Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Kenya
Kenya: Arrivals of tourists from abroad was 1.36 million arrivals in 2017. ▲ Rising
Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Kenya, 1995–2017
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in arrivals.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 1.36 million arrivals for arrivals of tourists from abroad in 2017.
That represents a change of up 7.6% on the previous year and down 19.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad in Kenya peaked at 1.75 million arrivals in 2011 and was at its lowest, 792,000 arrivals, in 1998.
That places Kenya 92nd out of 203 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Kenya, year by year
| Year | arrivals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 918,000 arrivals | — |
| 1996 | 947,000 arrivals | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 928,000 arrivals | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 792,000 arrivals | -14.7% |
| 1999 | 862,000 arrivals | +8.8% |
| 2000 | 899,000 arrivals | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 841,000 arrivals | -6.5% |
| 2002 | 838,000 arrivals | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 927,000 arrivals | +10.6% |
| 2004 | 1.20 million arrivals | +29.3% |
| 2005 | 1.40 million arrivals | +16.7% |
| 2006 | 1.46 million arrivals | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 1.69 million arrivals | +15.2% |
| 2008 | 1.14 million arrivals | -32.3% |
| 2009 | 1.39 million arrivals | +22.0% |
| 2010 | 1.47 million arrivals | +5.6% |
| 2011 | 1.75 million arrivals | +19.0% |
| 2012 | 1.62 million arrivals | -7.5% |
| 2013 | 1.43 million arrivals | -11.4% |
| 2014 | 1.26 million arrivals | -12.1% |
| 2015 | 1.11 million arrivals | -11.7% |
| 2016 | 1.27 million arrivals | +13.8% |
| 2017 | 1.36 million arrivals | +7.6% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 1.36 million arrivals is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 546,464 arrivals, 2.5× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 1.36 million arrivals is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 393,000 arrivals, 3.5× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 889,400 arrivals | 792,000 arrivals | 947,000 arrivals | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.18 million arrivals | 838,000 arrivals | 1.69 million arrivals | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.41 million arrivals | 1.11 million arrivals | 1.75 million arrivals | 8 |
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 arrivals of tourists from abroad in Kenya?
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Kenya was 1.36 million arrivals in 2017, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 1.75 million arrivals in 2011.
- What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 792,000 arrivals in 1998.
- How does Kenya rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad?
- Kenya ranks 92nd out of 203 countries with data for 2017.
- Is arrivals of tourists from abroad rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arrivals of tourists from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of trips by visitors who arrive from abroad and stay overnight.