Employers, total (% of total employment) in Kenya
Kenya: Employers, total (% of total employment) was 1.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Kenya, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employers, total (% of total employment) in Kenya stood at 1.0%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 64.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employers, total (% of total employment) in Kenya peaked at 7.7% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2025.
Kenya ranks 173rd of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.6% | — |
| 1992 | 7.7% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 7.6% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 7.6% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 7.5% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 7.6% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 7.5% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 7.5% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 7.5% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 7.3% | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 6.9% | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 6.6% | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 6.3% | -4.7% |
| 2004 | 6.0% | -4.2% |
| 2005 | 5.8% | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 5.4% | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 5.1% | -5.3% |
| 2008 | 4.8% | -6.2% |
| 2009 | 4.5% | -6.8% |
| 2010 | 4.2% | -6.4% |
| 2011 | 4.0% | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | -7.8% |
| 2013 | 3.4% | -8.0% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | -8.8% |
| 2015 | 2.8% | -9.7% |
| 2016 | 2.4% | -11.4% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | -12.4% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | -13.5% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | -15.6% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | -17.7% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | -22.9% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 1.0% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.6% | 7.5% | 7.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.9% | 4.5% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 1.6% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More work & labour data for Kenya
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0278 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0507 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0073 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2281 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.98 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 44,185 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 51,282 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 53,727 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 50,468 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 104,196 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employers, total (% of total employment) in Kenya?
- Employers, total (% of total employment) in Kenya was 1.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 7.7% in 1992.
- What is the lowest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2025.
- How does Kenya rank for employers, total (% of total employment)?
- Kenya ranks 173rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 64.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Employers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs" i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced), and, in this capacity, have engaged, on a continuous basis, one or more persons to work for them as employee(s).