Unemployment rate in Kenya
Kenya: Unemployment rate was 5.45 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rate in Kenya, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate in Kenya stood at 5.45.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 97.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Kenya peaked at 5.69 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.64, in 2007.
Kenya ranks 86th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.78 | — |
| 1992 | 2.89 | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 2.98 | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 2.96 | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 2.85 | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 2.77 | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 2.82 | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 2.84 | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 2.88 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 2.88 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2.88 | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 2.92 | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 2.87 | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 2.84 | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 2.74 | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 2.67 | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 2.64 | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 2.75 | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 2.82 | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 2.79 | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 2.7 | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 2.68 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 2.76 | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 2.77 | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 2.76 | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 2.76 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 3.54 | +28.5% |
| 2018 | 4.28 | +20.9% |
| 2019 | 5.01 | +17.0% |
| 2020 | 5.61 | +11.9% |
| 2021 | 5.69 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 5.57 | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 5.41 | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 5.49 | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 5.45 | -0.7% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 5.45 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.06, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 5.45 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.45, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +28.5% | 2.76 | 3.54 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.86 | 2.77 | 2.98 | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.8 | 2.64 | 2.92 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.21 | 2.68 | 5.01 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.54 | 5.41 | 5.69 | 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 unemployment rate in Kenya?
- Unemployment rate in Kenya was 5.45 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 5.69 in 2021.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.64 in 2007.
- How does Kenya rank for unemployment rate?
- Kenya ranks 86th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 97.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).