Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Kenya
Kenya: Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government was 86.2% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
86.2%
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
134th
of 174 countries
All-time high
94.3%
in 2021
All-time low
86.2%
in 2025
Years of data
63
1963–2025
Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Kenya, 1963–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 86.2% for percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Kenya peaked at 94.3% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 86.2%, in 2025.
Kenya ranks 134th of 174 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 89.2% | — |
| 1964 | 90.0% | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 90.0% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 90.8% | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 90.8% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 91.3% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 91.3% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 91.3% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 91.3% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 90.3% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 90.0% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 91.3% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 92.3% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 91.3% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 91.2% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 90.0% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 90.4% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 91.0% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 91.7% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 91.4% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 92.9% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 94.2% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 92.9% | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 94.3% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 93.1% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 88.3% | -5.2% |
| 2024 | 87.0% | -1.5% |
| 2025 | 86.2% | -0.9% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 86.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 90.8%, 95% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 86.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 89.9%, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 89.9% | 89.2% | 90.0% | 7 |
| 1970s | 90.8% | 90.8% | 90.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 90.8% | 90.8% | 90.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 90.8% | 90.8% | 90.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 90.9% | 90.0% | 91.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 91.6% | 90.0% | 94.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.3% | 86.2% | 94.3% | 6 |
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 percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Kenya?
- Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Kenya was 86.2% in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest percentage of territory effectively controlled by government recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 94.3% in 2021.
- What is the lowest percentage of territory effectively controlled by government recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 86.2% in 2025.
- How does Kenya rank for percentage of territory effectively controlled by government?
- Kenya ranks 134th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is percentage of territory effectively controlled by government rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the percentage of territory controlled by the government.