Sesame seed production in Kenya
Kenya: Sesame seed production was 6,005 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
6,005 tonnes
Change on year
up 57.2%
World rank
44th
of 79 countries
All-time high
13,000 tonnes
in 1994
All-time low
406 tonnes
in 1964
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Sesame seed production in Kenya, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 6,005 tonnes for sesame seed production in 2024.
The figure is up 57.2% on the previous year and down 51.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sesame seed production in Kenya peaked at 13,000 tonnes in 1994 and was at its lowest, 406 tonnes, in 1964.
Kenya ranks 44th of 79 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Sesame seed production in Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1,829 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 1,626 tonnes | -11.1% |
| 1963 | 1,524 tonnes | -6.3% |
| 1964 | 406 tonnes | -73.4% |
| 1965 | 1,118 tonnes | +175.4% |
| 1966 | 1,118 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 3,000 tonnes | +168.3% |
| 1968 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 3,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 3,500 tonnes | +16.7% |
| 1972 | 3,900 tonnes | +11.4% |
| 1973 | 4,200 tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1974 | 4,700 tonnes | +11.9% |
| 1975 | 5,300 tonnes | +12.8% |
| 1976 | 6,000 tonnes | +13.2% |
| 1977 | 6,500 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1978 | 7,000 tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1979 | 7,800 tonnes | +11.4% |
| 1980 | 8,000 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 8,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1,209 tonnes | -84.9% |
| 1983 | 6,000 tonnes | +396.3% |
| 1984 | 6,200 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 7,000 tonnes | +12.9% |
| 1986 | 7,200 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 7,500 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1988 | 7,800 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 8,000 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 8,500 tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1991 | 9,000 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1992 | 10,000 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1993 | 12,000 tonnes | +20.0% |
| 1994 | 13,000 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1995 | 12,000 tonnes | -7.7% |
| 1996 | 11,000 tonnes | -8.3% |
| 1997 | 12,000 tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1998 | 13,000 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1999 | 11,000 tonnes | -15.4% |
| 2000 | 10,000 tonnes | -9.1% |
| 2001 | 10,156 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 10,000 tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 10,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 10,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 10,295 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 10,449 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 10,820 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 11,077 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 11,342 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 11,597 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 12,000 tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 12,200 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 12,297 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 10,894 tonnes | -11.4% |
| 2016 | 11,797 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 2017 | 3,974 tonnes | -66.3% |
| 2018 | 8,496 tonnes | +113.8% |
| 2019 | 10,658 tonnes | +25.4% |
| 2020 | 10,773 tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 2,845 tonnes | -73.6% |
| 2022 | 3,192 tonnes | +12.2% |
| 2023 | 3,820 tonnes | +19.7% |
| 2024 | 6,005 tonnes | +57.2% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 6,005 tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9,195 tonnes, 65% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 6,005 tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 30,772 tonnes, 20% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Sesame seed production in Kenya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +396.3% | 1,209 tonnes | 6,000 tonnes |
| 1965 | +175.4% | 406 tonnes | 1,118 tonnes |
| 1967 | +168.3% | 1,118 tonnes | 3,000 tonnes |
| 2018 | +113.8% | 3,974 tonnes | 8,496 tonnes |
| 1982 | -84.9% | 8,000 tonnes | 1,209 tonnes |
| 1964 | -73.4% | 1,524 tonnes | 406 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,847 tonnes | 406 tonnes | 3,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 5,190 tonnes | 3,000 tonnes | 7,800 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 6,691 tonnes | 1,209 tonnes | 8,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 11,150 tonnes | 8,500 tonnes | 13,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 10,280 tonnes | 10,000 tonnes | 11,077 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 10,526 tonnes | 3,974 tonnes | 12,297 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,327 tonnes | 2,845 tonnes | 10,773 tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 41 South Korea 9,002 tonnes compare
- 42 Laos 8,700 tonnes compare
- 43 Sierra Leone 7,043 tonnes compare
- 45 Eritrea 4,870 tonnes compare
- 46 Democratic Republic of Congo 4,565 tonnes compare
- 47 Saudi Arabia 4,367 tonnes compare
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 sesame seed production in Kenya?
- Sesame seed production in Kenya was 6,005 tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest sesame seed production recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 13,000 tonnes in 1994.
- What is the lowest sesame seed production recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 406 tonnes in 1964.
- How does Kenya rank for sesame seed production?
- Kenya ranks 44th out of 79 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sesame seed production rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Sesame seed production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Sesame seed production is measured in tonnes.