Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Kenya
Kenya: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 28.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
28.5%
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
2nd
of 197 countries
All-time high
28.9%
in 2005
All-time low
0.0%
in 1980
Years of data
37
1980–2025
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Kenya, 1980–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 28.5% for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 64.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Kenya peaked at 28.9% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1980.
Kenya ranks 2nd of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Kenya, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.0% | — |
| 1981 | 0.0% | — |
| 1982 | 16.3% | — |
| 1983 | 17.4% | +6.5% |
| 1984 | 14.5% | -16.5% |
| 1985 | 15.6% | +7.0% |
| 1986 | 17.7% | +13.5% |
| 1988 | 19.5% | +10.2% |
| 1989 | 17.1% | -12.2% |
| 1991 | 18.6% | +9.1% |
| 1992 | 16.0% | -14.4% |
| 1993 | 13.9% | -13.1% |
| 1994 | 15.0% | +7.8% |
| 1999 | 25.3% | +69.3% |
| 2000 | 24.1% | -4.9% |
| 2001 | 23.0% | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 26.8% | +16.9% |
| 2003 | 25.9% | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 27.6% | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 28.9% | +4.9% |
| 2006 | 27.0% | -6.9% |
| 2010 | 20.4% | -24.5% |
| 2011 | 20.2% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 19.5% | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 18.7% | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 17.8% | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 17.4% | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 17.5% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 17.6% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 19.0% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | 19.1% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 17.8% | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 17.3% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 16.1% | -6.9% |
| 2023 | 25.0% | +55.4% |
| 2024 | 27.9% | +11.7% |
| 2025 | 28.5% | +2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.1% | 0.0% | 19.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 17.7% | 13.9% | 25.3% | 5 |
| 2000s | 26.2% | 23.0% | 28.9% | 7 |
| 2010s | 18.7% | 17.4% | 20.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.1% | 16.1% | 28.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 1 Mauritania 31.9% compare
- 3 Turkmenistan 27.6% compare
- 4 Solomon Islands 25.2% compare
- 5 Namibia 24.6% compare
More education data for Kenya
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1453 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Kenya?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Kenya was 28.5% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 28.9% in 2005.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1980.
- How does Kenya rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Kenya ranks 2nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 64.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release