Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Kenya

Kenya: Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries was 33 attacks in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
33 attacks
Change on year
down 50.0%
World rank
24th
of 188 countries
All-time high
115 attacks
in 2014
All-time low
0 attacks
in 1970
Years of data
51
1970–2021

Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Kenya, 1970–2021

0255075100125197019952021

Source: National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in attacks.

Analysis

In 2021, terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Kenya stood at 33 attacks.

That represents a change of down 50.0% on the previous year and down 21.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Kenya peaked at 115 attacks in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0 attacks, in 1970.

That places Kenya 24th out of 188 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Kenya, year by year

Annual values for Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Kenya, 1970 to 2021.
Year attacks Change
1970 0 attacks
1971 0 attacks
1972 0 attacks
1973 0 attacks
1974 0 attacks
1975 4 attacks
1976 2 attacks -50.0%
1977 0 attacks -100.0%
1978 1 attacks
1979 0 attacks -100.0%
1980 1 attacks
1981 0 attacks -100.0%
1982 0 attacks
1983 0 attacks
1984 0 attacks
1985 0 attacks
1986 0 attacks
1987 0 attacks
1988 0 attacks
1989 4 attacks
1990 0 attacks -100.0%
1991 5 attacks
1992 30 attacks +500.0%
1994 5 attacks -83.3%
1995 4 attacks -20.0%
1996 3 attacks -25.0%
1997 17 attacks +466.7%
1998 2 attacks -88.2%
1999 0 attacks -100.0%
2000 4 attacks
2001 7 attacks +75.0%
2002 2 attacks -71.4%
2003 2 attacks +0.0%
2004 0 attacks -100.0%
2005 2 attacks
2006 2 attacks +0.0%
2007 12 attacks +500.0%
2008 11 attacks -8.3%
2009 1 attacks -90.9%
2010 12 attacks +1100.0%
2011 42 attacks +250.0%
2012 80 attacks +90.5%
2013 80 attacks +0.0%
2014 115 attacks +43.8%
2015 70 attacks -39.1%
2016 65 attacks -7.1%
2017 97 attacks +49.2%
2018 52 attacks -46.4%
2019 50 attacks -3.8%
2020 66 attacks +32.0%
2021 33 attacks -50.0%

Kenya compared with similar countries

  • Kenya's 33 attacks is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1 attacks, 33.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries 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.

YearChange FromTo
2010 +1100.0% 1 attacks 12 attacks

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.7 attacks 0 attacks 4 attacks 10
1980s 0.5 attacks 0 attacks 4 attacks 10
1990s 7.33 attacks 0 attacks 30 attacks 9
2000s 4.3 attacks 0 attacks 12 attacks 10
2010s 66.3 attacks 12 attacks 115 attacks 10
2020s 49.5 attacks 33 attacks 66 attacks 2

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 21 Niger 38 attacks compare
  2. 22 Ethiopia 36 attacks compare
  3. 23 USSR 34 attacks compare
  4. 25 Thailand 27 attacks compare
  5. 26 Indonesia 26 attacks compare
  6. 26 United States 26 attacks compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Kenya?
Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Kenya was 33 attacks in 2021, according to National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 115 attacks in 2014.
What is the lowest terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 0 attacks in 1970.
How does Kenya rank for terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries?
Kenya ranks 24th out of 188 countries with data for 2021.
Is terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Kenya data come from?
The figures come from National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Kenya. Statizoid, drawing on National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/terrorist-attacks-fatalities-and-injuries/kenya/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/terrorist-attacks-fatalities-and-injuries/kenya/">Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Kenya</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries
Unit
attacks
Source
National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
188 places, 9,021 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

Total number of terrorist attacks.