Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Kenya
Kenya: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 0.6% in 2015. ▬ Flat
Latest (2015)
0.6%
Change on year
down 4.1%
World rank
112th
of 173 countries
All-time high
1.9%
in 1991
All-time low
0.6%
in 1974
Years of data
31
1971–2015
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Kenya, 1971–2015
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2015, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Kenya stood at 0.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.1% on the previous year and down 29.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Kenya peaked at 1.9% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1974.
Kenya ranks 112th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.6% | — |
| 1972 | 0.6% | +3.5% |
| 1973 | 0.7% | +12.5% |
| 1974 | 0.6% | -14.3% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +33.9% |
| 1976 | 0.6% | -18.8% |
| 1977 | 0.7% | +4.0% |
| 1980 | 1.0% | +43.7% |
| 1981 | 0.9% | -3.4% |
| 1982 | 0.9% | -8.4% |
| 1983 | 0.9% | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 0.7% | -23.2% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | +9.3% |
| 1986 | 0.9% | +18.2% |
| 1988 | 1.1% | +24.0% |
| 1989 | 1.0% | -7.2% |
| 1991 | 1.9% | +90.4% |
| 1992 | 1.2% | -35.2% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | +5.3% |
| 1994 | 1.0% | -21.3% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | -39.6% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | +12.2% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | +15.8% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | +11.2% |
| 2006 | 1.1% | +23.9% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | -44.7% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | +44.6% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | -20.8% |
| 2014 | 0.6% | -6.0% |
| 2015 | 0.6% | -4.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 7 |
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 0.6% | 1.9% | 5 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 5 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 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 tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Kenya?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Kenya was 0.6% in 2015, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 1991.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1974.
- How does Kenya rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Kenya ranks 112th out of 173 countries with data for 2015.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release