Kenya: Visió econòmica i política
Kenya is relatively open to foreign trade, which accounts for 34% of its GDP (World Bank, latest data available). The country remains committed to trade liberalization through its membership in the World Trade Organization (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. Kenya also ratified the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and signed many bilateral trade agreements. Kenya is currently negotiating a free trade agreement with the United States and is one of the top five beneficiaries of the U.S.-Africa trade initiative, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Moreover, in 2022, the two countries launched the U.S.-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership. Most tariff barriers have been eliminated, and customs duties are not very high. Kenya mostly exports agricultural products, with tea accounting for 21% of the total in 2022, followed by flowers (9.5%) and coffee (5%), whereas titanium ores totaled 3.8%. On the other hand, imports were led by petroleum oil (24%), palm oil (5.1%), wheat, and meslin (3.1%), and medicaments (2.7% - data Comtrade).
The country's main customers in 2022 were Uganda (10.3%), the United States (9.8%), Pakistan (8.2%), Netherlands (6.7%), and Tanzania (6.3%); whereas imports came chiefly from China (18.2%), the United Arab Emirates (16.4%), India (10.1%), Saudi Arabia (4.9%), and Malaysia (4.8% - data Comtrade).
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 2022, total goods exports reached USD 7.4 billion whereas imports amounted to USD 21.1 billion (+9.9% and +8.2% y-o-y, respectively). The bill of import for services stood at USD 5 billion, below that of export (USD 6.9 billion). Overall, the negative trade balance was estimated at 9.3% of the country’s GDP (up from -9.1% one year earlier – data World Bank).
Foreign Trade Values | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Imports of Goods (million USD) | 17,655 | 15,435 | 19,559 | 21,166 | 18,591 |
Exports of Goods (million USD) | 5,839 | 6,034 | 6,739 | 7,411 | 7,193 |
Imports of Services (million USD) | 3,855 | 3,507 | 4,119 | 5,271 | 5,000 |
Exports of Services (million USD) | 5,601 | 3,880 | 4,859 | 6,435 | 5,520 |
Source: World Trade Organisation (WTO) ; Latest available data
Foreign Trade Indicators | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Foreign Trade (in % of GDP) | 31.8 | 27.2 | 30.8 | 33.7 | 32.1 |
Trade Balance (million USD) | -10,683 | -8,338 | -11,152 | -11,924 | -10,023 |
Trade Balance (Including Service) (million USD) | -8,937 | -8,006 | -10,186 | -10,652 | -9,421 |
Imports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) | 1.8 | -9.4 | 22.2 | 4.6 | -3.1 |
Exports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) | -3.2 | -14.9 | 15.3 | 11.9 | -4.5 |
Imports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) | 20.3 | 17.6 | 20.1 | 21.5 | 20.4 |
Exports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) | 11.4 | 9.6 | 10.8 | 12.2 | 11.7 |
Source: World Bank ; Latest available data
Foreign Trade Forecasts | 2024 | 2025 (e) | 2026 (e) | 2027 (e) | 2028 (e) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Volume of exports of goods and services (Annual % change) | 5.4 | 9.3 | 8.7 | 6.0 | 6.8 |
Volume of imports of goods and services (Annual % change) | 7.7 | 4.7 | 6.3 | 6.7 | 6.4 |
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) |
2023 |
Uganda | 12.5% |
Pakistan | 7.9% |
Netherlands | 7.6% |
Tanzania | 6.8% |
United States | 6.4% |
United Arab Emirates | 5.6% |
United Kingdom | 5.5% |
Rwanda | 4.2% |
South Sudan | 3.2% |
Egypt | 3.1% |
China | 2.9% |
Democratic Republic of Congo | 2.6% |
Somalia | 2.2% |
Saudi Arabia | 1.8% |
Germany | 1.6% |
France | 1.6% |
Ethiopia | 1.6% |
India | 1.1% |
Zambia | 1.0% |
Burundi | 1.0% |
See More Countries | 58.8% |
Main Suppliers (% of Imports) |
2023 |
China | 17.6% |
United Arab Emirates | 15.8% |
India | 10.3% |
Saudi Arabia | 5.6% |
Malaysia | 4.6% |
United States | 4.3% |
Japan | 3.7% |
Russia | 3.2% |
South Africa | 2.9% |
Egypt | 1.9% |
Netherlands | 1.7% |
Tanzania | 1.7% |
Indonesia | 1.6% |
Uganda | 1.5% |
Germany | 1.5% |
United Kingdom | 1.5% |
France | 1.4% |
Oman | 1.2% |
Brazil | 1.2% |
Türkiye | 1.1% |
See More Countries | 46.1% |
Source: Comtrade, 2024. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.
Source: Comtrade, 2024. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.
To go further, check out our service Import-Export Flows.
6.4 bn USD of services exported in 2022 | |
35.83% | |
17.32% | |
Personal travelPersonal travel | 16.05% |
OtherOther | 46.85% |
Business travelBusiness travel | 1.26% |
16.25% | |
14.61% | |
11.37% | |
2.08% | |
1.30% | |
1.15% | |
0.10% |
5.2 bn USD of services imported in 2022 | |
41.21% | |
31.38% | |
6.99% | |
6.24% | |
5.24% | |
3.44% | |
2.97% | |
Personal travelPersonal travel | 1.61% |
OtherOther | 55.82% |
Business travelBusiness travel | 1.36% |
1.75% | |
0.77% | |
0.02% |
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, 2024. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.
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Actualitzacions: March 2025
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