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.

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.

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.

Actual value and historical data chart for Kenya Unemployment With Advanced Education Percent Of Total Unemployment

Actual value and historical data chart for Kenya Unemployment Total Percent Of Total Labor Force

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: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Labour Force data was reported at 11.470 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.520 % for 2016. Kenya KE: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Labour Force data is updated yearly, averaging 10.481 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.170 % in 2009 and a record low of 10.000 % in 1999. Kenya KE: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Labour Force data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in September 2018.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections. National estimates are also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate in Kenya was higher among young people aged 20-24 years. The second most affected group was composed of Kenyans in the age range of 15 to 19 years. Among these, **** percent were unemployed. In the same period, the overall unemployment rate in Kenya was measured at *** percent.

Actual value and historical data chart for Kenya Unemployment Youth Total Percent Of Total Labor Force Ages 15 24 National Estimate

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

Kenya KE: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data was reported at 26.205 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 26.251 % for 2016. Kenya KE: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 21.574 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26.251 % in 2016 and a record low of 19.740 % in 1992. Kenya KE: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in November 2017.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections. National estimates are also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

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

Kenya: Unemployment rate, percent: The latest value from is percent, unavailable from percent in . In comparison, the world average is 0.00 percent, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for Kenya from to is percent. The minimum value, percent, was reached in while the maximum of percent was recorded in .

Actual value and historical data chart for Kenya Unemployment Female Percent Of Female Labor Force Modeled Ilo Estimate

South Africa is expected to register the highest unemployment rate in Africa in 2024, with around ** percent of the country's labor force being unemployed. Djibouti and Eswatini followed, with unemployment reaching roughly ** percent and ** percent, respectively. On the other hand, the lowest unemployment rates in Africa were in Niger and Burundi. The continent’s average stood at roughly ***** percent in the same year. Large shares of youth among the unemployed Due to several educational, socio-demographic, and economic factors, the young population is more likely to face unemployment in most regions of the world. In 2024, the youth unemployment rate in Africa was projected at around ** percent. The situation was particularly critical in certain countries. In 2022, Djibouti recorded a youth unemployment rate of almost ** percent, the highest rate on the continent. South Africa followed, with around ** percent of the young labor force being unemployed. Wide disparities in female unemployment Women are another demographic group often facing high unemployment. In Africa, the female unemployment rate stood at roughly ***** percent in 2023, compared to *** percent among men. The average female unemployment on the continent was not particularly high. However, there were significant disparities among African countries. Djibouti and South Africa topped the ranking once again in 2022, with female unemployment rates of around ** percent and ** percent, respectively. In contrast, Niger, Burundi, and Chad were far below Africa’s average, as only roughly *** percent or lower of the women in the labor force were unemployed.

In 2023, South Africa had the highest unemployment rate in the world, at 32.1 percent. Of the 10 countries with the highest unemployment rates, six were in Sub-Saharan Africa. What exactly is unemployment? The unemployment rate is the number of people in the workforce currently looking for jobs but not working. This number does not include students and retirees, as they are not looking for work, nor does it include people who have given up on finding a job (known as discouraged workers). Comparing international unemployment rates can be problematic, however, as different countries use different methodologies when classifying unemployment. For example, Niger records the third lowest unemployment rate in the world, despite often being listed as the least developed country worldwide - this is because the majority of the population engage in subsistence farming, with very little opportunity for paid employment. Causes of unemployment in less developed countries A major driver in unemployment in these countries is conflict. In particular, internally displaced persons (IDPs) want to work, but moving to another part of the country disrupts their business network and moves them into a local economy with different labor demand. Countries with low levels of economic development, as roughly indicated by a low GDP per capita, often have fewer labor market opportunities, leading to high unemployment rates.

Kenya KE: Employment To Population Ratio: Modeled ILO Estimate: Aged 15+: Male data was reported at 63.076 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 63.034 % for 2016. Kenya KE: Employment To Population Ratio: Modeled ILO Estimate: Aged 15+: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 65.203 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 71.590 % in 1991 and a record low of 63.034 % in 2016. Kenya KE: Employment To Population Ratio: Modeled ILO Estimate: Aged 15+: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed. Employment is defined as persons of working age who, during a short reference period, were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period (i.e. who worked in a job for at least one hour) or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangements. Ages 15 and older are generally considered the working-age population.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in September 2018.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections. National estimates are also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

Kenya KE: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth Female: % of Female Labour Force Aged 15-24 data was reported at 33.144 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 33.148 % for 2016. Kenya KE: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth Female: % of Female Labour Force Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 27.263 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 33.148 % in 2016 and a record low of 24.392 % in 1997. Kenya KE: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth Female: % of Female Labour Force Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in November 2017.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections. National estimates are also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.