Kenya: Debt service to exports (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Kenya's debt service to exports (%) rose 6.94 percentage points on 2023 (from 19.4% to 26.34%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.22 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.16 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 14.53 percentage points in 2019 and the biggest yearly fall was 13.14 percentage points in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 27% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Kenya had the 6th highest value of the 100 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Kenya in the 2024 ranking

• Pakistan — 3rd of 100: 32.78%
• El Salvador — 4th of 100: 27.73%
• Angola — 5th of 100: 27.64%
• Tonga — 7th of 100: 23.77%
• Dominica — 8th of 100: 23.71%
• Colombia — 9th of 100: 22.53%

What this measures

Debt service, the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services, is expressed as a percentage of exports of goods and services--all transactions between residents of a country and the rest of the world involving a change of ownership from residents to nonresidents of general merchandise, net exports of goods under merchanting, nonmonetary gold, and services. This series differs from the standard debt to exports series in that it covers only long-term public and publicly guaranteed debt and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF.

All 50 values

Debt service to exports (%) in nearby economies

• Angola — 27.64% (2024)
• Benin — 16.44% (2023)
• Botswana — 4.53% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 4.62% (2024)
• Burundi — 9.36% (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 10.8% (2024)
• Cameroon — 17.27% (2024)
• Comoros — 11.54% (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 1.3% (2024)
• Congo, Rep. — 6.31% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 21.71% (2024)
• Eswatini

More economic policy & debt data for Kenya

• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$15.24 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 1.97 trillion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$14.8 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 1.51 trillion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 11.21% (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$104.6 billion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 13.52 trillion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Kenya's debt service to exports (%)?

26.34% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is up 20.64 percentage points from 5.7% in 1975. The highest value was 35.4% in 2019 and the lowest 4.01% in 2011.

How does Kenya rank?

6th highest of 100 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in debt service to exports (%) unusual for Kenya?

In 2024, Kenya's debt service to exports (%) rose 6.94 percentage points on 2023 (from 19.4% to 26.34%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.22 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.16 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator DT.TDS.DPPF.XP.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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