Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Kenya
Kenya: Industry jobs as a share of total employment was 12.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Kenya, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 12.5% for industry jobs as a share of total employment in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 19.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industry jobs as a share of total employment in Kenya peaked at 12.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 9.2%, in 2003.
Kenya ranks 157th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.9% | — |
| 1992 | 10.6% | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 10.4% | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 10.4% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 10.3% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 10.3% | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 10.1% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 10.1% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 9.9% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 9.6% | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 9.6% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 9.3% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 9.2% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 9.3% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 9.4% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 9.5% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 9.7% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 9.4% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 9.4% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 9.6% | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 9.8% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 9.9% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 10.0% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 10.2% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 10.4% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 10.6% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 10.8% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 11.1% | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 11.4% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 11.3% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 11.3% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 12.0% | +5.3% |
| 2023 | 12.2% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 12.3% | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 12.5% | +1.3% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 12.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 17.8%, 70% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 12.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.2%, 88% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.3% | 9.9% | 10.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 9.4% | 9.2% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.4% | 9.6% | 11.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.9% | 11.3% | 12.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
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 industry jobs as a share of total employment in Kenya?
- Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Kenya was 12.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest industry jobs as a share of total employment recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 12.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest industry jobs as a share of total employment recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.2% in 2003.
- How does Kenya rank for industry jobs as a share of total employment?
- Kenya ranks 157th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is industry jobs as a share of total employment rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Industry jobs as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of total employment working in the industry sector.