Kenya's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 4.63% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 0.42 percentage points from 5.05% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 4.63% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 4.47% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 5.05% | 2015 |
| Highest | 10.01% | 1988 |
| Lowest | 4.32% | 2023 |
| Average since 2016 | 4.61% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 10.01% | 1988 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Kenya's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) rose 0.14 percentage points on 2024 (from 4.49% to 4.63%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.02 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.4 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.8 percentage points in 1996 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.74 percentage points in 1992. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.06 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 53% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, Kenya had the 86th highest value of the 149 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 4.63% | 2025 |
| World | 6.63% | 2024 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 5.23% | 2025 |
| Lower middle income | 8.07% | 2025 |
Closest to Kenya in the 2025 ranking
- Rwanda — 82nd of 149: 4.7%
- Equatorial Guinea — 83rd of 149: 4.68%
- Guinea-Bissau — 84th of 149: 4.66%
- Germany — 86th of 149: 4.5%
- Zambia — 87th of 149: 4.5%
- Nepal — 88th of 149: 4.48%
What this measures
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure
Limitations: SIPRI strives to compile reliable, consistent military expenditure data by assessing multiple sources, but accuracy depends on the quality and transparency of those sources. Challenges arise from two key issues: whether reported figures reflect actual spending and how closely they match SIPRI’s definition. While data is generally accurate in developed and many developing countries, weak governance, corruption, and secret transfers in others can lead to major discrepancies. SIPRI sometimes makes estimates, when sources conflict or lack coverage, introducing uncertainty, especially for countries like China or the UAE.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 38 values
| Year | Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.63 |
| 2024 | 4.49 |
| 2023 | 4.32 |
| 2022 | 4.36 |
| 2021 | 4.49 |
| 2020 | 4.47 |
| 2019 | 4.56 |
| 2018 | 4.93 |
| 2017 | 4.91 |
| 2016 | 4.92 |
| 2015 |
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in nearby economies
- Angola — 5.92% (2025)
- Benin — 4.82% (2025)
- Botswana — 8.94% (2025)
- Burkina Faso — 13.21% (2025)
- Burundi — 14.85% (2025)
- Cabo Verde — 2.34% (2025)
- Cameroon — 6.53% (2025)
- Central African Republic — 12.46% (2025)
- Chad — 15.53% (2025)
More public sector data for Kenya
- Military expenditure (current USD) — 1.47 billion (2025)
- Military expenditure (current LCU) — 190.01 billion (2025)
- Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.07% (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 117 million (2025)
- Armed forces personnel, total — 24,000 (2020)
- Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.11% (2020)
- CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 4 (2025)
- CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3 (2025)
- CPIA economic management cluster average (1=low to 6=high) — 3.83 (2025)
- CPIA policy and institutions for environmental sustainability rating (1=low to 6=high)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Kenya's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure)?
- 4.63% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1988?
- It is down 5.39 percentage points from 10.01% in 1988. The highest value was 10.01% in 1988 and the lowest 4.32% in 2023.
- How does Kenya rank?
- 86th highest of 149 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) unusual for Kenya?
- In 2025, Kenya's military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) rose 0.14 percentage points on 2024 (from 4.49% to 4.63%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.02 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.4 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator MS.MIL.XPND.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), uri: https://www.sipri.org/databases 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.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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