Economy · Tax revenue · Kenya
Kenya’s tax revenue was 14.1% of GDP in 2023.
14.1% of GDP
2023
Down 0.54 pp from 2022.
Stale — last updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
14.1% of GDP
What it is. Tax revenue is the money the central government collects through taxes, divided by the size of the economy. Dividing by GDP lets the figure be compared across years as the economy grows and prices rise. Grants, non-tax income such as fees, and anything raised by other levels of government fall outside it.
Higher is better. A higher share means the state pays for services from its own tax base and has less need to borrow. Kenya's latest figure is 14.1% of GDP for 2023, down from 14.6% of GDP a year earlier, a fall of 0.54 percentage points. Since 2014 the share has ranged from a low of 13.6% of GDP in 2021 to a high of 15.2% of GDP in 2014. The 2023 reading sits closer to that low than to the high.
Why it matters. At 14.1% of GDP, the central government's tax take has to cover roads, schools, health and interest on debt. Whatever taxes do not cover must come from borrowing, grants or other income. A lower share than in 2014 gives the Treasury less room to spend, and it raises the pressure to widen the tax base or lift rates on households and firms.
| Period | Tax revenue · Kenya |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 15.2% of GDP |
| 2015 | 14.8% of GDP |
| 2016 | 15% of GDP |
| 2017 | 15.1% of GDP |
| 2018 | 14.4% of GDP |
| 2019 | 15.1% of GDP |
| 2020 | 14.3% of GDP |
| 2021 | 13.6% of GDP |
| 2022 | 14.6% of GDP |
| 2023 | 14.1% of GDP |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
How to read this number
- Source
- Who published the figure
- Published
- When they released it
- Verified
- When we last checked it against the source
Every change is logged in Corrections. How the figure is made: Methodology.
Cite this number
Show text
Strata-AF™ Data, Tax revenue, Kenya, 2023; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/economy/tax-revenue/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
Central government tax revenue as a share of GDP. Unit: % of GDP.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series GC.TAX.TOTL.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.