Business & Markets · Credit to private sector · Kenya
Kenya’s credit to private sector fell to 29.4% of GDP in 2025.
29.4% of GDP
2025
Down 0.32 pp from 2024.
Updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
29.4% of GDP
What it is. This measure adds up the money that banks and other domestic financial institutions have lent to private firms and households, then divides it by the size of the economy. Dividing by GDP lets readers compare credit depth across years and countries as the economy grows. It leaves out borrowing direct from abroad and informal lending between individuals, so it covers only credit that passes through the domestic financial system.
Neither way is good in itself. A higher share means lenders are putting more money into private hands relative to output, which can fund investment and also build up debt risk. A lower share can mean cautious lenders, weak demand for loans or households and firms paying debt down. Kenya stands at 29.4% of GDP in January 2025, down from 29.7% of GDP a year earlier, a fall of 0.32 percentage points. That is the lowest figure since 2016, when the share was at its highest in the period, at 35.6% of GDP.
Why it matters. Private credit in Kenya now makes up a smaller part of the economy than it did in 2016. Firms that depend on bank loans for stock, equipment or wages may find less borrowing available relative to their needs. Households also have less credit behind spending on housing, education and other large purchases, so the figure is worth checking again when the next annual reading arrives.
| Period | Credit to private sector · Kenya |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 35.6% of GDP |
| 2017 | 33.2% of GDP |
| 2018 | 31.2% of GDP |
| 2019 | 30.8% of GDP |
| 2020 | 32.1% of GDP |
| 2021 | 31.1% of GDP |
| 2022 | 31.3% of GDP |
| 2023 | 31.8% of GDP |
| 2024 | 29.7% of GDP |
| 2025 | 29.4% of GDP |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Credit to private sector, Kenya, 2025; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/business/private-sector-credit/kenya
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
What this means
Working this out from the published figures…
Strata AI commentary is coming — reviewed, dated, and generated only from the figures on this page.
Methodology
Domestic credit to the private sector as a share of GDP. Unit: % of GDP.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series FS.AST.PRVT.GD.ZS), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.