Kenya: Visió econòmica i política
Kenya is largely open to foreign trade, which accounts for 27% of its GDP (World bank, 2020). The country remains committed to trade liberalization through its membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the East African Community (EAC), which includes Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan. The EAC is in the process to establish a monetary union by 2024. The EAC also finalized the negotiations for an EPA with the EU in 2014, an agreement ratified by Kenya in 2016. Kenya also ratified the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and signed many bilateral trade agreements. The country is currently negotiating a free trade agreement with the United States, and is one of the top five beneficiaries of the US-Africa trade initiative, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Most tariff barriers have been eliminated and customs duties are not very high. Kenya mostly exports agricultural products (tea, flowers, coffee, fruits, and vegetables), petroleum oils, titanium ores, and medicines; and mainly imports petroleum products, palm oil, medicines, cereals, vehicles, and manufactured products.
The country's main customers are Uganda, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. Its main suppliers are China (22% of total imports), India, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and the United States.
Kenya imports almost three times more than it exports, which translates into a trade balance that is largely in deficit. This situation persists, due to imports related to infrastructure modernization and oil exploration. In 2020, the trade deficit amounted to USD 9.4 billion (WTO). Total goods exports reached USD 6.03 billion whereas total goods imported amounted to USD 15.44 billion. The bill of import of services amounted to USD 3.33 billion while the export of services generated around USD 3 billion. In 2020, despite the COVID-19 crisis, the external sector proved resilient. Reduced services surplus was mitigated by lower imports due to weaker domestic demand. In 2022, merchandise exports should benefit from the strong demand for fruits and vegetables while services exports should increase noticeably with the slow return of tourists (Coface).
Foreign Trade Values | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
Imports of Goods (million USD) | 16,687 | 17,378 | 17,655 | 15,435 | 19,559 |
Exports of Goods (million USD) | 5,747 | 6,052 | 5,839 | 6,034 | 6,739 |
Imports of Services (million USD) | 2,847 | 3,613 | 3,595 | 3,330 | 4,008 |
Exports of Services (million USD) | 3,785 | 4,626 | 4,648 | 2,997 | 4,628 |
Source: World Trade Organisation (WTO) ; Latest available data
Foreign Trade Indicators | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
Foreign Trade (in % of GDP) | 36.0 | 34.4 | 31.8 | 27.2 | 30.7 |
Trade Balance (million USD) | -10,187 | -10,200 | -10,683 | -8,338 | -11,065 |
Trade Balance (Including Service) (million USD) | -8,632 | -8,603 | -8,937 | -8,008 | -10,028 |
Imports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) | 12.4 | 1.4 | 1.8 | -9.2 | 18.9 |
Exports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) | -1.0 | 6.8 | -3.2 | -8.8 | 12.9 |
Imports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) | 23.3 | 21.9 | 20.3 | 17.6 | 20.1 |
Exports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) | 12.7 | 12.5 | 11.4 | 9.6 | 10.6 |
Source: World Bank ; Latest available data
Foreign Trade Forecasts | 2022 | 2023 (e) | 2024 (e) | 2025 (e) | 2026 (e) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Volume of exports of goods and services (Annual % change) | 11.6 | 6.7 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 6.8 |
Volume of imports of goods and services (Annual % change) | 3.7 | 3.2 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 7.2 |
Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook ; Latest available data
Note: (e) Estimated Data
Member of East African Community (EAC)
Member of African Union (AU)
Beneficiary of the Economic Partnership Agreements with the EU
Beneficiary of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) program with the US
Beneficiary of the Generalised System of Preferences of the EU
Main Customers (% of Exports) |
2021 |
Uganda | 12.3% |
Netherlands | 8.3% |
United States | 8.0% |
Pakistan | 7.2% |
United Kingdom | 6.7% |
Tanzania | 6.1% |
United Arab Emirates | 4.7% |
Rwanda | 4.1% |
Democratic Republic of Congo | 3.3% |
China | 3.0% |
Egypt | 2.9% |
South Sudan | 2.3% |
Germany | 1.9% |
Somalia | 1.8% |
Ethiopia | 1.6% |
Russia | 1.4% |
India | 1.4% |
France | 1.3% |
Zambia | 1.1% |
Belgium | 1.1% |
See More Countries | 57.4% |
Main Suppliers (% of Imports) |
2021 |
China | 20.5% |
India | 10.8% |
United Arab Emirates | 8.3% |
Saudi Arabia | 5.3% |
Japan | 4.6% |
Malaysia | 4.4% |
United States | 4.1% |
South Korea | 2.5% |
Tanzania | 2.5% |
Egypt | 2.3% |
Netherlands | 2.2% |
Indonesia | 2.1% |
South Africa | 2.1% |
Germany | 2.0% |
Russia | 1.8% |
Uganda | 1.6% |
United Kingdom | 1.5% |
Australia | 1.2% |
Italy | 1.2% |
Türkiye | 1.1% |
See More Countries | 50.5% |
Source: Comtrade, 2022. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.
Source: Comtrade, 2022. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.
To go further, check out our service Import Export Flows.
5.6 bn USD of services exported in 2019 | |
39.29% | |
17.99% | |
Personal travelPersonal travel | 16.10% |
Business travelBusiness travel | 1.89% |
17.36% | |
11.23% | |
8.54% | |
2.94% | |
1.37% | |
1.13% | |
0.15% |
3.8 bn USD of services imported in 2019 | |
38.25% | |
25.27% | |
10.62% | |
6.86% | |
5.75% | |
5.18% | |
Business travelBusiness travel | 2.70% |
Personal travelPersonal travel | 2.48% |
3.37% | |
3.21% | |
1.45% | |
0.03% |
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, 2023. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.
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Actualitzacions: January 2023
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