Short-term debt in Kenya
Kenya: Short-term debt was 9.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Short-term debt in Kenya, 1975–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of exports of goods, services and primary income.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 9.6% for short-term debt in 2024.
That represents a change of down 37.2% on the previous year and down 43.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in Kenya peaked at 41.8% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 9.1%, in 2005.
That places Kenya 73rd out of 119 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Short-term debt in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % of exports of goods, services and primary income | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 18.5% | — |
| 1976 | 18.9% | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 19.0% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 26.1% | +37.3% |
| 1979 | 26.3% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 31.1% | +18.0% |
| 1981 | 26.1% | -15.8% |
| 1982 | 20.8% | -20.3% |
| 1983 | 26.8% | +28.6% |
| 1984 | 22.6% | -15.6% |
| 1985 | 29.3% | +29.4% |
| 1986 | 19.6% | -33.2% |
| 1987 | 34.0% | +74.0% |
| 1988 | 28.2% | -17.1% |
| 1989 | 31.5% | +11.7% |
| 1990 | 41.8% | +32.7% |
| 1991 | 32.1% | -23.3% |
| 1992 | 36.1% | +12.5% |
| 1993 | 24.4% | -32.5% |
| 1994 | 15.8% | -35.2% |
| 1995 | 17.7% | +12.0% |
| 1996 | 14.1% | -20.3% |
| 1997 | 18.9% | +33.8% |
| 1998 | 18.7% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 17.8% | -5.1% |
| 2000 | 26.8% | +51.1% |
| 2001 | 17.3% | -35.4% |
| 2002 | 20.3% | +16.9% |
| 2003 | 18.9% | -6.9% |
| 2004 | 15.3% | -18.8% |
| 2005 | 9.1% | -40.8% |
| 2006 | 9.8% | +7.8% |
| 2007 | 13.4% | +37.2% |
| 2008 | 11.2% | -16.2% |
| 2009 | 12.7% | +13.1% |
| 2010 | 11.4% | -10.1% |
| 2011 | 12.6% | +10.6% |
| 2012 | 13.6% | +8.2% |
| 2013 | 21.4% | +56.7% |
| 2014 | 17.0% | -20.5% |
| 2015 | 25.2% | +48.4% |
| 2016 | 21.3% | -15.6% |
| 2017 | 25.1% | +17.7% |
| 2018 | 21.6% | -13.8% |
| 2019 | 22.4% | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 19.7% | -12.3% |
| 2021 | 16.7% | -15.0% |
| 2022 | 13.9% | -16.7% |
| 2023 | 15.3% | +10.3% |
| 2024 | 9.6% | -37.2% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 9.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 13.3%, 73% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 9.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.1%, 1.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 21.8% | 18.5% | 26.3% | 5 |
| 1980s | 27.0% | 19.6% | 34.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.7% | 14.1% | 41.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.5% | 9.1% | 26.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.2% | 11.4% | 25.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.1% | 9.6% | 19.7% | 5 |
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 short-term debt in Kenya?
- Short-term debt in Kenya was 9.6% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 41.8% in 1990.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.1% in 2005.
- How does Kenya rank for short-term debt?
- Kenya ranks 73rd out of 119 countries with data for 2024.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of Short-term debt (% of exports of goods, services and primary income). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Short-term external debt is defined as debt that has an original maturity of one year or less. Available data permit no distinction between public and private nonguaranteed short-term debt. Exports of goods, services and primary income is the sum of goods (merchandise) exports, exports of (nonfactor) services and income (factor) receipts.