The government expenditure in Kenya stood at ***** billion Kenyan shillings (around **** billion U.S. dollars) as of July 2024. In the fiscal year 2023/2024, government spending in Kenya totaled *** trillion KSh (***** billion U.S. dollars). The amount consisted of interest payments, salaries and wages, pensions and payments for maintenance, and operations. Expenditures incurred on projects were also included.

As of 2023, Algeria had the highest defense spending budget in Africa, around 10 billion U.S. dollars. The country ranked 24th in the world. Egypt and Libya followed, with a budget of roughly 4.4 billion and 3.6 billion U.S. dollars, respectively. Overall, North Africa was the region allocating the largest budget to national defense on the continent.

The Algerian military power

As the leading defense spender in Africa, Algeria devotes nearly five percent of its GDP to military expenditure, the second-highest share on the continent. In addition, the Algerian government's military spending per capita ranked second in Africa after Botswana, reaching 201.7 U.S. dollars in 2022. These heavy investments aimed at improving Algeria’s national security, as well as supporting the country’s military force, concentrated in the People’s National Armed Forces. Due to the high public expenditure, Algeria has the second most powerful army in Africa after Egypt.

Seeking national security in Africa

Internal conflicts caused by political instability and terrorism determined the need for many African countries to improve their military strength. However, despite the general increment in the total military expenditure on the continent in recent years, Africa only accounts for around two percent of the global military spending. North Africa is the region that has been focusing the most on developing its military industry, leading to an actual arms race. Especially Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco have been expanding their armed forces by increasing the imports of arms and military equipment.

Military Expenditure in Kenya increased to 1231.30 USD Million in 2024 from 1053.80 USD Million in 2023. Kenya Military Expenditure - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on August of 2025.

As of April 2025, South Africa's GDP was estimated at over 410 billion U.S. dollars, the highest in Africa. Egypt followed, with a GDP worth around 347 billion U.S. dollars, and ranked as the second-highest on the continent. Algeria ranked third, with nearly 269 billion U.S. dollars. These African economies are among some of the fastest-growing economies worldwide. Dependency on oil For some African countries, the oil industry represents an enormous source of income. In Nigeria, oil generates over five percent of the country’s GDP in the third quarter of 2023. However, economies such as the Libyan, Algerian, or Angolan are even much more dependent on the oil sector. In Libya, for instance, oil rents account for over 40 percent of the GDP. Indeed, Libya is one of the economies most dependent on oil worldwide. Similarly, oil represents for some of Africa’s largest economies a substantial source of export value. The giants do not make the ranking Most of Africa’s largest economies do not appear in the leading ten African countries for GDP per capita. The GDP per capita is calculated by dividing a country’s GDP by its population. Therefore, a populated country with a low total GDP will have a low GDP per capita, while a small rich nation has a high GDP per capita. For instance, South Africa has Africa’s highest GDP, but also counts the sixth-largest population, so wealth has to be divided into its big population. The GDP per capita also indicates how a country’s wealth reaches each of its citizens. In Africa, Seychelles has the greatest GDP per capita.