Economy · Current account balance · Kenya
Kenya’s current account balance fell to −2.1% of GDP in 2025.
−2.1% of GDP
2025
Down 0.37 pp from 2024.
Updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
−2.1% of GDP
What it is. The current account balance adds up what Kenya earns from and pays to the rest of the world through trade in goods and services, and through income and transfers such as money sent home by workers abroad. A negative figure means the country spends more abroad than it receives, and the gap has to be financed by foreign borrowing or investment. The ratio to GDP lets years of different economic size be compared. Capital flows such as loans and investment inflows sit in a separate account and are left out.
Higher is better. A higher balance is better because a smaller deficit means Kenya relies less on foreign financing to pay its way. The latest figure, for 2025, is −2.1% of GDP, against −1.8% of GDP a year earlier, so the deficit widened by 0.37 percentage points. Since 2016 the range runs from a low of −7% of GDP in 2017 to a high of −1.8% of GDP in 2024. The 2025 reading sits close to the better end of that range, well above the 2017 low.
Why it matters. A deficit of −2.1% of GDP means Kenya still needs net foreign funding each year, which keeps the state and firms exposed to the cost and availability of external finance. The gap is far smaller than in 2017, so the pressure on the shilling and on import payments is lighter than it was then. The next annual reading will show whether the widening since 2024 continues.
| Period | Current account balance · Kenya |
|---|---|
| 2016 | −5.4% of GDP |
| 2017 | −7% of GDP |
| 2018 | −5.4% of GDP |
| 2019 | −5.2% of GDP |
| 2020 | −3.3% of GDP |
| 2021 | −4.6% of GDP |
| 2022 | −4.2% of GDP |
| 2023 | −2.8% of GDP |
| 2024 | −1.8% of GDP |
| 2025 | −2.1% of GDP |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Current account balance, Kenya, 2025; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/economy/current-account-balance/kenya
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Methodology
Current account balance as a share of GDP. Unit: % of GDP. A negative value is a deficit.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series BN.CAB.XOKA.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.