Statizoid

Judicial Checks on Government Index in Kenya

Kenya: Judicial Checks on Government Index was 0.788 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.788
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
61st
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.827
in 2021
All-time low
0.199
in 1980
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Judicial Checks on Government Index in Kenya, 1900–2025

0.20.40.60.8190019622025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for judicial checks on government index in Kenya is 0.788, measured in 2025.

The figure is up 5.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, judicial checks on government index in Kenya peaked at 0.827 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.199, in 1980.

That places Kenya 61st out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Judicial Checks on Government Index in Kenya, year by year

Year Value Change
1900 0.219 —
1901 0.219 +0.0%
1902 0.219 +0.0%
1903 0.219 +0.0%
1904 0.219 +0.0%
1905 0.219 +0.0%
1906 0.219 +0.0%
1907 0.219 +0.0%
1908 0.219 +0.0%
1909 0.219 +0.0%
1910 0.219 +0.0%
1911 0.219 +0.0%
1912 0.219 +0.0%
1913 0.219 +0.0%
1914 0.219 +0.0%
1915 0.219 +0.0%
1916 0.219 +0.0%
1917 0.219 +0.0%
1918 0.219 +0.0%
1919 0.219 +0.0%
1920 0.202 -7.8%
1921 0.202 +0.0%
1922 0.202 +0.0%
1923 0.202 +0.0%
1924 0.202 +0.0%
1925 0.202 +0.0%
1926 0.202 +0.0%
1927 0.202 +0.0%
1928 0.202 +0.0%
1929 0.202 +0.0%
1930 0.202 +0.0%
1931 0.202 +0.0%
1932 0.202 +0.0%
1933 0.202 +0.0%
1934 0.202 +0.0%
1935 0.202 +0.0%
1936 0.202 +0.0%
1937 0.202 +0.0%
1938 0.202 +0.0%
1939 0.202 +0.0%
1940 0.202 +0.0%
1941 0.202 +0.0%
1942 0.202 +0.0%
1943 0.202 +0.0%
1944 0.202 +0.0%
1945 0.202 +0.0%
1946 0.202 +0.0%
1947 0.202 +0.0%
1948 0.202 +0.0%
1949 0.202 +0.0%
1950 0.212 +5.0%
1951 0.212 +0.0%
1952 0.212 +0.0%
1953 0.212 +0.0%
1954 0.212 +0.0%
1955 0.212 +0.0%
1956 0.212 +0.0%
1957 0.212 +0.0%
1958 0.212 +0.0%
1959 0.212 +0.0%
1960 0.212 +0.0%
1961 0.212 +0.0%
1962 0.212 +0.0%
1963 0.209 -1.4%
1964 0.306 +46.4%
1965 0.306 +0.0%
1966 0.306 +0.0%
1967 0.306 +0.0%
1968 0.306 +0.0%
1969 0.297 -2.9%
1970 0.22 -25.9%
1971 0.22 +0.0%
1972 0.22 +0.0%
1973 0.22 +0.0%
1974 0.22 +0.0%
1975 0.22 +0.0%
1976 0.22 +0.0%
1977 0.22 +0.0%
1978 0.21 -4.5%
1979 0.21 +0.0%
1980 0.199 -5.2%
1981 0.199 +0.0%
1982 0.199 +0.0%
1983 0.199 +0.0%
1984 0.199 +0.0%
1985 0.199 +0.0%
1986 0.199 +0.0%
1987 0.199 +0.0%
1988 0.199 +0.0%
1989 0.199 +0.0%
1990 0.384 +93.0%
1991 0.393 +2.3%
1992 0.393 +0.0%
1993 0.393 +0.0%
1994 0.393 +0.0%
1995 0.393 +0.0%
1996 0.393 +0.0%
1997 0.393 +0.0%
1998 0.41 +4.3%
1999 0.41 +0.0%
2000 0.441 +7.6%
2001 0.441 +0.0%
2002 0.464 +5.2%
2003 0.464 +0.0%
2004 0.464 +0.0%
2005 0.464 +0.0%
2006 0.464 +0.0%
2007 0.464 +0.0%
2008 0.463 -0.2%
2009 0.463 +0.0%
2010 0.766 +65.4%
2011 0.766 +0.0%
2012 0.755 -1.4%
2013 0.75 -0.7%
2014 0.747 -0.4%
2015 0.747 +0.0%
2016 0.747 +0.0%
2017 0.773 +3.5%
2018 0.746 -3.5%
2019 0.744 -0.3%
2020 0.744 +0.0%
2021 0.827 +11.2%
2022 0.817 -1.2%
2023 0.773 -5.4%
2024 0.788 +1.9%
2025 0.788 +0.0%

Kenya compared with similar countries

  • Kenya's 0.788 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.505, 1.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Kenya's 0.788 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.2945, 2.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.219 0.219 0.219 10
1910s 0.219 0.219 0.219 10
1920s 0.202 0.202 0.202 10
1930s 0.202 0.202 0.202 10
1940s 0.202 0.202 0.202 10
1950s 0.212 0.212 0.212 10
1960s 0.2672 0.209 0.306 10
1970s 0.218 0.21 0.22 10
1980s 0.199 0.199 0.199 10
1990s 0.3955 0.384 0.41 10
2000s 0.4592 0.441 0.464 10
2010s 0.7541 0.744 0.773 10
2020s 0.7895 0.744 0.827 6

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 58 Mali 0.794 compare
  2. 58 Taiwan 0.794 compare
  3. 60 Bulgaria 0.793 compare
  4. 62 Malta 0.785 compare
  5. 63 Malaysia 0.777 compare
  6. 64 Italy 0.773 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is judicial checks on government index in Kenya?
Judicial checks on government index in Kenya was 0.788 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest judicial checks on government index recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 0.827 in 2021.
What is the lowest judicial checks on government index recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 0.199 in 1980.
How does Kenya rank for judicial checks on government index?
Kenya ranks 61st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is judicial checks on government index rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Kenya data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Judicial Checks on Government Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Judicial Checks on Government Index in Kenya. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/judicial-constraints-on-the-executive-index/kenya/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/judicial-constraints-on-the-executive-index/kenya/">Judicial Checks on Government Index in Kenya</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Judicial Checks on Government Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 29,297 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which the executive respects the constitution, complies with the judiciary and high courts, and higher and lower courts are independent.