Total government debt in Kenya
Kenya: Total government debt was 1.18 trillion current LCU in 2011. ◆ Volatile
Total government debt in Kenya, 1979–2011
Source: World Bank country economists. Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 1.18 trillion current LCU for total government debt in 2011. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 10.5% on the previous year and up 116.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total government debt in Kenya peaked at 1.18 trillion current LCU in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0 current LCU, in 1979.
That places Kenya 16th out of 44 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Total government debt in Kenya, year by year
| Year | current LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0 current LCU | — |
| 1980 | 10.06 billion current LCU | — |
| 1981 | 11.62 billion current LCU | +15.5% |
| 1982 | 15.24 billion current LCU | +31.1% |
| 1983 | 20.47 billion current LCU | +34.3% |
| 1984 | 27.20 billion current LCU | +32.9% |
| 1985 | 30.95 billion current LCU | +13.8% |
| 1986 | 35.92 billion current LCU | +16.1% |
| 1987 | 43.30 billion current LCU | +20.6% |
| 1988 | 50.28 billion current LCU | +16.1% |
| 1995 | 434.28 billion current LCU | +763.8% |
| 1996 | 447.85 billion current LCU | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 441.66 billion current LCU | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 485.60 billion current LCU | +9.9% |
| 1999 | 538.11 billion current LCU | +10.8% |
| 2000 | 561.08 billion current LCU | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 542.86 billion current LCU | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 617.42 billion current LCU | +13.7% |
| 2003 | 689.67 billion current LCU | +11.7% |
| 2004 | 736.10 billion current LCU | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 689.47 billion current LCU | -6.3% |
| 2006 | 705.16 billion current LCU | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 703.81 billion current LCU | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 784.89 billion current LCU | +11.5% |
| 2009 | 889.94 billion current LCU | +13.4% |
| 2010 | 1.06 trillion current LCU | +19.5% |
| 2011 | 1.18 trillion current LCU | +10.5% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 1.18 trillion current LCU is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 676.14 billion current LCU, 1.7× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 1.18 trillion current LCU is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 525.00 billion current LCU, 2.2× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total government debt 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +763.8% | 50.28 billion current LCU | 434.28 billion current LCU |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 current LCU | 0 current LCU | 0 current LCU | 1 |
| 1980s | 27.22 billion current LCU | 10.06 billion current LCU | 50.28 billion current LCU | 9 |
| 1990s | 469.50 billion current LCU | 434.28 billion current LCU | 538.11 billion current LCU | 5 |
| 2000s | 692.04 billion current LCU | 542.86 billion current LCU | 889.94 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.12 trillion current LCU | 1.06 trillion current LCU | 1.18 trillion current LCU | 2 |
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 total government debt in Kenya?
- Total government debt in Kenya was 1.18 trillion current LCU in 2011, according to World Bank country economists.
- What is the highest total government debt recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 1.18 trillion current LCU in 2011.
- What is the lowest total government debt recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 current LCU in 1979.
- How does Kenya rank for total government debt?
- Kenya ranks 16th out of 44 countries with data for 2011.
- Is total government debt rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 116.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank country economists, published as part of Total government debt (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Data are in current local currency.