Unemployment Rate in Kenya decreased to 5.40 percent in 2024 from 5.60 percent in 2023. This dataset provides - Kenya Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Kenya’s unemployment rate was 5.43 percent in 2024. This represents a steady decline from the increase after the financial crisis. What is unemployment? The unemployment rate of a country refers to the share of people who want to work but cannot find jobs. This includes workers who have lost jobs and are searching for new ones, workers whose jobs ended due to an economic downturn, and workers for whom there are no jobs because the labor supply in their industry is larger than the number of jobs available. Different statistics suggest which factors contribute to the overall unemployment rate. The Kenyan context The first type, so-called “search unemployment”, is hardest to see in the data. The closest proxy is Kenya’s inflation rate. As workers take new jobs faster, employers are forced to increase wages, leading to higher employment. Jobs lost due to economic downturns, called “cyclical unemployment”, can be seen by decreases in the GDP growth rate, which are not significant in Kenya. Finally, “structural unemployment” refers to workers changing the industry, or even economic sector, in which they are working. In Kenya, more and more workers switch to the services sector. This is often a result of urbanization, but any structural shift in the economy’s composition can lead to this unemployment.

In 2023, around 20 million people were employed in Kenya, this was an increase of some 900,000 individuals from the previous year. The employees belonged mostly to the informal sector. Roughly 16.7 million worked in informal conditions, whereas close to 3.3 million were employed in the formal sector. The informal sector constitutes an important part of the Kenyan economy, being related to employment creation, production, and income generation. Trends in the informal labor market and economic sectors The largest employment activities for people in the informal sector were in wholesale and retail trade, as well as hotels and restaurants, with 9.32 million people employed in these areas in 2022. Moreover, the hospitality sector in the country was the fastest-growing economic sector with a quarterly growth rate of 21.5 percent of the GDP. However, the largest economic sector as an added value to the GDP was the agricultural sector. Navigating unemployment challenges in Kenya Kenya’s unemployment rate is following a decreasing trend, which dropped below five percent at the end of 2022. However, unemployment among the youth in the same period was fairly high at 13.4 percent. The cohort with the highest level of unemployment was among the age group between 20 to 24 years old, with an unemployment rate of over 15 percent.

Graph and download economic data for Youth Unemployment Rate for Kenya (SLUEM1524ZSKEN) from 1991 to 2024 about Kenya, 15 to 24 years, unemployment, and rate.

The youth unemployment rate in Kenya stood at 11.93 percent in 2024. Between 1991 and 2024, the youth unemployment rate rose by 5.7 percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) in Kenya was reported at 5.434 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Unemployment, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Unemployment with advanced education (% of total labor force with advanced education) in Kenya was reported at 7.675 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Unemployment with advanced education (% of total unemployment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Kenya: Unemployment rate for females: The latest value from 2024 is 7.37 percent, a decline from 7.55 percent in 2023. In comparison, the world average is 8.08 percent, based on data from 176 countries. Historically, the average for Kenya from 1991 to 2024 is 3.78 percent. The minimum value, 2.83 percent, was reached in 2007 while the maximum of 7.74 percent was recorded in 2022.

Key information about Kenya Labour Force Participation Rate

• Kenya Labour Force Participation Rate dropped to 67.0 % in Dec 2023, compared with 67.2 % in the previous year.
• Kenya Labour Force Participation Rate is updated yearly, available from Dec 1990 to Dec 2023, with an average rate of 72.9 % .
• The data reached the an all-time high of 74.4 % in Dec 2016 and a record low of 67.0 % in Dec 2023.
• Kenya Labour Force Participation Rate is reported by reported by CEIC Data.
• In the latest reports, Kenya Population reached 51.5 million people in Dec 2023.
• Unemployment Rate of Kenya increased to 3.0 % in Dec 2020.
• The country's Monthly Earnings stood at 590.5 USD in Jun 2023.

In 2022, the unemployment rate in Kenya decreased from 5.3 percent in the third quarter to 4.9 percent in the fourth quarter. In the second quarter of 2020, unemployment reached its peak at 10.4 percent among the population aged 15-64 years.

Kenya KE: Unemployment Rate: YoY data was reported at -42.779 % in Jun 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of -1.778 % for Mar 2021. Kenya KE: Unemployment Rate: YoY data is updated quarterly, averaging -22.649 % from Mar 2020 (Median) to Jun 2021, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of -1.778 % in Mar 2021 and a record low of -42.779 % in Jun 2021. Kenya KE: Unemployment Rate: YoY data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Quarterly.

Graph and download economic data for Employment to Population Ratio for Kenya (SLEMPTOTLSPZSKEN) from 1991 to 2024 about Kenya, employment-population ratio, population, and employment.

Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) in Kenya was reported at 16.7 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Historical dataset showing Kenya unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

Key information about Kenya Unemployment Rate

• Kenya Unemployment Rate increased to 2.98% in Dec 2020, from the previously reported figure of 2.60% in Dec 2019.
• Kenya Unemployment Rate is updated yearly, available from Dec 1991 to Dec 2020, with an average rate of 2.86%.
• The data reached an all-time high of 2.98% in Dec 2020 and a record low of 2.60% in Dec 2019.
• The data is reported by reported by CEIC Data.
• In the latest reports, Kenya Population reached 49.40 million people in Dec 2021.

Historical dataset showing Kenya youth unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) in Kenya was reported at 7.366 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Unemployment, female - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

View yearly updates and historical trends for Kenya Unemployment Rate. Source: World Bank. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

The unemployment rate among young people in Kenya varied in the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to the previous quarter. In the age group between 20 and 24 years, the rate stood at 15.6 percent, up from 14.2 percent in Q3 2022. Among young people aged 15 to 19 years, the unemployment level dropped to 10.9 percent, after reaching the highest level at 22.7 percent in Q3 2022.

Kenya Employment data was reported at 19,996.300 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 19,148.200 Person th for 2022. Kenya Employment data is updated yearly, averaging 15,162.050 Person th from Jun 2008 (Median) to 2023, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 19,996.300 Person th in 2023 and a record low of 10,012.500 Person th in 2008. Kenya Employment data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.G005: Employment: by Sector and Industry: International Standard of Industrial Classification Rev 4.