Military spending per armed forces personnel in Kenya

Kenya: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 47,176 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
47,176 constant 2024 US$
Change on year
up 19.5%
World rank
51st
of 160 countries
All-time high
64,528 constant 2024 US$
in 1985
All-time low
19,802 constant 2024 US$
in 1995
Years of data
32
1985–2020

Military spending per armed forces personnel in Kenya, 1985–2020

20.0k30.0k40.0k50.0k60.0k1985200220201985: 64.5k constant 2024 US$1989: 61.0k constant 2024 US$1990: 62.2k constant 2024 US$1991: 48.4k constant 2024 US$1992: 30.2k constant 2024 US$1993: 25.2k constant 2024 US$1994: 22.9k constant 2024 US$1995: 19.8k constant 2024 US$1996: 23.1k constant 2024 US$1997: 22.0k constant 2024 US$1998: 20.7k constant 2024 US$1999: 20.2k constant 2024 US$2000: 23.2k constant 2024 US$2001: 24.7k constant 2024 US$2002: 26.6k constant 2024 US$2003: 27.2k constant 2024 US$2004: 26.9k constant 2024 US$2005: 28.4k constant 2024 US$2007: 31.4k constant 2024 US$2008: 30.0k constant 2024 US$2009: 30.5k constant 2024 US$2010: 32.3k constant 2024 US$2011: 33.0k constant 2024 US$2012: 37.3k constant 2024 US$2013: 36.9k constant 2024 US$2014: 33.5k constant 2024 US$2015: 36.2k constant 2024 US$2016: 38.9k constant 2024 US$2017: 40.1k constant 2024 US$2018: 41.0k constant 2024 US$2019: 39.5k constant 2024 US$2020: 47.2k constant 2024 US$

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2024 US$.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military spending per armed forces personnel in Kenya is 47,176 constant 2024 US$, measured in 2020.

The figure is up 19.5% on the previous year and up 46.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending per armed forces personnel in Kenya peaked at 64,528 constant 2024 US$ in 1985 and was at its lowest, 19,802 constant 2024 US$, in 1995.

That places Kenya 51st out of 160 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 62,756 constant 2024 US$ 60,985 constant 2024 US$ 64,528 constant 2024 US$ 2
1990s 29,466 constant 2024 US$ 19,802 constant 2024 US$ 62,176 constant 2024 US$ 10
2000s 27,660 constant 2024 US$ 23,241 constant 2024 US$ 31,423 constant 2024 US$ 9
2010s 36,871 constant 2024 US$ 32,308 constant 2024 US$ 40,980 constant 2024 US$ 10
2020s 47,176 constant 2024 US$ 47,176 constant 2024 US$ 47,176 constant 2024 US$ 1

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 48 Serbia 52,384 constant 2024 US$ compare
  2. 49 Romania 50,816 constant 2024 US$ compare
  3. 50 Chile 50,602 constant 2024 US$ compare
  4. 53 Russia 46,194 constant 2024 US$ compare
  5. 54 Jamaica 44,915 constant 2024 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending per armed forces personnel in Kenya?
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Kenya was 47,176 constant 2024 US$ in 2020, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 64,528 constant 2024 US$ in 1985.
What is the lowest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 19,802 constant 2024 US$ in 1995.
How does Kenya rank for military spending per armed forces personnel?
Kenya ranks 51st out of 160 countries with data for 2020.
Is military spending per armed forces personnel rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is up 46.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Kenya data come from?
The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending per armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Military spending per armed forces personnel
Unit
constant 2024 US$
Source
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
160 places, 4,610 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Total military expenditure divided by armed forces personnel. This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.