Kenya's primary income payments (BoP, current US$) was US$2.54 billion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 184.08% from US$892.69 million in 2015 (11.01% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$2.54 billion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | US$823.99 million | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | US$892.69 million | 2015 |
| Highest | US$2.54 billion | 2025 |
| Lowest | US$148.21 million | 2003 |
| Average since 2016 | US$1.78 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | US$149.25 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Kenya's primary income payments (BoP, current US$) rose 4.2% on 2024 (from US$2.43 billion to US$2.54 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +13.3% and a typical year strayed about 34.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below 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 109% in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 54.8% 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 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$131.42 million a year. A straight line explains 56% 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 92nd highest value of the 136 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 | US$2.54 billion | 2025 |
| World | US$7.99 trillion | 2024 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | US$86.89 billion | 2024 |
| Lower middle income | US$208.52 billion | 2024 |
Closest to Kenya in the 2025 ranking
- El Salvador — 88th of 136: US$3.01 billion
- Sri Lanka — 89th of 136: US$2.62 billion
- Mozambique — 90th of 136: US$2.55 billion
- Paraguay — 92nd of 136: US$2.51 billion
- Tunisia — 93rd of 136: US$2.24 billion
- Trinidad and Tobago — 94th of 136: US$2.13 billion
What this measures
Primary income payments refer to employee compensation paid to nonresident workers and investment income (payments on direct investment, portfolio investment, other investments).This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.
All 51 values
| Year | Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,535,977,684 |
| 2024 | 2,433,687,255 |
| 2023 | 2,131,723,404 |
| 2022 | 1,901,611,586 |
| 2021 | 1,722,340,854 |
| 2020 | 823,993,005 |
| 2019 | 1,822,211,843 |
| 2018 | 1,604,136,746 |
| 2017 | 1,704,895,491 |
| 2016 | 1,112,789,836 |
Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) in nearby economies
- Angola — US$6.72 billion (2025)
- Benin — US$533.3 million (2023)
- Botswana — US$549.97 million (2025)
- Burkina Faso — US$1.45 billion (2024)
- Burundi — US$54.54 million (2025)
- Cabo Verde — US$101.33 million (2025)
- Cameroon — US$1.34 billion (2024)
- Comoros — US$7.72 million (2023)
- Congo, Dem. Rep. — US$3.76 billion (2025)
- Congo, Rep. — US$1.71 billion (2021)
More economic policy & debt data for Kenya
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — 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
Questions people ask
- What is Kenya's primary income payments (BoP, current US$)?
- US$2.54 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1975?
- It is up 1,599% from US$149.25 million in 1975 (5.83% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$2.54 billion in 2025 and the lowest US$148.21 million in 2003.
- How does Kenya rank?
- 92nd highest of 136 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in primary income payments (BoP, current US$) unusual for Kenya?
- In 2025, Kenya's primary income payments (BoP, current US$) rose 4.2% on 2024 (from US$2.43 billion to US$2.54 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +13.3% and a typical year strayed about 34.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below 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 BM.GSR.FCTY.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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