Share of imports that come from China in Kenya
Kenya: Share of imports that come from China was 20.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of imports that come from China in Kenya, 1948–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of imports that come from china in Kenya is 20.0%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.2% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of imports that come from china in Kenya peaked at 23.6% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1962.
Kenya ranks 80th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of imports that come from China in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 1.5% | — |
| 1949 | 0.2% | -88.9% |
| 1959 | 0.1% | -67.9% |
| 1960 | 0.0% | -11.5% |
| 1962 | 0.0% | -3.9% |
| 1963 | 0.1% | +190.4% |
| 1964 | 1.1% | +762.9% |
| 1965 | 1.3% | +12.9% |
| 1966 | 2.0% | +57.3% |
| 1967 | 1.0% | -49.9% |
| 1968 | 1.5% | +44.7% |
| 1969 | 1.0% | -30.6% |
| 1970 | 0.9% | -14.1% |
| 1971 | 0.8% | -8.0% |
| 1972 | 0.7% | -8.6% |
| 1973 | 0.8% | +11.5% |
| 1974 | 1.3% | +60.2% |
| 1975 | 0.4% | -66.5% |
| 1976 | 0.9% | +97.6% |
| 1977 | 1.3% | +52.4% |
| 1978 | 0.8% | -39.5% |
| 1979 | 0.9% | +13.9% |
| 1980 | 0.8% | -7.0% |
| 1981 | 1.0% | +15.6% |
| 1982 | 0.8% | -15.5% |
| 1983 | 0.4% | -53.6% |
| 1984 | 0.9% | +134.9% |
| 1985 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1.1% | +23.3% |
| 1988 | 1.3% | +14.3% |
| 1989 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.9% | -29.8% |
| 1991 | 1.0% | +16.5% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 1.5% | +47.0% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | -8.8% |
| 1995 | 3.6% | +156.7% |
| 1996 | 1.8% | -49.6% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | +9.0% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | +4.6% |
| 1999 | 3.6% | +72.7% |
| 2000 | 3.1% | -12.5% |
| 2001 | 2.5% | -21.9% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 3.0% | +21.6% |
| 2005 | 5.2% | +73.8% |
| 2006 | 5.7% | +9.7% |
| 2007 | 7.6% | +32.3% |
| 2008 | 8.2% | +7.9% |
| 2009 | 9.5% | +15.8% |
| 2010 | 12.8% | +34.9% |
| 2011 | 11.0% | -14.1% |
| 2012 | 12.2% | +11.1% |
| 2013 | 12.9% | +6.2% |
| 2014 | 15.4% | +18.9% |
| 2015 | 20.3% | +32.3% |
| 2016 | 23.6% | +15.9% |
| 2017 | 22.6% | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 21.0% | -7.2% |
| 2019 | 20.9% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 20.3% | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 20.6% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 18.2% | -11.3% |
| 2023 | 17.5% | -3.8% |
| 2024 | 21.3% | +21.7% |
| 2025 | 20.0% | -6.2% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 20.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 20.0%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 20.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.0%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of imports that come from China in Kenya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | +762.9% | 0.1% | 1.1% |
| 1963 | +190.4% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1995 | +156.7% | 1.4% | 3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.8% | 0.2% | 1.5% | 2 |
| 1950s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
| 1960s | 0.9% | 0.0% | 2.0% | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.9% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.9% | 0.9% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.2% | 2.5% | 9.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 17.3% | 11.0% | 23.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.7% | 17.5% | 21.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 77 Bhutan 20.2% compare
- 78 Mexico 20.1% compare
- 79 El Salvador 20.1% compare
- 81 Nicaragua 19.9% compare
- 82 Burkina Faso 19.9% compare
- 83 Azerbaijan 19.6% compare
More economy & growth data for Kenya
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -17.4 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate -59.19 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 2.42 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -61.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0007 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 1.77 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 3.56 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of imports that come from china in Kenya?
- Share of imports that come from china in Kenya was 20.0% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of imports that come from china recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 23.6% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of imports that come from china recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1962.
- How does Kenya rank for share of imports that come from china?
- Kenya ranks 80th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of imports that come from china rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of imports that come from China. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of a country's total goods imports, including freight and insurance costs, that come from China.