Education spending in Kenya
Kenya: Education spending was 4.02 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
4.02
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
108th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7.34
in 2005
All-time low
3.93
in 1971
Years of data
43
1971–2024
Education spending in Kenya, 1971–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for education spending in Kenya is 4.02, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, education spending in Kenya peaked at 7.34 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 3.93, in 1971.
That places Kenya 108th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Education spending in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 3.93 | — |
| 1972 | 4.48 | +13.9% |
| 1973 | 4.65 | +3.9% |
| 1974 | 5.07 | +8.9% |
| 1975 | 5.61 | +10.7% |
| 1976 | 5.74 | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 5.14 | -10.6% |
| 1980 | 5.39 | +4.9% |
| 1981 | 5.92 | +9.9% |
| 1982 | 5.68 | -4.1% |
| 1983 | 5.44 | -4.2% |
| 1984 | 4.58 | -15.8% |
| 1985 | 5.2 | +13.5% |
| 1986 | 6.01 | +15.7% |
| 1988 | 6.6 | +9.8% |
| 1989 | 6.04 | -8.6% |
| 1991 | 6.57 | +8.9% |
| 1992 | 6.08 | -7.5% |
| 1993 | 6.03 | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 5.92 | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 5.32 | -10.1% |
| 2000 | 5.19 | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 5.21 | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 6.17 | +18.6% |
| 2003 | 6.49 | +5.2% |
| 2004 | 6.8 | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 7.34 | +7.9% |
| 2006 | 7.05 | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 4.82 | -31.7% |
| 2011 | 4.7 | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 4.93 | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 4.84 | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 4.72 | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 4.74 | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 4.9 | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 4.96 | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 5.11 | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 5.37 | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 5.05 | -6.1% |
| 2021 | 4.89 | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 4.51 | -7.8% |
| 2023 | 3.96 | -12.2% |
| 2024 | 4.02 | +1.5% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 4.02 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.02, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 4.02 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.2, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.94 | 3.93 | 5.74 | 7 |
| 1980s | 5.65 | 4.58 | 6.6 | 9 |
| 1990s | 5.98 | 5.32 | 6.57 | 5 |
| 2000s | 6.32 | 5.19 | 7.34 | 7 |
| 2010s | 4.91 | 4.7 | 5.37 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.49 | 3.96 | 5.05 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More education data for Kenya
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.57 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 94.27 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 168,396 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 235,728 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.44 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.44 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.74 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 8.04 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.7181 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is education spending in Kenya?
- Education spending in Kenya was 4.02 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest education spending recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 7.34 in 2005.
- What is the lowest education spending recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.93 in 1971.
- How does Kenya rank for education spending?
- Kenya ranks 108th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is education spending rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Education spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).