Merchandise trade in Kenya
Kenya: Merchandise trade was 22.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Merchandise trade in Kenya, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, merchandise trade in Kenya stood at 22.2%.
The figure is down 5.5% on the previous year and down 29.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Kenya peaked at 55.1% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 21.3%, in 2020.
Kenya ranks 197th of 204 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Merchandise trade in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 38.9% | — |
| 1961 | 39.1% | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 37.0% | -5.4% |
| 1963 | 46.4% | +25.5% |
| 1964 | 46.9% | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 51.1% | +9.1% |
| 1966 | 52.0% | +1.8% |
| 1967 | 47.0% | -9.7% |
| 1968 | 44.9% | -4.4% |
| 1969 | 43.3% | -3.5% |
| 1970 | 46.6% | +7.5% |
| 1971 | 49.1% | +5.5% |
| 1972 | 42.4% | -13.7% |
| 1973 | 43.7% | +3.0% |
| 1974 | 54.8% | +25.6% |
| 1975 | 47.6% | -13.2% |
| 1976 | 50.6% | +6.4% |
| 1977 | 55.1% | +8.8% |
| 1978 | 51.5% | -6.4% |
| 1979 | 43.7% | -15.2% |
| 1980 | 46.4% | +6.1% |
| 1981 | 44.9% | -3.2% |
| 1982 | 41.5% | -7.6% |
| 1983 | 36.8% | -11.2% |
| 1984 | 41.1% | +11.5% |
| 1985 | 39.0% | -5.0% |
| 1986 | 38.9% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 33.9% | -12.9% |
| 1988 | 36.6% | +8.0% |
| 1989 | 37.7% | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 38.0% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 37.3% | -1.7% |
| 1992 | 38.7% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 54.7% | +41.3% |
| 1994 | 51.5% | -6.0% |
| 1995 | 53.8% | +4.6% |
| 1996 | 41.6% | -22.6% |
| 1997 | 40.7% | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 36.9% | -9.2% |
| 1999 | 35.5% | -3.9% |
| 2000 | 38.1% | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 39.6% | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 40.8% | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 41.2% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 45.0% | +9.2% |
| 2005 | 49.5% | +10.0% |
| 2006 | 41.6% | -15.9% |
| 2007 | 40.9% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 44.9% | +9.9% |
| 2009 | 34.6% | -22.9% |
| 2010 | 38.0% | +9.8% |
| 2011 | 43.8% | +15.3% |
| 2012 | 39.7% | -9.3% |
| 2013 | 36.0% | -9.4% |
| 2014 | 35.9% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 31.4% | -12.6% |
| 2016 | 26.5% | -15.6% |
| 2017 | 27.3% | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 25.4% | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 23.4% | -7.9% |
| 2020 | 21.3% | -8.9% |
| 2021 | 24.0% | +12.4% |
| 2022 | 25.0% | +4.2% |
| 2023 | 24.0% | -4.0% |
| 2024 | 23.5% | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 22.2% | -5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 44.7% | 37.0% | 52.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 48.5% | 42.4% | 55.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 39.7% | 33.9% | 46.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 42.9% | 35.5% | 54.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.6% | 34.6% | 49.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.8% | 23.4% | 43.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.3% | 21.3% | 25.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 194 Sao Tome and Principe 22.5% compare
- 195 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 22.5% compare
- 196 Afghanistan 22.2% compare
- 198 Niger 21.3% compare
- 199 United States of America 18.5% compare
- 200 Guam 18.4% compare
More private sector data for Kenya
- 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$), annual growth rate 4.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 375.68 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Kenya?
- Merchandise trade in Kenya was 22.2% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 55.1% in 1977.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.3% in 2020.
- How does Kenya rank for merchandise trade?
- Kenya ranks 197th out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.