economy to have expanded at a robust annual rate in Q2, and available data bears out this prediction. Near four-year-low inflation and a healthy increase in remittances inflows in Q2 likely buttressed household spending. In addition, goods exports rose at a faster annual clip than in Q1. That said, the economy met headwinds at the tail end of Q2, and these seem to have carried over to Q3. After the new tax bill was scrapped—in response to widespread protests—both Moody’s and Fitch Ratings cut Kenya’s credit rating, citing higher fiscal risks. In mid-July, President Ruto reshuffled his cabinet, appointing four opposition members in an attempt to restore political stability. Later in the month, the country proposed a revised finance bill to safeguard IMF funds, targeting increased borrowing and lower spending, rather than higher tax revenues.
Projections out to 2033.

48 indicators covered including both annual and quarterly frequencies.

Consensus Forecasts based on a panel of 17 expert analysts.

Want to get insight on the economic outlook for Kenya in the coming years? FocusEconomics collects projections out to 2033 on 48 economic indicators for Kenya from a panel of 17 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts, and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. This means you avoid the risk of relying on out of date, biased or outlier forecasts. Our Consensus Forecasts can be visualized in whichever way best suits your needs, including via interactive online dashboards , direct data delivery and executive-style reports which combine analysts' projections with timely written analysis from our in-house team of economists on the latest developments in the Kenya economy. To download a sample report on the Kenya's economy, click here. To get in touch with our team for more information, fill in the form at the bottom of this page.

Kenya Economic Data

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Population (million) 47.6 48.8 49.7 50.6 51.5
GDP (USD bn) 100.4 100.6 109.7 114.4 107.9
GDP per capita (USD) 2,109 2,062 2,205 2,259 2,094
GDP (KES bn) 10,238 10,715 12,028 13,490 15,109
Economic Growth (Nominal GDP, ann. var. %) 9.6 4.7 12.2 12.2 12.0
Economic Growth (GDP, ann. var. %) 5.1 -0.3 7.6 4.9 5.6
Domestic Demand (ann. var. %) 5.4 -0.5 9.3 2.1 3.2
Private Consumption (ann. var. %) 5.0 -1.5 6.2 3.1 5.0
Government Consumption (ann. var. %) 5.6 3.1 6.0 7.4 5.7
Fixed Investment (ann. var. %) 4.5 2.3 10.8 -1.1 0.1
Exports (G&S, ann. var. %) -3.2 -14.9 15.3 10.7 -6.8
Imports (G&S, ann. var. %) 1.8 -9.4 22.2 4.5 -7.8
Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) -7.4 -8.1 -7.2 -6.1 -5.3
Public Debt (% of GDP) 59.1 68.0 68.2 68.4 73.3
Money (ann. var. of M2 %) 5.4 11.9 5.6 5.4 9.3
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, eop) 7.2 5.6 5.7 9.1 6.6
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, aop) 5.2 5.4 6.1 7.7 7.7
Central Bank Rate (%, eop) 8.50 7.00 7.00 8.75 12.50
Stock Market (ann. var. of NSE %) -6.3 -29.6 1.8 -11.9 -10.4
Exchange Rate (KES per USD, eop) 101 109 113 123 157
Exchange Rate (KES per USD, aop) 102 107 110 118 140
Current Account Balance (USD bn) -5.5 -4.6 -6.0 -5.8 -4.3
Current Account Balance (% of GDP) -5.5 -4.6 -5.5 -5.0 -4.0
Merchandise Trade Balance (USD bn) -10.6 -8.4 -12.3 -11.7 -10.0
Merchandise Exports (USD bn) 5.9 6.1 7.3 7.4 7.2
Merchandise Imports (USD bn) 16.6 14.5 19.6 19.1 17.2
Merchandise Exports (ann. var. %) -3.1 2.7 20.8 1.4 -2.6
Merchandise Imports (ann. var. %) 1.4 -12.4 35.2 -2.3 -9.9
Foreign Direct Investment (USD bn) 1.1 1.5 1.4 1.6 1.5
International Reserves (USD bn) 9.1 8.3 9.5 8.0 7.3
International Reserves (months of imports) 6.6 6.9 5.8 5.0 5.1
External Debt (USD bn) 35.0 38.0 41.2 41.6 -
External Debt (% of GDP) 34.8 37.8 37.6 36.3 -

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