What is democracy in Kenya?

Democracy in Kenya was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest democracy recorded in Kenya?

The highest recorded value was 2 in 2002.

What is the lowest democracy recorded in Kenya?

The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1969.

How does Kenya rank for democracy?

Kenya ranks 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018.

Is democracy rising or falling in Kenya?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Kenya data come from?

The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Democracy in Kenya

Name: Democracy in Kenya
Creator: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Kenya: Democracy was 2 in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

1st

of 168 countries

All-time high

in 2002

All-time low

in 1969

Years of data

1963–2018

Democracy in Kenya, 1963–2018

Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2018, democracy in Kenya stood at 2. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, democracy in Kenya peaked at 2 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1969.

Kenya ranks 1st of 168 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Democracy in Kenya, year by year

Annual values for Democracy in Kenya, 1963 to 2018.
Year	Value	Change
1963	1	—
1964	1	+0.0%
1965	1	+0.0%
1966	1	+0.0%
1967	1	+0.0%
1968	1	+0.0%
1969	0	-100.0%
1970	0	—
1971	0	—
1972	0	—
1973	0	—
1974	0	—
1975	0	—
1976	0	—
1977	0	—
1978	0	—
1979	0	—
1980	0	—
1981	0	—
1982	0	—
1983	0	—
1984	0	—
1985	0	—
1986	0	—
1987	0	—
1988	0	—
1989	0	—
1990	0	—
1991	1	—
1992	1	+0.0%
1993	1	+0.0%
1994	1	+0.0%
1995	1	+0.0%
1996	1	+0.0%
1997	1	+0.0%
1998	1	+0.0%
1999	1	+0.0%
2000	1	+0.0%
2001	1	+0.0%
2002	2	+100.0%
2003	2	+0.0%
2004	2	+0.0%
2005	2	+0.0%
2006	2	+0.0%
2007	2	+0.0%
2008	2	+0.0%
2009	2	+0.0%
2010	2	+0.0%
2011	2	+0.0%
2012	2	+0.0%
2013	2	+0.0%
2014	2	+0.0%
2015	2	+0.0%
2016	2	+0.0%
2017	2	+0.0%
2018	2	+0.0%

Kenya compared with similar countries

Kenya's 2 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1, 2.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Kenya's 2 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1, 2.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	0.8571	0	1	7
1970s	0	0	0	10
1980s	0	0	0	10
1990s	0.9	0	1	10
2000s	1.8	1	2	10
2010s	2	2	2	9

Countries ranked near Kenya

See the full ranking of 168 places →

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)

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy in Kenya?: Democracy in Kenya was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democracy recorded in Kenya?: The highest recorded value was 2 in 2002.
What is the lowest democracy recorded in Kenya?: The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1969.
How does Kenya rank for democracy?: Kenya ranks 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
Is democracy rising or falling in Kenya?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Kenya data come from?: The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Democracy in Kenya. Statizoid, drawing on Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/political-regime-polity/kenya/

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About this data

Indicator: Democracy
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 168 places, 18,392 data points, 1776–2020
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Identifies the political regime of a country using the Polity 5 data by the Center for Systemic Peace. It distinguishes between autocracies (score 0), anocracies (score 1), and democracies (score 2).