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Currency | Kenyan shilling (KES) |
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Trade organizations
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CEN-SAD, COMESA, EAC, WTO and others |
Statistics | |
GDP | PPP: ![]() Nominal: ![]() |
GDP rank |
72nd (nominal) 74th (PPP) |
GDP per capita
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PPP: ![]() Nominal: ![]() |
GDP by sector
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agriculture (24.2%), industry (14.8%), services (62.5%) (2015.) |
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Population below poverty line
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42% ( March 2016 est.) |
42.5% (2008 est.) | |
Labour force
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Labour force by occupation
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agriculture 75%, industry and services 25% (2015 est.) |
Unemployment | 38% (2015 est.) |
Main industries
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small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, clothing, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products, horticulture, oil refining; aluminium, steel, lead; cement, commercial ship repair, tourism |
92nd (2017) | |
External | |
Exports |
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Export goods
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tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement |
Main export partners
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Imports |
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Import goods
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machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics |
Main import partners
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Public finances | |
$11,960,000,000 (31 December 2013 est.). ![]() |
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-4.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | |
Revenues | $7.375 billion (2012 est.) |
Expenses | $9.3 billion (2012 est.) |
Standard & Poor's: |
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Standard & Poor's:
B+ (Domestic)
B+ (Foreign)
BB- (T&C Assessment)
Outlook: Stable
Fitch:
B+
Outlook: Stable
Kenya's economy is market-based with a few state-owned infrastructure enterprises and maintains a liberalised external trade system. The country is generally perceived as Eastern and central Africa's hub for Financial, Communication and Transportation services. Major industries include: agriculture, forestry and fishing, mining and minerals, industrial manufacturing, energy, tourism and financial services. As of 2015 estimates, Kenya had a GDP of $69.977 billion making it the 72nd largest economy in the world. Per capita GDP was estimated at $1,587.
The government of Kenya is generally investment friendly and has enacted several regulatory reforms to simplify both foreign and local investment, including the creation of an export processing zone. The export processing zone is expected to grow rapidly through input of foreign direct investment. An increasingly significant portion of Kenya's foreign inflows are remittances by non-resident Kenyans who work in the US, Middle East, Europe and Asia. Compared to its neighbours, Kenya has well-developed social and physical infrastructure.
As of March 2014, economic prospects were positive with above 5% GDP growth expected, largely because of expansions in telecommunications, transport, construction and a recovery in agriculture. These improvements are supported by a large pool of English-speaking professional workers. There is a high level of computer literacy, especially among the youth.
In 2017, Kenya ranked 92nd in the World Bank ease of doing business rating from 113rd in 2016 (of 190 countries).
After its independence, Kenya promoted rapid economic growth through public investment, encouragement of smallholder agricultural production, and incentives for private often foreign industrial investment. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annual average of 6.6% from 1963 to 1973 and 7.2% during the 1970s. Agricultural production grew by 4.7% annually during the same period, stimulated by redistributing estates, diffusing new crop strains, and opening new areas to cultivation. Between 1974 and 1990, however, Kenya's economic performance declined. With GDP growth averaging 4.2% per year in the 1980s and 2.2% a year in the 1990s.