Industry as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in Kenya
Kenya: Industry as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita was 16.4% in 2011. ▲ Rising
Latest (2011)
16.4%
Change on year
down 4.7%
World rank
40th
of 43 countries
All-time high
23.5%
in 1979
All-time low
11.7%
in 1963
Years of data
52
1960–2011
Industry as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in Kenya, 1960–2011
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % GDP.
Analysis
In 2011, industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Kenya stood at 16.4%.
That represents a change of down 4.7% on the previous year and up 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Kenya peaked at 23.5% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 11.7%, in 1963.
Kenya ranks 40th of 43 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Industry as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 14.4% | — |
| 1961 | 14.8% | +2.8% |
| 1962 | 12.9% | -12.8% |
| 1963 | 11.7% | -9.3% |
| 1964 | 12.8% | +9.4% |
| 1965 | 14.0% | +9.4% |
| 1966 | 13.4% | -4.3% |
| 1967 | 14.2% | +6.0% |
| 1968 | 14.8% | +4.2% |
| 1969 | 15.8% | +6.8% |
| 1970 | 16.5% | +4.4% |
| 1971 | 17.1% | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 17.4% | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 18.3% | +5.2% |
| 1974 | 18.7% | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 17.9% | -4.3% |
| 1976 | 18.2% | +1.7% |
| 1977 | 17.2% | -5.5% |
| 1978 | 19.4% | +12.8% |
| 1979 | 23.5% | +21.1% |
| 1980 | 19.7% | -16.2% |
| 1981 | 19.6% | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 19.6% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 18.6% | -5.1% |
| 1984 | 18.9% | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 19.0% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 18.5% | -2.6% |
| 1987 | 18.4% | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 18.7% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 19.2% | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 19.7% | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 20.7% | +5.1% |
| 1992 | 18.9% | -8.7% |
| 1993 | 17.3% | -8.5% |
| 1994 | 17.3% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 16.2% | -6.4% |
| 1996 | 16.6% | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 16.0% | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 15.7% | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 15.3% | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 15.6% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 15.3% | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 15.5% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 15.6% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 16.4% | +5.1% |
| 2005 | 17.2% | +4.9% |
| 2006 | 16.9% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 17.2% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 17.8% | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 16.7% | -6.2% |
| 2010 | 17.2% | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 16.4% | -4.7% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 16.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 26.4%, 62% of the median. (11 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 16.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.1%, 65% of the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 13.9% | 11.7% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 18.4% | 16.5% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.0% | 18.4% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.4% | 15.3% | 20.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.4% | 15.3% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.8% | 16.4% | 17.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More economy & growth data for Kenya
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.28 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5.26 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 417.66 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0035 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 7.4 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 463.44 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -8.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0038 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 8.21 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 23.12 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Kenya?
- Industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Kenya was 16.4% in 2011, according to Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 23.5% in 1979.
- What is the lowest industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.7% in 1963.
- How does Kenya rank for industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Kenya ranks 40th out of 43 countries with data for 2011.
- Is industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Industry as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The vertical axis shows historical estimates of the share of industry in GDP. The horizontal axis shows GDP per capita, adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.