Unemployment rate in Kenya
Kenya: Unemployment rate was 5.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rate in Kenya, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate in Kenya stood at 5.4%.
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 5.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, 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 | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.8% | — |
| 1992 | 2.9% | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 3.0% | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 3.0% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 2.8% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 2.9% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2.9% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 2.9% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 2.9% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 2.8% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 2.7% | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 2.7% | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 2.7% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 2.8% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 2.8% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 2.8% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 2.8% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | +28.5% |
| 2018 | 4.3% | +20.9% |
| 2019 | 5.0% | +17.0% |
| 2020 | 5.6% | +11.9% |
| 2021 | 5.7% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 5.6% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 5.4% | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 5.5% | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 5.4% | -0.7% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 5.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.1%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 5.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.4%, 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% | 2.8% | 3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.6% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 2.7% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 5.4% | 5.7% | 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 5.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 5.7% in 2021.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% 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 ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon.