Kenya — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Kenya: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Kenya is in Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania. It covers 580,367 sq km. Terrain: low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west. Climate: varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior.
| Capital | Nairobi |
|---|---|
| Population | 55,751,717 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $328.632 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $5,800 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 4.5% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 4.5% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 5.5% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 53.2% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $12.626 billion (2023 est.) |
| Imports | $22.046 billion (2023 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 70.4 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 21.5 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 29.5% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 12 December 1963 (from the UK) |
| Languages | English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages |
Kenya’s GDP is $328.632 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $124.499 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 4.5% (2024 est.). See where Kenya ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
A quiet quarter: no major shocks, no breakthroughs. The country's trajectory is set by structural forces larger than any single season.
The honest reading is steadiness — neither crisis nor windfall — with the long currents of demography, trade and institutions deciding more than any three months.
- What our model rewards: unemployment near 5.5% — work for whoever wants it; 92% of its electricity from low-carbon sources
- What drags it down: a median age of 22 — a nation of children, its workforce still in the classroom
Salt, Zinc, Gypsum, Hydropower.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 76% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 10.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 4.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 15.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 20.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); geothermal: 47.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 5.486 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 12.8 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Hydro 28.1%, Wind 14.1%, Oil 8.1%, Solar 4.3% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 91.9% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 84.8 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $12.626 billion (2023 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $22.046 billion (2023 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $9.4 billion (2023), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | agriculture, transportation, services, manufacturing, construction, telecommunications, tourism, retail |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
William Ruto — President. President William RUTO (since 13 September 2022)
Kenya maintains 55 embassies and 7 consulates abroad, hosts 92 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 55 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 7 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 92 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, January 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 536 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 368 (registration prefix 5Y) |
| Major seaports | Kilifi, Lamu, Malindi, Mombasa |
| Railways | 3819 km |
| Pipelines | 4 km oil, 1,432 km refined products (2018) |
Major airports
Eldoret International Airport (EDL) — Eldoret; Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) — Nairobi; Kisumu International Airport (KIS) — Kisumu; Moi International Airport (MBA) — Mombasa; Amboseli Airport (ASV) — Ol Tukai; Malindi International Airport (MYD) — Malindi; Manda Airport (LAU) — Lamu; Mara Serena Lodge Airstrip (MRE) — Serena; Nairobi Wilson Airport (WIL) — Nairobi; Nanyuki Civil Airport (NYK) — Gathiuru.
Showing 10 of 11 major airports.
Terminals
| LNG import terminals | Mombasa |
|---|
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Kenya.
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Kenya — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Kenya's power score?
Kenya has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.