Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Kenya
Kenya: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 4.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Kenya, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 4.0% for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and down 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Kenya peaked at 7.3% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, 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.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 3.9% | — |
| 1972 | 4.5% | +13.9% |
| 1973 | 4.7% | +3.9% |
| 1974 | 5.1% | +8.9% |
| 1975 | 5.6% | +10.7% |
| 1976 | 5.7% | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 5.1% | -10.6% |
| 1980 | 5.4% | +4.9% |
| 1981 | 5.9% | +9.9% |
| 1982 | 5.7% | -4.1% |
| 1983 | 5.4% | -4.2% |
| 1984 | 4.6% | -15.8% |
| 1985 | 5.2% | +13.5% |
| 1986 | 6.0% | +15.7% |
| 1988 | 6.6% | +9.8% |
| 1989 | 6.0% | -8.6% |
| 1991 | 6.6% | +8.9% |
| 1992 | 6.1% | -7.5% |
| 1993 | 6.0% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 5.9% | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 5.3% | -10.1% |
| 2000 | 5.2% | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 5.2% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 6.2% | +18.6% |
| 2003 | 6.5% | +5.2% |
| 2004 | 6.8% | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 7.3% | +7.9% |
| 2006 | 7.0% | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 4.8% | -31.7% |
| 2011 | 4.7% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 4.9% | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 4.8% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 4.7% | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 4.7% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 4.9% | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 5.0% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 5.1% | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 5.4% | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 5.0% | -6.1% |
| 2021 | 4.9% | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 4.5% | -7.8% |
| 2023 | 4.0% | -12.2% |
| 2024 | 4.0% | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.9% | 3.9% | 5.7% | 7 |
| 1980s | 5.7% | 4.6% | 6.6% | 9 |
| 1990s | 6.0% | 5.3% | 6.6% | 5 |
| 2000s | 6.3% | 5.2% | 7.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 4.7% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 4.0% | 5.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
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 government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Kenya?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Kenya was 4.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 7.3% in 2005.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 1971.
- How does Kenya rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Kenya ranks 108th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp 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 UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release