Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Kenya
Kenya: Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) was -0.0894 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in Kenya, 1996–2025
Source: The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.
Analysis
In 2025, government effectiveness - governance estimate in Kenya stood at -0.0894 approx. -2.5 to +2.5. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 51.8% on the previous year and up 63.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government effectiveness - governance estimate in Kenya peaked at -0.0894 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025 and was at its lowest, -1.21 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 2002.
Kenya ranks 115th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Kenya, year by year
| Year | approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | -0.3721 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | — |
| 1998 | -1.02 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +173.8% |
| 2000 | -1.02 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | -1.21 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +19.2% |
| 2003 | -1.19 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -2.3% |
| 2004 | -0.7675 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -35.3% |
| 2005 | -0.7575 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.3% |
| 2006 | -0.7018 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -7.3% |
| 2007 | -0.5747 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -18.1% |
| 2008 | -0.5082 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -11.6% |
| 2009 | -0.4971 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -2.2% |
| 2010 | -0.399 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -19.7% |
| 2011 | -0.4257 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +6.7% |
| 2012 | -0.3562 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -16.3% |
| 2013 | -0.3202 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -10.1% |
| 2014 | -0.3143 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.8% |
| 2015 | -0.2454 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -21.9% |
| 2016 | -0.1973 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -19.6% |
| 2017 | -0.1757 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -11.0% |
| 2018 | -0.2213 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +26.0% |
| 2019 | -0.1577 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -28.7% |
| 2020 | -0.255 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +61.7% |
| 2021 | -0.2397 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -6.0% |
| 2022 | -0.2345 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -2.2% |
| 2023 | -0.1941 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -17.2% |
| 2024 | -0.1853 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -4.5% |
| 2025 | -0.0894 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -51.8% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's -0.0894 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is -0.6398 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 14% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's -0.0894 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.793 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 11% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Kenya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | -173.8% | -0.3721 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.02 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | -0.6953 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.02 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.3721 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 2 |
| 2000s | -0.803 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.21 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.4971 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 9 |
| 2010s | -0.2813 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.4257 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.1577 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.1996 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.255 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.0894 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 112 Tonga -0.059 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
- 113 Kosovo -0.0613 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
- 114 Micronesia (country) -0.0732 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
- 116 Colombia -0.0935 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
- 117 Egypt -0.1058 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
- 118 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) -0.1213 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
More reference data data for Kenya
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5379 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.377 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 58.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 68.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.05 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government effectiveness - governance estimate in Kenya?
- Government effectiveness - governance estimate in Kenya was -0.0894 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025, according to The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG).
- What is the highest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was -0.0894 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025.
- What is the lowest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.21 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2002.
- How does Kenya rank for government effectiveness - governance estimate?
- Kenya ranks 115th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is government effectiveness - governance estimate rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 63.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG), published as part of Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Government Effectiveness (GE) captures perceptions of the quality of public services, the civil service, policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility of a government’s decisions. Governance estimate from the aggregation model, in units of a standard normal distribution, i.e. ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5. Larger values correspond to better governance. The (country-series-time) metadata include the (a) number of sources, and (b) standard error. The number of sources indicates the number of underlying data sources on which the governance estimate is based. The standard error indicates the precision of the governance estimate. Larger values indicate less precise estimates. A 90% confidence interval for the governance estimate is given by the estimate +/- 1.64 times the standard error.