Insecticide use in Kenya
Kenya: Insecticide use was 991 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Insecticide use in Kenya, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, insecticide use in Kenya stood at 991 tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, insecticide use in Kenya peaked at 1,288 tonnes in 1996 and was at its lowest, 134 tonnes, in 1990.
Kenya ranks 52nd of 211 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Insecticide use in Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 134 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 302 tonnes | +125.4% |
| 1992 | 410 tonnes | +35.8% |
| 1993 | 434 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1994 | 1,112 tonnes | +156.2% |
| 1995 | 1,171 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1996 | 1,288 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1997 | 583 tonnes | -54.7% |
| 1998 | 623 tonnes | +6.9% |
| 1999 | 562 tonnes | -9.8% |
| 2000 | 450 tonnes | -19.9% |
| 2001 | 373 tonnes | -17.1% |
| 2002 | 322 tonnes | -13.7% |
| 2003 | 329 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 346 tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2005 | 400 tonnes | +15.6% |
| 2006 | 421 tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 368 tonnes | -12.6% |
| 2008 | 414 tonnes | +12.5% |
| 2009 | 419 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 530 tonnes | +26.5% |
| 2011 | 604 tonnes | +14.0% |
| 2012 | 762 tonnes | +26.2% |
| 2013 | 860 tonnes | +12.9% |
| 2014 | 895 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 915 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 916 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 1,016 tonnes | +10.9% |
| 2018 | 1,166 tonnes | +14.8% |
| 2019 | 1,265 tonnes | +8.5% |
| 2020 | 1,196 tonnes | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 987 tonnes | -17.5% |
| 2022 | 981 tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 991 tonnes | +1.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 991 tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 351.5 tonnes, 2.8× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 991 tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 286 tonnes, 3.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Insecticide use 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +156.2% | 434 tonnes | 1,112 tonnes |
| 1991 | +125.4% | 134 tonnes | 302 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 661.9 tonnes | 134 tonnes | 1,288 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 384.2 tonnes | 322 tonnes | 450 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 892.9 tonnes | 530 tonnes | 1,265 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,039 tonnes | 981 tonnes | 1,196 tonnes | 4 |
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 insecticide use in Kenya?
- Insecticide use in Kenya was 991 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest insecticide use recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 1,288 tonnes in 1996.
- What is the lowest insecticide use recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 134 tonnes in 1990.
- How does Kenya rank for insecticide use?
- Kenya ranks 52nd out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is insecticide use rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Insecticide use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual quantity of insecticides used in agriculture, measured as the tonnes of active ingredient per year.