Total natural resource rents in Kenya
Kenya: Total natural resource rents was 1.2% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Total natural resource rents in Kenya, 1970–2021
Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2021, total natural resource rents in Kenya stood at 1.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 58.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Kenya peaked at 7.3% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2019.
Kenya ranks 114th of 211 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Total natural resource rents in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.3% | — |
| 1971 | 2.5% | -22.2% |
| 1972 | 2.4% | -7.1% |
| 1973 | 3.4% | +43.2% |
| 1974 | 3.3% | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 4.2% | +26.4% |
| 1976 | 3.7% | -11.7% |
| 1977 | 5.0% | +36.2% |
| 1978 | 4.6% | -7.7% |
| 1979 | 4.1% | -12.7% |
| 1980 | 4.1% | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 3.9% | -6.6% |
| 1982 | 5.8% | +48.9% |
| 1983 | 4.2% | -27.3% |
| 1984 | 3.9% | -6.6% |
| 1985 | 3.2% | -16.9% |
| 1986 | 4.1% | +26.8% |
| 1987 | 3.9% | -5.2% |
| 1988 | 3.9% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 4.2% | +7.0% |
| 1990 | 5.0% | +18.5% |
| 1991 | 5.2% | +4.7% |
| 1992 | 5.4% | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 6.8% | +25.9% |
| 1994 | 6.3% | -6.4% |
| 1995 | 7.3% | +15.0% |
| 1996 | 5.5% | -24.6% |
| 1997 | 4.7% | -13.8% |
| 1998 | 4.5% | -4.2% |
| 1999 | 3.3% | -27.9% |
| 2000 | 3.3% | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 3.1% | -5.2% |
| 2002 | 3.7% | +19.0% |
| 2003 | 5.1% | +36.0% |
| 2004 | 4.1% | -18.9% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 3.0% | -27.6% |
| 2007 | 3.6% | +23.2% |
| 2008 | 3.6% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | -10.8% |
| 2010 | 2.7% | -17.6% |
| 2011 | 2.9% | +10.1% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 2.7% | -8.2% |
| 2014 | 2.6% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 2.7% | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 2.7% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | -12.9% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | -41.2% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | -9.9% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | -3.2% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 1.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.4%, 28% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 1.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.7%, 16% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.6% | 2.4% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.1% | 3.2% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.4% | 3.3% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 3.0% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 1.2% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 2 |
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 total natural resource rents in Kenya?
- Total natural resource rents in Kenya was 1.2% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 7.3% in 1995.
- What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2019.
- How does Kenya rank for total natural resource rents?
- Kenya ranks 114th out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
- Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 58.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.