Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Kenya
Kenya: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 35.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Kenya, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Kenya recorded 35.2% for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Kenya peaked at 38.0% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 32.5%, in 1991.
Kenya ranks 147th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | 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% |
| 2025 | 35.2% | +0.4% |
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 | 34.9% | 34.1% | 35.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 144 Malawi 38.7% compare
- 145 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 37.9% compare
- 146 Senegal 35.7% compare
- 148 Myanmar 34.5% compare
- 149 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 33.7% compare
- 150 Azerbaijan 33.0% 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 wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Kenya?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Kenya was 35.2% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 38.0% in 2019.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.5% in 1991.
- How does Kenya rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Kenya ranks 147th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, 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
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.