International tourism, number of arrivals in Kenya
Kenya: International tourism, number of arrivals was 2.05 million in 2019. ▲ Rising
International tourism, number of arrivals in Kenya, 1995–2019
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
Analysis
The most recent figure for international tourism, number of arrivals in Kenya is 2.05 million, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of arrivals in Kenya peaked at 2.05 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 894,000, in 1998.
Kenya ranks 63rd of 201 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
International tourism, number of arrivals in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 974,000 | — |
| 1996 | 1.00 million | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 1.00 million | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 894,000 | -10.7% |
| 1999 | 969,000 | +8.4% |
| 2000 | 1.04 million | +7.0% |
| 2001 | 994,000 | -4.1% |
| 2002 | 1.00 million | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 1.15 million | +14.5% |
| 2004 | 1.36 million | +18.8% |
| 2005 | 1.48 million | +8.7% |
| 2006 | 1.60 million | +8.2% |
| 2007 | 1.82 million | +13.5% |
| 2008 | 1.20 million | -33.8% |
| 2009 | 1.49 million | +23.9% |
| 2010 | 1.61 million | +8.0% |
| 2011 | 1.82 million | +13.3% |
| 2012 | 1.71 million | -6.1% |
| 2013 | 1.52 million | -11.2% |
| 2014 | 1.35 million | -11.2% |
| 2015 | 1.18 million | -12.5% |
| 2016 | 1.34 million | +13.5% |
| 2017 | 1.45 million | +8.1% |
| 2018 | 2.02 million | +39.8% |
| 2019 | 2.05 million | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 968,200 | 894,000 | 1.00 million | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.31 million | 994,000 | 1.82 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.61 million | 1.18 million | 2.05 million | 10 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More private sector data for Kenya
- Merchandise trade 22.2% (2025)
- Food imports 16.3% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 56.6% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 21.61 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 49.2% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 30.7% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 8.60 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 149.5 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0633 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 4.42 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of arrivals in Kenya?
- International tourism, number of arrivals in Kenya was 2.05 million in 2019, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 2.05 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 894,000 in 1998.
- How does Kenya rank for international tourism, number of arrivals?
- Kenya ranks 63rd out of 201 countries with data for 2019.
- Is international tourism, number of arrivals rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, number of arrivals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
International inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited. When data on number of tourists are not available, the number of visitors, which includes tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members, is shown instead. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries. The data on inbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival.