Statizoid

Government spending as share of GDP in Kenya

Kenya: Government spending as share of GDP was 23.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
23.3%
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
102nd
of 151 countries
All-time high
25.4%
in 2016
All-time low
13.7%
in 1999
Years of data
43
1982–2024

Government spending as share of GDP in Kenya, 1982–2024

01020301982200320241982: 16.2 % of GDP1983: 14.6 % of GDP1984: 14.9 % of GDP1985: 15.6 % of GDP1986: 15.3 % of GDP1987: 15.5 % of GDP1988: 15.9 % of GDP1989: 16.3 % of GDP1990: 17.2 % of GDP1991: 16.4 % of GDP1992: 17.6 % of GDP1993: 18.9 % of GDP1994: 18.8 % of GDP1995: 17.3 % of GDP1996: 15.2 % of GDP1997: 15.6 % of GDP1998: 15.3 % of GDP1999: 13.7 % of GDP2000: 14.1 % of GDP2001: 14.9 % of GDP2002: 15.7 % of GDP2003: 16 % of GDP2004: 15.4 % of GDP2005: 16.2 % of GDP2006: 17.3 % of GDP2007: 18.1 % of GDP2008: 18.9 % of GDP2009: 20.3 % of GDP2010: 21.5 % of GDP2011: 20.1 % of GDP2012: 22.1 % of GDP2013: 23.2 % of GDP2014: 23.4 % of GDP2015: 23.8 % of GDP2016: 25.4 % of GDP2017: 25.2 % of GDP2018: 24.5 % of GDP2019: 24.4 % of GDP2020: 24.8 % of GDP2021: 24 % of GDP2022: 23.2 % of GDP2023: 22.7 % of GDP2024: 23.3 % of GDP

Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government spending as share of gdp in Kenya is 23.3%, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 2.5% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Kenya peaked at 25.4% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 13.7%, in 1999.

That places Kenya 102nd out of 151 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 15.5% 14.6% 16.3% 8
1990s 16.6% 13.7% 18.9% 10
2000s 16.7% 14.1% 20.3% 10
2010s 23.4% 20.1% 25.4% 10
2020s 23.6% 22.7% 24.8% 5

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 99 Gabon 24.8% compare
  2. 100 Saint Lucia 24.3% compare
  3. 101 Malaysia 23.9% compare
  4. 103 Hong Kong 23.3% compare
  5. 104 Guyana 23.2% compare
  6. 105 Ghana 23.2% compare

See the full ranking of 151 places →

More economy & growth data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending as share of gdp in Kenya?
Government spending as share of gdp in Kenya was 23.3% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 25.4% in 2016.
What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 13.7% in 1999.
How does Kenya rank for government spending as share of gdp?
Kenya ranks 102nd out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Kenya data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Government spending as share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
151 places, 9,265 data points, 1800–2024
Last refreshed

The sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.