Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Kenya
Kenya: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 0.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Kenya, 2007–2024
Source: UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 0.8% for research & development spending as a share of gdp in 2024. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Kenya peaked at 0.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2007.
Kenya ranks 46th of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 0.4% | — |
| 2010 | 0.7% | +94.9% |
| 2022 | 0.4% | -41.3% |
| 2023 | 0.8% | +97.8% |
| 2024 | 0.8% | +0.8% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 0.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.2%, 4.9× the median. (17 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 0.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.3%, 3.1× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More science & technology data for Kenya
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 126.48 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.26 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 71.38 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 114.91 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 4.86 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 6.94 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 2,079 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Kenya?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Kenya was 0.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2007.
- How does Kenya rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Kenya ranks 46th out of 116 countries with data for 2024.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Research & development spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.