Kenya
Everything Palanor holds about Kenya, in one place: 82 public signals, what its economy runs on, how often America’s largest companies name it, the news that names it, and Country Posture. Every figure is computed from stored readings and carries its source and date.
AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaMiddle East & Africa
The latest read
- GDP in current U.S. dollars: $135.9 billion (2025); record high since 1990; 1y +12.9%.
- Household consumption, share of GDP: 76.9% of GDP (2025); 65th percentile since 1990; lowest since 2022; 1y −0.38 pts.
- Net exports, share of GDP: -5.99% of GDP (2025); 79th percentile since 1990; highest since 2003; 1y +0.31 pts.
Country Posture
What Kenya’s economy is doing
Momentum
2025Inputs only. Did not pass the pre-registered back-test: 1996–2009: AUC 0.590 below 0.60; AUC 0.590 below the single-input baseline (0.624); 2010–2022: AUC 0.595 below 0.60; AUC 0.595 below the single-input baseline (0.641).
Inputs
| Real GDP growth | 4.6 |
| Growth against its three-year average | -0.4 |
| Change in unemployment | -0.0 |
| Change in the employment rate | -0.0 |
| Export volume growth | — |
| OECD leading indicator | — |
Resilience
202440Moderate buffers
0 = thin buffers · 100 = deep buffers
Moved most by reserves, months of imports (up) and governance (wgi mean) (down) since the year before.
Inputs
| Interest as a share of revenue (2023) | 24.3 | 8 |
| Budget balance (2023) | -10.0 | 10 |
| Reserves, months of imports | 4.0 | 54 |
| Current account | -1.8 | 63 |
| Governance (WGI mean) | -0.56 | 54 |
| External debt | 35.0 | 60 |
Pressure
2025Inputs only. Did not pass the pre-registered back-test: 1996–2009: AUC 0.657 below the single-input baseline (0.672).
Inputs
| Inflation | 4.1 |
| Change in inflation | -0.4 |
| Currency move against the dollar | -4.2% |
| Conflict deaths per million | 1.4 |
| Political stability | -1.12 |
| Private credit, three-year change | -1.9 |
| Bond spread over U.S. Treasuries | — |
Posture describes what an economy is doing; it is not a rating and never ranks countries. Each input is read against the country’s own history and against every other economy that year. An axis shows a score only after passing a back-test fixed before any result was computed. Method and back-test.
Passport reach
Where a Kenya passport opens doors
The share of world GDP, outside Kenya itself, in the economies whose published rules let a holder of this passport in, as of October 2026. Palanor records the rules of destinations holding 88% of world GDP, from each government’s own list, and weights them by World Bank GDP for 2025. Rank is among 199 passports.
Work
0.0%rank 114 of 199
the right to work (free movement in full; treaty and working-holiday routes at half); 0 destinations in full.
Recorded changes
- 2025-04-05Russia · visit: Visa required → E-visa before travel source
Reach is shown here and not weighted into Country Strength: it rewards membership of a free-movement area or a treaty more than the strength of an economy. Entry is always at the border officer’s discretion, and conditions (length of stay, fees, age limits) vary. Method, sources and the full ranking: Passports and citizenship.
Palanor calculation from each destination government's published rules; GDP weights from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0), one year for the whole line, so it moves only when a list changes.
GDP by expenditure
What Kenya’s economy runs on
In 2025, household spending was 76.9% of GDP, government consumption 11.2%, investment 17.0% and net exports -6.0% (exports 15.8%, imports 21.8%).
World Bank national accounts. The parts can miss 100 by a few points (the statistical discrepancy).
Same World Bank definition for every country, so the shares compare directly: What each economy runs on.
IMF World Economic Outlook
The IMF’s outlook for Kenya
The latest year before the October 2026 edition (often still an IMF estimate) and the IMF’s own projections. These are the IMF’s published forecasts, shown as published; Palanor does not project them further. Since the previous edition the IMF raised its growth forecast for this year by 0.1 percentage points (Palanor calculation).
| Measure | 2025 | 2026 IMF f’cast | 2027 IMF f’cast | 2031 IMF f’cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real GDP growth% | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 5.0 |
| Inflation, average consumer prices% | 4.1 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| GDP, current US dollarsUS$ bn | 135.9 | 151.2 | 162.3 | 203.8 |
| GDP at purchasing-power parityintl $ bn | 403.6 | 436.1 | 470.8 | 615.8 |
| GDP per person, US dollarsUS$ | 2,548 | 2,785 | 2,941 | 3,460 |
| Current account balance% of GDP | -2.8 | -4.5 | -4.1 | -3.1 |
| Government gross debt% of GDP | 71.3 | 72.9 | 73.8 | 74.0 |
| Government net debt% of GDP | 68.2 | 70.2 | 71.3 | 72.4 |
| Government overall balance% of GDP | -6.5 | -6.6 | -6.1 | -5.8 |
| Government primary balance% of GDP | -1.0 | -1.0 | -0.1 | 0.5 |
| Government net interest paid% of GDP · Palanor calc. | 5.4 | 5.6 | 5.9 | 6.4 |
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Database (edition on the projection). Dashed: the IMF's published projection.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Database (edition on the projection). Dashed: the IMF's published projection.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Database, October 2026. Provided by the IMF “as is” and free of charge from the IMF; the IMF does not endorse Palanor. Net interest paid is a Palanor calculation: the IMF's primary balance minus its overall balance.
Conflict
Organized violence
News
In the news
- Kenya confirms second Ebola case
Kenya's health ministry announced a second Ebola infection a week after the country's first-ever case.
Palanor Wire2026-10-15neutral
- Kenya confirms first Ebola case imported from Congo
Kenya confirmed its first Ebola case after a patient who arrived from Congo died while receiving treatment in Nairobi.
Palanor Wire2026-10-06neutral
- Chinese AI models meet rare-earth race
Two separate battles are emerging: open-source AI models from China and control of rare-earth deposits in Kenya, both reflecting broader competition for critical technology infrastructure.
Palanor Wire2026-07-27neutral
- Nigeria's Dangote buys 25% stake in Kenya's oil pipeline network reut.rs/4ivLDSu
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-21neutral
- Kenya confirms new Ebola case, total at nine, health ministry says reut.rs/4BesVGx
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-20neutral
- Paul Mackenzie has been found guilty of the murders of nearly 200 people in Kenya. 1843 magazine investigated his deadly evangelical cult in 2024. Register for free to discover what we found
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-20neutral
- US State Department asks Americans to reconsider travel to Kenya reut.rs/4scyaSO
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-19neutral
- Kenya confirms eighth Ebola case as regional outbreak spreads reut.rs/4zFFXuP
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-18neutral
- Legions of enthused young voters at Kenya’s next election would be a sign of democratic health. But they offer no guarantee of change
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-18neutral
- Kenya: Human trafficking report alarms as Russia exploits western tech for military recruitment via fake jobs
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre2026-10-17neutral
- A week after Kenya confirmed its first-ever Ebola infection, the country’s health ministry announced on Wednesday that a second man had contracted the virus.
The New York Times · Bluesky2026-10-15neutral
- Kenya has hiked fuel prices in order to contain surging government spending sparked by the war in the Middle East.
www.semafor.com/article/10/1...
Semafor · Bluesky2026-10-15negative · -war
- Kenya reports second Ebola case
STAT2026-10-15neutral
- Kenya raises fuel prices as Middle East conflict lifts import costs reut.rs/4dzuIMc
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-15negative · -conflict
Headlines that name Kenya, matched by name with fixed rules (a wrong match is worse than a missing one). Tone is read from each headline’s own words; no model reads or summarizes an article, and other publishers’ stories link out.
Company graph
Companies headquartered in Kenya
Palanor’s company graph holds 15 entities headquartered here (GLEIF headquarters address, else legal address).
Signals
Every series about Kenya
Grouped by theme, the most-read first. All 82 in the Library.
Growth and output8
- GDP per Person, Historical (Maddison): Kenyarecord high since 1904; 1y +3.4%3,403.92022
- GDP, Historical (Maddison): Kenyarecord high since 1950; 1y +5.4%190.42022
- Population, Historical (Maddison): Kenyarecord high since 1950; 1y +1.9%55,924,330 people2022
- Kenya · GDP · USD bn (current)record high since 1990; 1y +12.9%$135.9bn2025
- Kenya: Share of World GDP at Market Exchange Rates96th percentile since 1990; highest since 2020; 1y +0.007 pts0.12% of world GDP2025
- Kenya: Share of World GDP Minus Share of World Population6th percentile since 1990; 1y unchanged-0.592025
- Kenya: Share of World Populationrecord high since 1990; 1y +0.007 pts0.7% of world population2025
- Share of World GDP, Historical (Maddison): Kenyarecord high since 1950; 1y +0.003 pts0.15% of world GDP2022
Trade and capital flows1
- Kenya · Net International Investment Position, % of GDP (IMF)42nd percentile since 2008; highest since 2017; 1y +5.34 pts-47.4% of GDP2025
Conflict and geopolitics2 of 6
- Kenya · Organized-Violence Deaths (UCDP, annual)23rd percentile since 1989; lowest since 2004; 1y −28.6%80 deaths2025
- Kenya · State-Based Conflict Deaths (UCDP, annual)72nd percentile since 1989; lowest since 2014; 1y −33.3%44 deaths2025
Migration3 of 5
- International Migrant Stock: Kenya (UN)69th percentile since 1990992,536 people2024
- International Migrants as a Share of Population: Kenya (UN)19th percentile since 1990; lowest since 19901.76% of population2024
- Change in Migrant Share of Population Since 2000: Kenya (UN)-0.552024
AI stance and technology4
- AI User Share: Kenya (Microsoft AI Diffusion)1y +1.10 pts8.9% of people aged 15-642026-06-30
- AI Optimism Lean · Kenya (Pew)1y −7.70 pts27.7%2026
- More Concerned Than Excited About AI · Kenya (Pew)1y +3.00 pts34%2026
- More Excited Than Concerned About AI · Kenya (Pew)1y −4.00 pts13%2026
Climate and the physical world2 of 4
Health and living standards10 of 19
- Births: Kenya97th percentile since 1950; highest since 2010; 1y +1.1%1,499,9982023
- Deaths: Kenya97th percentile since 1950; 1y +2.0%399,0242023
- Fertility Rate: Kenyarecord low since 1950; 1y −1.7%3.212023
- Median Age: Kenyarecord high since 1950; 1y +1.3%19.5 years2023
- Population Aged 65 and Over: Kenya83rd percentile since 1950; highest since 1961; 1y +0.049 pts2.91% of population2023
- Population: Kenyarecord high since 1950; 1y +2.0%55,339,003 people2023
- Kenya · Neonatal Mortality Rate · deaths per 1,000 live birthsrecord low since 1960; 1y −1.9%20.72024
- Under-Five Mortality: Kenyarecord low since 1960; 1y −2.0%38.82024
- Kenya · DTP3 Immunization Coverage · % of children 12–23 months73rd percentile since 1984; lowest since 2018; 1y −2.00 pts91%2024
- Kenya · Measles Immunization Coverage · % of children 12–23 months68th percentile since 1984; lowest since 2017; 1y −3.00 pts88%2024
More about this country3
- Kenya · Exchange Rate per US Dollar (IMF)98th percentile since Jan 1957; 1y +0.1%129.4 per USD2026-08-01
- Kenya · IMF Credit Outstanding · USD bn (IMF)97th percentile since Jul 1974; 1y −6.0%$3.9bn2026-09-01
- Kenya · IMF Credit Outstanding, % of GDP77th percentile since 1980; 1y −0.34 pts2.96% of GDP2025
Peers
Elsewhere in Africa
Alphabetical. Palanor does not rank countries.
AlgeriaAngolaBeninBotswanaBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCameroonCentral African RepublicChadComorosCongoCôte d'IvoireDjiboutiDR CongoEgyptEquatorial GuineaEritreaEswatiniEthiopiaGabonGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauLesothoLiberiaLibyaMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMauritiusMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNigeriaRéunionRwandaSao Tome and PrincipeSenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth SudanSudanTanzaniaTogoTunisiaUgandaZambiaZimbabwe