Kenya economy: GDP, investment, trade and remittances
How large the Kenya economy is and how fast it is growing, who invests in it, what it sells and buys, how much its citizens abroad send home, who it owes and what it holds in reserve. The latest published year is shown with each figure.
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Kenya economy snapshot: GDP, growth and income per person
Kenya's GDP was US$135.9 billion in 2025, after real growth of 4.6%.
GDP
Current US dollars.
Real GDP growth
Annual change, per cent. Red bars are contractions.
GDP per person
Current US dollars.
Source: World Bank, 2025. Method
Who invests in Kenya and in what
Direct investment by investing country
South Africa was the largest investing country in Kenya, at 28% of inward direct investment positions in 2024.
Inward direct investment positions in Kenya at the end of 2024: the stock of foreign direct investment, not a year's new flow. The 10 largest investing countries.
The IMF data holds no positions reported by Kenya itself. The figures are derived by the IMF from what the investing countries report, so they are shown as reported by investing countries.
Source: IMF, 2024. Method
What Kenya sells and buys
Coffee, tea and spices was 22% of exports in 2025.
Kenya sold the most to Uganda, 14% of exports in 2025.
Exports by product, 2025
Tile area follows value. Each tile is a customs chapter of the Harmonized System; hover for the full name.
Source: UN Comtrade, 2025. Method
Top buyers, 2025
Share of Kenya's exports.
Top suppliers, 2025
Share of Kenya's imports.
Source: UN Comtrade, 2025. Method
What Kenya buys, 2025
The 8 largest product chapters in imports.
Source: UN Comtrade, 2025. Method
Trade balance of goods
Exports minus imports. Red bars are years when imports were larger. A year is left out when either side is not published.
Source: UN Comtrade, 2025. Method
Remittances against foreign direct investment in Kenya
Remittances to Kenya were 4.6 times foreign direct investment in 2025.
Foreign direct investment net inflows were negative in 2020: more investment left Kenya than came in.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Remittances and investment as a share of GDP
The same two flows measured against the size of the economy.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Who Kenya owes
External debt stock by type of creditor. Creditor types cover public and publicly guaranteed debt; the grey part is the rest of the total external debt stock. A creditor type with no published figure is not shown.
Multilateral creditors held 47% of Kenya's external debt stock in 2024.
Public external debt owed to China was US$5.4 billion in 2024, 13% of the external debt stock.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Reserves and months of import cover
Total reserves including gold, and how many months of imports they cover.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Aid received by Kenya
Net official development assistance and official aid received.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Where Kenya ranks in Africa
Its place among the 54 African countries on each of our Africa rankings. Each tile opens the full ranking with its source.
- GDP per person23rd of 53$2,548, 2025Richest countries in Africa
- Size of the economy7th of 53$136 billion, 2025Largest economies in Africa
- Population7th of 5353.4 million, 2025African countries by population
- Area21st of 54591,970 sq kmLargest countries in Africa
- Life expectancy35th of 5463.8 years, 2024Life expectancy in Africa
- US travel advisory40th of 54Level 3, reconsider travelSafest countries in Africa
- President's time in office33rd longest of 51William Samoei Ruto, 4 yearsLongest serving presidents
- President's age13th youngest of 5159 years oldYoungest presidents in Africa
More on Kenya
- Kenya government budget: education and health spending
- Kenya government directory
- Inflation and unemployment in Kenya
- Kenya's counties compared
- Kenya debt: debt to GDP and largest creditors
- Who invests in Africa: the largest foreign investors in every country
- Natural resources in Kenya: oil, gas and minerals
- East Africa: Kenya and its neighbours compared
- African economies compared: GDP, investment, trade and remittances
World Bank data pages for Kenya: GDP, GDP growth, GDP per person, remittances, foreign direct investment, reserves, months of imports, external debt, debt by creditor, aid. UN Comtrade: trade data. IMF: direct investment positions.
Cite this
PollsAfrica (2026). Kenya economy: GDP, investment, trade and remittances. Retrieved 10 Oct 2026 from https://pollsafrica.com/economy/kenya