Country export capability

Kenya
export capability

A reported view of Kenya's export scale, destination network, sector breadth, trade history, and market-access context. Use the indicators together; no single measure describes export readiness on its own.

KEN1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest exports$8.8B2024 reported value
Latest imports$24.3B2024 reported value
Trade balance-$15.5BExports minus imports
Export growth+11.1%Latest year-on-year change
Active partners270Latest reported markets

Country export profile overview

Kenya export data in one research view

This profile brings together export performance, trade balance, destination markets, HS2 sectors, partner breadth, history, and market-access context for country export research.

Export scale and balance

Start with the latest reported trade position

In 2024, Kenya recorded $8.8B in exports and $24.3B in imports. The resulting -$15.5B trade balance gives the latest country-level position a clear context.

Exports changed +11.1% year on year and show a calculated +6.6% three-year CAGR. CAGR is an annualized comparison of reported values, not a forecast.

Markets and sectors

See where export value is concentrated

United Arab Emirates received $1.3B in reported exports, representing 14.8% of the latest country total. Coffee, tea and spices was the largest displayed HS2 export sector at $1.7B and 19.3% of exports.

The visible page highlights five leading destinations and five leading HS2 sectors, while the complete structured files retain every row supplied for this sample.

History and coverage

Read today's number against the long series

The country series covers 1995 through 2024, with 30 observed annual rows. That longer view helps separate a single-year movement from the broader export trend.

Partner counts, tariff context, concentration, exposure shares, and momentum are supporting indicators calculated from available trade observations. Missing values remain unavailable rather than estimated.

Economy and structure

The context around Kenya's export base

Macroeconomic and structural indicators add context to merchandise trade scale. They describe the country environment; they do not predict company performance or future exports.

GDP$120.3B2024 macro context
GDP per capita$2.1KCurrent-dollar GDP
Population56.4MReported population
Labor force28.3KReported labor force
Investment rate19.7%National investment rate
Savings rate6.4%National savings rate
Trade openness44%Exports + imports / GDP
Exports / GDP11.7%Merchandise exports / GDP
Secondary education37.5%Education context
Tertiary education7.4%Education context

Market signals

Where to look more closely next

Route-level risk and emerging-corridor signals for further research. These are calculated indicators, not forecasts.

Destination risk contextAll covered routes
Destination risk context for Kenya
DestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
RwandaRWACritical attention81.1%22.5%28.1%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSAHigh attention52.6%23.6%2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
United Rep. of TanzaniaTZAHigh attention67.6%31.5%13.9%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
Republic of KoreaKORCritical attention95.1%50.2%14.6%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
PakistanPAKHigh attention99.1%0.8%40.1%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
UgandaUGAHigh attention84.6%19.9%12.2%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
United KingdomGBRWatch48.7%25.9%Not reportedBuyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
EgyptEGYHigh attention98%13.5%29%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
ChinaCHNHigh attention96.3%25.2%30.2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
United Arab EmiratesAREWatch10.8%3.6%5.2%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure

Full route coverage is retained. High attention means the route deserves closer product and access review.

Market opportunity signals

Product-market combinations worth investigating

All returned rows use buyer demand, exporter position, and calculated addressable-value fields. They are research signals, not forecasts.

Addressable-value signalsAll returned rows
Market opportunity signals for Kenya
RankMarket and productBuyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareDemand signal
1ChinaHS6 260111 · Iron ores and concentrates: non-agglomerated$111.0B$119.1B0%Growing -2.6%
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$165.0B$115.5B0%Slowing +1.1%
3ChinaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$291.6B$98.5B0%Declining -6.7%
4ChinaHS6 854231 · Electronic integrated circuits: processors and controllers, whether or not combined with memories, converters, logic circuits, amplifiers, clock and timing circuits, or other circuits$158.0B$93.1B0%Slowing +10.5%
5IndiaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$130.1B$73.0B0%Declining -0.5%
6ChinaHS6 854232 · Electronic integrated circuits: memories$80.6B$65.7B0%Accelerating +20.6%
7ChinaHS6 710812 · Metals: gold, non-monetary, unwrought (but not powder)$80.8B$64.9B0%Growing +2.4%
8ChinaHS6 120190 · Soya beans: other than seed, whether or not broken$47.8B$62.4B0%Declining -13.5%

Addressable value is a calculated field. Validate product, buyer, tariff, and route conditions before commercial decisions.

Detailed export portfolioHS4 lines beneath the leading sectorsOpen the detailed four-digit export table for Kenya.
All HS4 export lines2024 ranking
Top HS4 export lines for Kenya
RankHS4Parent HS2 sectorExportsShareActive HS6
10902HS4 detail codeCoffee, tea and spices (09) ↗$1.4B15.9%4
27108HS4 detail codePrecious stones and metals (71) ↗$847.0M9.6%3
30603HS4 detail codeLive plants and cut flowers (06) ↗$796.9M9%7
42710HS4 detail codeMineral fuels (27) ↗$489.2M5.5%5
50901HS4 detail codeCoffee, tea and spices (09) ↗$290.7M3.3%5
60804HS4 detail codeEdible fruit and nuts (08) ↗$284.1M3.2%5
72523HS4 detail codeSalt, sulphur, earths and stone (25) ↗$146.5M1.7%5
80204HS4 detail codeMeat and edible meat offal (02) ↗$142.0M1.6%9
93004HS4 detail codePharmaceutical products (30) ↗$136.4M1.5%12
106203HS4 detail codeNon-knitted clothing (62) ↗$119.5M1.4%14
117210HS4 detail codeIron and steel (72) ↗$117.8M1.3%11
129999HS4 detail codeHS2 sector 99 (99) ↗$116.2M1.3%1

HS4 values are reported observations. The hierarchy is preserved; no missing descriptions are inferred.

The country export read

Kenya combines $8.8B in exports with a broad partner network.

In 2024, Kenya recorded $8.8B in reported exports and $24.3B in imports, producing a reported trade deficit of $15.5B. Exports changed +11.1% year on year and +6.6% annualized over three years. Coffee, tea and spices (HS2 09) was the largest displayed export sector by value.

Destination network

Where Kenya exports move

All returned destination lanes ranked by latest reported export value. Share is calculated against the country total. Review sources ↗

Latest reported destination lanesAll returned · 2024
Leading export destinations for Kenya
RankDestinationLatest exportsShareYear-on-year3-year CAGR
1United Arab EmiratesARE$1.3B14.8%+56.3%+30.2%
2UgandaUGA$852.2M9.6%+2.5%+1%
3USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$691.5M7.8%-11.7%+3.4%
4PakistanPAK$550.2M6.2%+7.7%+5%
5NetherlandsNLD$526.1M6%+1.7%+0.2%
6United KingdomGBR$484.8M5.5%+14%+0.7%
7United Rep. of TanzaniaTZA$407.1M4.6%-2.1%+0.5%
8RwandaRWA$312.5M3.5%+42.7%+4%
9EgyptEGY$234.2M2.7%-11.2%+1.7%
10South SudanSSD$219.6M2.5%-3.1%+12.3%

Destination values are reported country-to-country observations. Full returned rows remain in the downloads.

Trade history

A long view of export scale

Latest twelve years from the 30-year reported country series. Context, not a forecast.

Reported exports by year

2013
$6.1B
2014
$6.6B
2015
$6.3B
2016
$5.9B
2017
$5.8B
2018
$6.2B
2019
$7.2B
2020
$7.0B
2021
$7.3B
2022
$7.9B
2023
$8.0B
2024
$8.8B

Partner network

Scale is only one part of export capability

Partner breadth, distance, agreements, and tariffs add context to reported exports.

FTA partner markets11Reported count
WTO partner markets169Reported count
EU partner markets28Reported count
Shared-border partners6Country context
Shared-language partners77Country context
Average partner distance7,449 kmCalculated average
Partners with FTA4.1%Calculated share
Applied tariff context0.1%Calculated average
MFN tariff context0.1%Calculated average
Tariff advantage+0.1 ppPreferential vs MFN

Exposure context

Signals to examine alongside export scale

Calculated or classified route and country context. Not predictions or recommendations.

Attention share51.2%

Covered value under attention

Critical share1.2%

Covered value marked critical

Below historical peak16.2%

Distance below route peaks

FTA-covered exports22.2%

Covered value with FTA context

Weighted tariff context0.1%

Export-weighted tariff

Macro contextMacro trend resilient

Primary attention driver: Market access exposure.

Momentum score9.7

History-based indicator

Partner concentration568

Partner HHI

Product concentration442.1

Product HHI

Country attention level: Watch. Missing fields remain unavailable.

Complete country valuesOpen the full profile evidenceFull history, sectors, HS4, destinations, risk, opportunities, and source fields.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3KEN
Exports Usd$8.8B
Imports Usd$24.3B
Trade Balance Usd-$15.5B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct11.1%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct-1.2%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct6.6%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct3%
Export Partner Hhi568
Export Product Hhi442.1
Momentum Score9.7
Risk Score5.1
Gdp Million Usd120,339.56 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$2.1K
Population56,432,944
Labor Force28,323.7
Investment Rate Pct19.7%
Savings Rate Pct6.4%
Secondary Education Pct37.5%
Tertiary Education Pct7.4%
Total Factor Productivity214.7
Trade Openness Pct44%
Exports Gdp Pct11.7%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners11
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners6
Num Shared Language Partners77
Avg Partner Distance Km7,449 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.33 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta4
Pct Partners Shared Language29
Pct Partners Shared Border2
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp+0.1 pp
Avg Distance All Partners Km7,549
Num Border Partners145
Num Colonial Partners25
Avg Substitution Elasticity-9.6
Pct Products High Elasticity73
Pct Products Low Elasticity3
Real Market Potential107,488.5
Foreign Market Potential13,472.7

Exposure fields

Country Iso3KEN
All History Lane Count4,683
Current Lane Count1,951
Critical Lane Count5
High Attention Lane Count361
High Volatility Lane Count1,206
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count736
Declining Demand Lane Count10
Concentrated Market Lane Count1,089
Access Friction Lane Count352
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count163
Monitored Exports Current Usd$7.3B
Attention Exports Usd$3.7B
Critical Exports Usd$85.8M
High Volatility Exports Usd$3.7B
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$875.2M
Non Fta Exports Usd$5.3B
Monitored Attention Share Pct51.2%
Monitored Critical Share Pct1.2%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct22.2%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1.1
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct16.2%
Export Weighted Distance Km5,373 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.1%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$8.8B
Total Imports Latest Usd$24.3B
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$15.5B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct11.1%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct6.6%
Gdp Latest Million Usd120,339.56 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$2.1K
Population Latest56,432,944
Investment Rate Latest Pct19.7%
Savings Rate Latest Pct6.4%
Trade Openness Latest Pct44%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct11.7%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest11
Foreign Market Potential Latest13,472.7
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct3.7%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct1.7%
Population 5y Cagr Pct2%
Partner Hhi Latest568
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct14.8%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct32.3%
Partner Hhi All Avg581
Partner Hhi All Max755.3
Product Hhi Latest442.1
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct15.2%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct31.3%
Product Hhi All Avg534.4
Product Hhi All Max803.5
Total Exports Attention Share Pct42.3%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct1%
Attention LevelWatch
Primary Risk DriverMarket access exposure
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual country history

YearExportsImportsTrade balanceExports YoYExports CAGR 3Y
1995$1.8B$3.0B-$1.1BNot reportedNot reported
1996$2.0B$2.8B-$757.2M+10.9%Not reported
1997$1.9B$2.9B-$951.7M-4.2%Not reported
1998$1.9B$2.9B-$926.8M-0.6%+1.8%
1999$1.8B$2.6B-$755.7M-7%-3.9%
2000$1.8B$3.0B-$1.2B-1.9%-3.2%
2001$1.8B$3.8B-$2.0B+1.6%-2.5%
2002$1.9B$3.5B-$1.6B+4.7%+1.4%
2003$2.7B$3.9B-$1.3B+42.3%+14.8%
2004$2.9B$4.8B-$1.8B+10.2%+18%
2005$3.4B$6.2B-$2.8B+15.4%+21.9%
2006$3.5B$8.2B-$4.7B+4.2%+9.8%
2007$3.9B$9.8B-$5.9B+10.8%+10%
2008$4.9B$12.2B-$7.3B+25.5%+13.2%
2009$4.4B$11.0B-$6.6B-11.2%+7.3%
2010$4.9B$12.8B-$7.9B+11.8%+7.6%
2011$5.6B$15.5B-$9.8B+15.1%+4.5%
2012$6.0B$17.7B-$11.7B+6.3%+11%
2013$6.1B$18.4B-$12.3B+2%+7.7%
2014$6.6B$22.0B-$15.5B+7.6%+5.3%
2015$6.3B$19.0B-$12.7B-4.5%+1.6%
2016$5.9B$16.7B-$10.8B-5.1%-0.8%
2017$5.8B$18.0B-$12.2B-2.6%-4.1%
2018$6.2B$19.4B-$13.2B+6.6%-0.5%
2019$7.2B$18.6B-$11.3B+17.1%+6.7%
2020$7.0B$17.7B-$10.7B-3.8%+6.3%
2021$7.3B$22.2B-$14.9B+4.8%+5.7%
2022$7.9B$26.2B-$18.4B+8.3%+3%
2023$8.0B$24.6B-$16.7B+0.8%+4.6%
2024$8.8B$24.3B-$15.5B+11.1%+6.6%

Top export sectors

RankHS2SectorExportsShareExport partnersActive HS6
109Coffee, tea and spices$1.7B19.3%14139
206Live plants and cut flowers$889.1M10.1%14716
371Precious stones and metals$860.8M9.7%8941
427Mineral fuels$501.9M5.7%13439
508Edible fruit and nuts$371.9M4.2%11368
607Vegetables$301.7M3.4%10464
761Knitted clothing$292.7M3.3%130106
815Animal and vegetable fats$268.9M3%9044
962Non-knitted clothing$246.4M2.8%133112
1025Salt, sulphur, earths and stone$218.3M2.5%6265

Detailed HS4 export lines

RankHS4Parent HS2ExportsShareActive HS6
10902Coffee, tea and spices (09)$1.4B15.9%4
27108Precious stones and metals (71)$847.0M9.6%3
30603Live plants and cut flowers (06)$796.9M9%7
42710Mineral fuels (27)$489.2M5.5%5
50901Coffee, tea and spices (09)$290.7M3.3%5
60804Edible fruit and nuts (08)$284.1M3.2%5
72523Salt, sulphur, earths and stone (25)$146.5M1.7%5
80204Meat and edible meat offal (02)$142.0M1.6%9
93004Pharmaceutical products (30)$136.4M1.5%12
106203Non-knitted clothing (62)$119.5M1.4%14
117210Iron and steel (72)$117.8M1.3%11
129999HS2 sector 99 (99)$116.2M1.3%1

Top export destinations

RankDestinationISO3ExportsShareYoYCAGR 3Y
1United Arab EmiratesARE$1.3B14.8%+56.3%+30.2%
2UgandaUGA$852.2M9.6%+2.5%+1%
3USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$691.5M7.8%-11.7%+3.4%
4PakistanPAK$550.2M6.2%+7.7%+5%
5NetherlandsNLD$526.1M6%+1.7%+0.2%
6United KingdomGBR$484.8M5.5%+14%+0.7%
7United Rep. of TanzaniaTZA$407.1M4.6%-2.1%+0.5%
8RwandaRWA$312.5M3.5%+42.7%+4%
9EgyptEGY$234.2M2.7%-11.2%+1.7%
10South SudanSSD$219.6M2.5%-3.1%+12.3%

Destination risk context

RankDestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
1Rwanda (RWA)Critical attention81.1%22.5%28.1%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)High attention52.6%23.6%2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
3United Rep. of Tanzania (TZA)High attention67.6%31.5%13.9%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
4Republic of Korea (KOR)Critical attention95.1%50.2%14.6%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
5Pakistan (PAK)High attention99.1%0.8%40.1%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
6Uganda (UGA)High attention84.6%19.9%12.2%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
7United Kingdom (GBR)Watch48.7%25.9%Not reportedBuyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
8Egypt (EGY)High attention98%13.5%29%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
9China (CHN)High attention96.3%25.2%30.2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
10United Arab Emirates (ARE)Watch10.8%3.6%5.2%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure

Emerging corridor signals

RankDestinationHS6SignalMarket importsCurrent shareStrength
1United Arab Emirates (ARE)261510new$4.8M2.4%100
2China (CHN)230800new$63.1M0.9%100
3World excl. Intra-EU (WXD)290323new$132.6K76.5%100
4Former Arab Republic of Yemen (YEM)151219new$36.9M3.7%100
5Nigeria (NGA)850239new$94.5M0.6%100
6Former Arab Republic of Yemen (YEM)151620new$11.6M4.5%100
7Mexico (MEX)080212new$106.7M0.1%100
8Zimbabwe (ZWE)844316new$1.3M29.9%100
9Malta (MLT)847150new$14.6M1.1%100
10Norway (NOR)760900new$4.5M7.7%100

Market opportunity signals

RankMarketHS6Buyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareSignal
1China (CHN)260111$111.0B$119.1B0%Growing (-2.6%)
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)270900$165.0B$115.5B0%Slowing (+1.1%)
3China (CHN)270900$291.6B$98.5B0%Declining (-6.7%)
4China (CHN)854231$158.0B$93.1B0%Slowing (+10.5%)
5India (IND)270900$130.1B$73.0B0%Declining (-0.5%)
6China (CHN)854232$80.6B$65.7B0%Accelerating (+20.6%)
7China (CHN)710812$80.8B$64.9B0%Growing (+2.4%)
8China (CHN)120190$47.8B$62.4B0%Declining (-13.5%)

How to read this page

Separate reported scale from calculated context.

Reported exports, imports, trade balance, sector rows, destination rows, and annual history describe merchandise trade observations for the stated country and year.

CAGR, shares, concentration measures, tariff context, exposure shares, and momentum are calculated indicators built from the available observations. They help organize research but are not additional reported trade or forecasts.

Coverage runs from 1995 through 2024 for this profile. Missing values are shown as Not reported. Read the full methodology ↗

Reported observations

OECD BIMTS merchandise trade values are the primary series for this view.

Calculated indicators

Growth, share, HHI, tariff, and exposure fields are derived from available reported values.

Coverage limits

Unavailable values remain unavailable. No company sales, shipment records, or forecasts are implied.

Questions about this profile

Kenya export capability, in context

Short answers for readers comparing country export scale, partner breadth, and calculated trade indicators.

What does the Kenya export profile measure?

It combines reported exports, imports, history, destinations, HS2 sectors, partner context, and calculated indicators for Kenya.

What is the latest reported export value for Kenya?

Kenya recorded $8.8B in reported exports in 2024.

Which markets receive the most exports from Kenya?

United Arab Emirates leads by reported export value at $1.3B in 2024. Five destination lanes are highlighted.

Which sectors lead Kenya's exports?

Coffee, tea and spices leads by reported value at $1.7B. Five HS2 chapters are highlighted.

How many years of Kenya trade history are available?

This sample contains 30 observed annual rows covering 1995 through 2024. Missing observations are not estimated.

Are the growth and exposure values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or market-access guarantees.

Continue your research

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Compare countries, products, sectors, and routes using the available trade evidence and definitions.

Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-28). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.