Kenya: Population and Key Statistics

AfricaCapital: Nairobi#23 by population

Kenya has the largest economy in East Africa and serves as the region's hub for finance, transportation, and technology. It pioneered the mobile payments revolution with M-Pesa, launched in 2007, and is known as the "Silicon Savannah" thanks to the lively startup ecosystem in Nairobi.

The world's largest exporter of black tea, Kenya also draws substantial foreign currency from cut-flower exports and safari tourism. It generates roughly 90% of its electricity from renewable sources and leads Africa in geothermal energy.

Population (2025)
57.5 million
57,532,493 people
GDP (2025)
$136bn
nominal, current US dollars
GDP per capita
$2,363
Life expectancy
63.8
years
Area
591,969
km²
Population density
97
people/km²
Median age
20.0
Internet usage
35.0%

Military Strength

Military expenditure (2024)
$1.2bn
1,231 million dollars
Share of GDP
1.00%
NATO guideline: 2%
Share of government spending
4.43%
Spending per capita
$21
per year, per person
Armed forces (2020)
24 thousand
24,000 active personnel
Armed forces per 1,000 people
0.4
0.11% of the labor force

Expenditure figures come from SIPRI and personnel counts from the IISS, both distributed through the World Bank. Source years differ by indicator, so each figure is shown with its own year.

How Kenya compares

Kenya and South Africa — core indicators
02 b4 b6 b8 bGDP per capita ($)Life expectancy (years)Internet usage (%)GDP per capita ($) — Kenya: 2.363Life expectancy (years) — Kenya: 63,8Internet usage (%) — Kenya: 35GDP per capita ($) — South Africa: 6.598Life expectancy (years) — South Africa: 66,3Internet usage (%) — South Africa: 78,4
KenyaSouth Africa

The indicators use different scales, so the chart is a rough visual comparison only. For exact figures see the full side-by-side comparison.

Data sourcesPopulation and social indicators: UN World Population Prospects, World BankEconomy: IMF World Economic Outlook, World BankMilitary: SIPRI and IISS, distributed through the World BankLast refreshed: 2026-08-26