Share of workers who are employees vs. GDP per capita in Kenya
Kenya: Share of workers who are employees vs. GDP per capita was 35.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of workers who are employees vs. GDP per capita in Kenya, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 35.1% for share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita in Kenya peaked at 38.0% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 32.5%, in 1991.
That places Kenya 147th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Share of workers who are employees vs. GDP per capita in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 32.5% | — |
| 1992 | 32.6% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 32.6% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 32.6% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 32.7% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 32.8% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 32.9% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 33.0% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 33.2% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 33.3% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 33.4% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 33.5% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 33.6% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 33.8% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 34.0% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 34.3% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 34.6% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 34.9% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 35.1% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 35.4% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 35.7% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 36.0% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 36.2% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 36.5% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 36.8% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 37.1% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 37.4% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 37.7% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 38.0% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 35.6% | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 34.1% | -4.3% |
| 2022 | 34.4% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 34.7% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 35.1% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.8% | 32.5% | 33.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 34.1% | 33.3% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.7% | 35.4% | 38.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.8% | 34.1% | 35.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 144 Bangladesh 38.6% compare
- 145 North Korea 37.9% compare
- 146 Senegal 35.3% compare
- 148 Myanmar 34.5% compare
- 149 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 33.5% compare
- 150 Azerbaijan 32.8% compare
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 share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita in Kenya?
- Share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita in Kenya was 35.1% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 38.0% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.5% in 1991.
- How does Kenya rank for share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita?
- Kenya ranks 147th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of workers who are employees vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers who are employees vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.