Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
Kenya at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
90%
of electricity
Food imported
16%
of merchandise imports · ~US$3,514m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About Kenya.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see Kenya, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingFood
About a third of people are undernourished
In 2024, 34.9% of Kenya's population did not get enough food to meet their energy needs.
SoberingHealth
Almost one in five young children are stunted
In 2022, 17.6% of children under five in Kenya were too short for their age, a sign of long term undernutrition.
SoberingHealth
A third of adults are overweight
In 2022, 33.7% of adults in Kenya were overweight.
SoberingNature
The last two northern white rhinos live here
Ol Pejeta Conservancy, near Nanyuki, is home to the last two northern white rhinos on Earth.
Source: Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Meet the northern white rhinos · 2026
RemarkableEnvironment
Plastic carrier bags banned since 2017
Kenya banned the manufacture, import and use of single use plastic carrier and flat bags in 2017.
RemarkableFood
UNESCO praised its work to save traditional foods
Kenyan researchers and communities recorded about 850 indigenous food plants with their local names, along with recipes and ceremonies. UNESCO selected the programme as a Good Safeguarding Practice in 2021.
RemarkablePeople
Wangari Maathai won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize
Green Belt Movement founder Wangari Maathai was the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. She was also the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate.
Source: The Green Belt Movement, Wangari Maathai · 2004
RemarkableEnvironment
Most electricity comes from renewables
In 2021, 78% of Kenya's electricity came from renewable sources.
The History of Kenya.
Kenya's living heritage is rich and varied. UNESCO lists the Maasai rites of passage Enkipaata, Eunoto and Olng'esherr, the Isukuti dance of the Isukha and Idakho, the rituals of the Kit Mikayi shrine and the traditions of the Mijikenda Kaya sacred forests as practices in urgent need of safeguarding.
Where the name comes from
For Mount Kenya, which the Kikuyu call Kirinyaga and the Kamba Kiinyaa. The European spelling is an approximation of those names. Source: UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names toponymic factfile.
The land itself: low plains rising to central highlands, split by the Great Rift Valley, with a fertile plateau in the west. Its high point is Mount Kenya, 5,199 m. Source: Survey of Kenya, the national mapping agency, with the UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names.
Where it starts
Turkana, and the Land of Zanj
Australopithecus anamensis, dated between about 4.2 and 3.9 million years ago at its Kenyan sites, has been recovered at Kanapoi and Allia Bay near Lake Turkana. From the 10th to the 17th century, Swahili towns such as Gedi were part of a network of trade that crossed the Indian Ocean, and luxury goods from China, Persia, India and Venice have been found there. Lamu, the oldest and best preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa, has been lived in for over 700 years.
How it got here
Portuguese, Omani, British
The Portuguese built Fort Jesus at Mombasa in 1593 to 1596 and held it for about a century, after which it came under Arab, Swahili and English control. Britain set up the East Africa Protectorate in 1895. During the State of Emergency from 1952 to 1960, over 1.5 million Kenyans were detained, and Kenya's first constitution came into effect at independence on 12 December 1963.
The timeline
About 4.2 to 3.8 million years ago
Australopithecus anamensis at Lake Turkana.
Fossils of Australopithecus anamensis, named in 1995 from finds at Kanapoi and Allia Bay near Lake Turkana, date to about 4.2 to 3.8 million years ago. Jaw remains suggest the species was the direct ancestor of Australopithecus afarensis. Source
10th to 17th century
The coast is already trading.
Luxury goods from China, Persia, India and Venice found at Gedi show the coast's place in the Indian Ocean trade, paid for with exports of gold, ivory, timber and enslaved people. Source
Over 700 years ago
Swahili.
Lamu, the oldest and best preserved Swahili town in East Africa, has been lived in for over 700 years. Its culture grew from contact between Bantu, Arab, Persian, Indian and European peoples. Source
10th to 17th century
Stone towns.
Coral stone towns such as Gedi are built along the coast, with town walls, a palace, a Grand Mosque and houses laid out on a grid of streets. Source
1593 to 1596
The Portuguese build Fort Jesus.
The Portuguese build Fort Jesus to guard the port of Mombasa, the first successful attempt by a Western power to control the Indian Ocean trade routes. Source
Late 1600s
The fort changes hands.
After about a century of Portuguese control, Fort Jesus changes hands many times, coming under Arab, Swahili and English control. Source
1895
The East Africa Protectorate.
Britain declares the East Africa Protectorate in 1895 and spends the following years building up its colonial administration. Source
1952 to 1960
The Mau Mau uprising.
An armed independence movement is met with emergency rule. Over 1.5 million Kenyans were detained during the State of Emergency from 1952 to 1960. Source
1963
Independence.
Kenya gains internal self-rule, Madaraka, on 1 June 1963. Full independence follows six months later, and the first constitution comes into effect on 12 December 1963. Source
National Museums of Kenya · National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi National Museum · UNESCO World Heritage, Lamu Old Town · UNESCO World Heritage, Fort Jesus, Mombasa · UNESCO World Heritage, Historic Town and Archaeological Site of Gedi · Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Australopithecus anamensis · Presidential Library and Archives, Kenya · Bates, review of Mungeam, British Rule in Kenya 1895 to 1912, American Historical Review
Nature and Biodiversity in Kenya.
State protected areas cover about 14% of land but under 1% of the sea (World Bank, 2025), anchored by famous parks such as Maasai Mara, Amboseli and Tsavo and extended by a leading network of community conservancies. Anti-poaching and rhino protection are relatively strong, though marine protection lags well behind.
Is wild Kenya protected? 13.9% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Kenya?
Forest cover6.6%
Terrestrial protected area13.9%
Marine protected area0.7%
558 (mammals, birds, fish & plants) listed as threatened.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · GBIF occurrence data · IUCN Red List, threatened species by country (Summary Statistics, Table 5) · World Bank, Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters): Kenya · World Bank, Threatened species (mammals, birds, fish, higher plants): Kenya
Found only here. Grevy's zebra, hirola antelope, Sokoke scops owl, Tana River primates
The watchlist
ThreatenedBlack Rhino (Diceros bicornis) Name the species in the row, then state it as: listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with occurrence records for Kenya in GBIF. Each row needs a deep link to that species' own IUCN assessment and to its GBIF taxon page.
ThreatenedGyps africanus Name the bird in the row, then state it as: listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with occurrence records for Kenya in GBIF, and deep link the species' IUCN assessment and GBIF taxon page.
ThreatenedCola porphyrantha Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Kenya in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedEastern Red Colobus (Piliocolobus rufomitratus) Name the species in the row, then state it as: listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with occurrence records for Kenya in GBIF. Each row needs a deep link to that species' own IUCN assessment and to its GBIF taxon page.
ThreatenedBeatragus hunteri Name the species in the row, then state it as: listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with occurrence records for Kenya in GBIF. Each row needs a deep link to that species' own IUCN assessment and to its GBIF taxon page.
ThreatenedCercocebus galeritus Name the species in the row, then state it as: listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with occurrence records for Kenya in GBIF. Each row needs a deep link to that species' own IUCN assessment and to its GBIF taxon page.
ThreatenedRuppell's griffon (Gyps rueppellii) Name the bird in the row, then state it as: listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with occurrence records for Kenya in GBIF, and deep link the species' IUCN assessment and GBIF taxon page.
ThreatenedNecrosyrtes monachus Name the bird in the row, then state it as: listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with occurrence records for Kenya in GBIF, and deep link the species' IUCN assessment and GBIF taxon page.
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
Closest to being lost, by name
Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Kenya. GBIF holds 7 verified occurrence records.
Gyps africanus
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Kenya. GBIF holds 301 verified occurrence records.
Cola porphyrantha
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Kenya. GBIF holds 4 verified occurrence records.
Eastern Red Colobus (Piliocolobus rufomitratus)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Kenya. GBIF holds 5 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Kenya filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
National park in Kajiado County, mapped and named in the open record for Kenya. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Nairobi County, mapped and named in the open record for Kenya. OpenStreetMap.
National park, mapped and named in the open record for Kenya. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Nakuru, mapped and named in the open record for Kenya. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Nyeri, mapped and named in the open record for Kenya. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Taita–Taveta, mapped and named in the open record for Kenya. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Kenya.
Kenya is chronically water-stressed, drawing on rivers, Rift Valley lakes and Lake Victoria but hit by recurrent droughts and uneven access, especially across the arid north. National figures for safely managed drinking water are not reliably estimated, and tap water is generally not safe to drink.
Does Kenya have enough fresh water? Yes, with headroom
Bottled water in Nairobi and on safari; altitude plus dry air means drink more than you think.
Cleanest water: Mount Kenya and Aberdare highland streams
How much fresh water does Kenya have, per person?
382 m³
Kenya
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Kenya withdraws about 4,032 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 33.2% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as medium water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 80%, homes and towns 12%, industry 8%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
What are the rules on Kenya beaches?
✕Tap water: Not drinkable.
✓Plastic rules: 2017 plastic bag ban; 2020 single-use plastic ban in protected areas.
✕Solo travel: rated take care on the record for this destination.
✕Marine protection: 0.7% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge for 2030 is not met yet.
Named on the open map: Dunga Beach, Tagache Beach, Galu kinondo beach, Mavi mavi beach, Shelly beach. That is 5 named beaches in the public record for Kenya, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
35.8%
of people have safely managed sanitation
35.8% of people here use a safely managed sanitation service, meaning waste is contained, emptied and treated rather than reaching the ground or the sea untreated (2024, World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, SDG 6.2.1). The rest is what the rivers and the coast receive.
How is the sea around Kenya doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Dry Jun–Oct and Jan–Feb are safari prime; the long rains are Mar–May.
Nearshore
Protected water
0.7% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
Mount Kenya and Aberdare highland streams.
The record
Measured
Kenya is chronically water-stressed, drawing on rivers, Rift Valley lakes and Lake Victoria but hit by recurrent droughts and uneven access, especially across the arid north. National figures for safely managed drinking water are not reliably estimated, and tap water is generally not safe to drink.
Kenya scored 66 out of 100 on the Ocean Health Index in its 2025 assessment, below the global average of 72, and ranked 166th of 220 coastal regions. The index team says it is no longer updating scores, so the 2025 figures may be the last.
Sea protected
0.7%
Against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Threatened species
558 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Mammals, birds, fish and higher plants on the IUCN list.
Is the tap water safe in Kenya?
Kenya's water regulator, WASREB, rates the country's water utilities each year on tests for residual chlorine and bacteria. In its Impact Report covering 2024/25, 96 per cent of drinking water samples met the standard across utilities, up from 89 per cent the year before, and the largest utilities scored above 97 per cent. Some smaller providers did far worse, with Namanga at 7 per cent and some at zero. The same report finds utilities reach only 72 per cent of the people in their areas and supply water for an average of 18 hours a day. Outside the big town utilities, or where supply is intermittent, boil or filter tap water before drinking it.
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 3 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 33.2% of what Kenya renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is past the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply is being pushed towards its limit.
When is the best time to visit Kenya? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
How much fresh water does Kenya actually have?
Nature renews about 382 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Kenya 27 of 208 countries measured, placing it among the 30 driest countries on Earth per person. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is below that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
Food and Drink in Kenya.
Kenya is a deeply agrarian country, where agriculture accounted for about 46 per cent of all employment in 2025 according to modelled ILO estimates. By tonnage, its leading farm products are sugarcane, milk, maize, bananas, tea, potatoes, cassava and cabbages.
Where does the food in Kenya come from?
16.3% imported
about US$3,514m a year
On the plate: Ugali (maize), beans, sukuma wiki, rice, chapati
2 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$3,514m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 16.3% of everything Kenya buys in from abroad is food, roughly 2 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2024, World Bank). Farming itself is 23.2% of the economy and 49.5% of the land is agricultural, of which 11.4% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Kenya? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined37.8%
Diabetes3.1%
There is no national count. At Kikuyu Hospital, a rural mission hospital in Kikuyu, 140 limb amputations were carried out between October 1998 and September 2008, and diabetic blood vessel disease caused 11.4 per cent of them, according to a study published in International Orthopaedics in 2009. Source: International Orthopaedics.
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 33.7%.
Can Kenya feed itself?
11.4%
Arable land
49.5%
Agricultural land
11,315,122
Farmers
16,388,396
Arable acres
23.2%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Long-rains harvest around August to October; short-rains harvest early in the year
Feeding itself
Kenya is a deeply agrarian country where farming supports a large share of livelihoods, self-sufficient in its maize staple and a major grower of tea, coffee, vegetables and cut flowers, while importing wheat, rice and more in drought years.
Certification
Certified organic land is about 0.4% of agricultural area (FiBL, 2020 data), though much smallholder farming is low-input and Kenya has a notable certified organic export sector.
Water for crops
Kenya is chronically water-stressed, drawing on rivers, Rift Valley lakes and Lake Victoria but hit by recurrent droughts and uneven access, especially across the arid north. National figures for safely managed drinking water are not reliably estimated, and tap water is generally not safe to drink.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certification covers only part of what is grown cleanly, so a small certified share is a gap in the paperwork rather than proof that nothing is. What the official land record does show: 49.5% of the country is agricultural land and 11.4% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
SugarcaneMaizeBananasTeaPotatoesCassavaCabbagesMangoes/guavas
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Kenya are sugarcane, maize, tea leaves, potatoes and bananas (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: Aboke Uwai market, Adam's Arcade Market, Embu Market, Jodongo Yuko Market, Kahawa Farmers City Council Market, Kalawa Market. Each is a mapped, named marketplace, so the money stays with the seller rather than the importer. OpenStreetMap.
Not yet checked by us. Plant based kitchens listed publicly: Soul Vegetarian Kitisuru, vegan restaurant in Nairobi (Mpaka Road): burgers, pizzas, vegan platters, doughnuts and pastries; Lala's Recipes Kenya, vegan delivery and catering kitchen in Nairobi (Kitisuru): pizza, mac and cheese and seitan schnitzel, with dining in on 48 hours' notice; Giriama Village Lounge, vegan restaurant and culture centre in Kaloleni, near Mombasa: vegan food with a bar and guest rooms. Tell us how they are.
Is this grown in Kenya?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
BeansSukuma wikiRiceChapati
World Bank Open Data · FAO, FAOSTAT crop production · World Health Organization · FAO AQUASTAT · HappyCow, Nairobi listings (print view) · HappyCow, Mombasa listings (print view) · International Orthopaedics 2009, Pattern of limb amputation in a Kenyan rural hospital · CIA World Factbook, Kenya (Agricultural products, 2025 edition data) · World Bank, Employment in agriculture (% of total employment): Kenya
Climate and Energy in Kenya.
Kenya runs one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, with renewables supplying close to 90 per cent of generation from geothermal fields at Olkaria, the Lake Turkana wind farm and hydropower. Emissions are very low at around 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person. Its climate pledge targets a 32 per cent cut in emissions by 2030 and it aims for a fully clean power grid. A low emitting economy running on genuinely clean and largely domestic power places Kenya at the top of this pillar.
What powers Kenya?
Renewable 90%Fossil 10%
Kenya Power, the sole electricity distributor, is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and the government holds 50.1 per cent of it. The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) runs high voltage lines of 132 kV and above and is the designated system operator. The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) licenses and regulates the sector. New regulations opening the market to bulk supply and open access came into force on 8 May 2026. In December 2025 KETRACO signed a Sh40.4 billion (about US$311 million) public private partnership with Africa50 and Power Grid Corporation of India to build and run two new lines for up to 30 years, after which the assets pass back to KETRACO.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
0.38 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
0.38 tonnes
The grid
Kenya runs one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, with renewables supplying close to 90 per cent of generation from geothermal fields at Olkaria, the Lake Turkana wind farm and hydropower. Emissions are very low at around 0.38 tonnes of CO2 per person.
Pollution
Kenya introduced one of the world's strictest plastic bag bans in 2017 and barred single-use plastics from national parks, beaches and forests in 2020. Ambient PM2.5 averages about 20 µg/m³ (World Bank, 2023), with continuing challenges from Nairobi traffic and the Dandora dumpsite.
Water stress
Kenya is chronically water-stressed, drawing on rivers, Rift Valley lakes and Lake Victoria but hit by recurrent droughts and uneven access, especially across the arid north. National figures for safely managed drinking water are not reliably estimated, and tap water is generally not safe to drink.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.21.9%
2Industry Charcoal production and forest clearance.named
3Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.20.3 µg/m³ (PM2.5)
4On the record Kenya introduced one of the world's strictest plastic bag bans in 2017 and barred single-use plastics from national parks, beaches and forests in 2020.
What has Kenya promised on climate?
Electricity renewable today78.1% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target13.9% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target0.7% by 2025
Measured on delivery, 78.1% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 21.9% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year0.38 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Los Angeles return, economy2.8 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.19 t CO2e
New York return, economy2.13 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy1.35 t CO2e
London return, economy1.23 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Kenya emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. In October 2019 the property developer Acorn Holdings issued a Sh4.3 billion (about US$42.5 million) green bond to build student housing, half guaranteed by GuarantCo. When it listed in January 2020 it was described as Kenya's first green bond and the first green fixed income security in the Nairobi Securities Exchange's 65 year history. In July 2023 the IMF approved a Resilience and Sustainability Facility for Kenya of about US$551.4 million to build resilience to climate change, bring in private climate finance, introduce carbon pricing and strengthen disaster risk reduction.
Climate Watch (WRI) · UNFCCC NDC Registry · World Bank Open Data · UK DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors · Chambers and Partners, Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 2026: Kenya (July 2026) · US International Trade Administration, Kenya Electrical Power Systems · AllAfrica, KETRACO signs Sh40.4bn PPP to expand power transmission network (15 December 2025) · Business Daily Africa, Kenya's first green bond starts trading on Nairobi bourse · IMF, Press Release No. 23/265 (17 July 2023)
AI and Data Centres in Kenya.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Kenya.
Data centres
14
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
90.0 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Kenya?
Running AI here is about as clean as it currently gets.
Renewable 90%Fossil 10%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 78.1% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Kenya has 14 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in Nairobi (6), Mombasa (2), Karen (2), alongside 8 internet exchanges (KIXP - Nairobi, KIXP-Mombasa, Asteroid Mombasa, Asteroid Nairobi). Named sites include SEACOM Mombasa CLS, Africa Data Centres, Nairobi NBO1, Kenya, SimbaNET Nairobi, icolo.io Mombasa One (MBA1).
Where the cables land. 3 landing points · Mombasa, Mtwapa, Nyali
Economy and Tourism in Kenya.
97% residents to 3% visitors across a year. 2,049,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 57,532,493 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Kenya
2,049k
Visitors a year
0.0
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Kenya?· for every $100 Kenya earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 72What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 75The IMF's own forecast has this rising to $75 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Kenya earns in a year, it owes $72 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Kenya?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 2,049,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 57,532,493 residents, one visitor a year for every 28 residents (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Kenya is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is 16.3% of everything Kenya imports (2024, World Bank), so a large part of every restaurant bill is paid to a supplier abroad. Eating what the land here actually grows, sugarcane, maize, bananas, tea, potatoes, cassava, cabbages, mangoes/guavas, keeps that money with the grower.
sails in4
The power
78.1% of the electricity is renewable (2021, World Bank), so the energy on the bill is mostly generated inside the country rather than shipped in.
made at home5
What actually stays
On the parts that can be measured, the plate leaves and the power stays. It is genuinely a coin toss, decided by what you book.
split6
Pay the bank first
Kenya owes $72 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$72 per $1007
A spread hand
The largest single export, coffee, tea and spices, is 22.7% of the total (2023, UN Comtrade). No one shock can take the whole board.
top export 22.7%8
Community chest
Tourism earns 15.4% of everything Kenya makes from exports (2019, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
15.4% of exports9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Los Angeles a return economy seat is 2.80 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
2.80 t CO210
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$147 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$147bnGDPUS$135.9bn
Agriculture, share of GDP23.2%
Visitors a year2,049,000
Visitors per resident0
Residents~57,532,493
Agriculture
Farming is 23.2% of the economy. Kenya is a deeply agrarian country where farming supports a large share of livelihoods, self-sufficient in its maize staple and a major grower of tea, coffee, vegetables and cut flowers, while importing wheat, rice and more in drought years.
Natural materials
Natural-materials traditions are strong, including sisal, cotton, the Maasai shuka and beadwork, kikoi cloth and hand-woven kiondo baskets. Many remain everyday working crafts and livelihoods.
Energy
Kenya runs one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, with renewables supplying close to 90 per cent of generation from geothermal fields at Olkaria, the Lake Turkana wind farm and hydropower. Emissions are very low at around 0.38 tonnes of CO2 per person.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Kenya?
By rooms · company records and press.
Solio Lodge · ~6 roomsIndependentnot published
Cottar’s 1920s Camp · ~11 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
20141,350k
20151,181k
20161,340k
20171,449k
20182,025k
20192,049k
International tourism receipts run at about US$1.76 billion in 2019 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 15.4% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting Kenya, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking ugali (maize), beans, sukuma wiki, rice, chapati over imported menus.
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays.
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use Matatus and buses, the SGR railway from Nairobi to Mombasa, domestic flights and safari transfers
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
Kenya runs one of the world's greenest electricity grids and a pioneering community conservancy model alongside spectacular wildlife, balanced against water stress, low safe-water access and a still-forming recycling system.
Best time: Dry seasons; migration river crossings July to October
Getting around
Matatus and buses, the SGR railway from Nairobi to Mombasa, domestic flights and safari transfers
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate is ugali (maize), beans, sukuma wiki, rice, chapati. Everyday Kenyan food leans on ugali, beans, githeri, sukuma wiki (collard greens), maize and vegetables, so unprocessed plant eating is cheap and normal.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
M-Pesa is king; cards in cities; KES. Safari lodges take cards.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the places to stay
Solio LodgeIndependent · 6 rooms
Cottar’s 1920s CampIndependent · 11 rooms
None of the 2 properties listed here publishes who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Kenya.
How well is Kenya actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Kenya scores 43 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That matters here because every pledge on this page is only as good as the machinery meant to deliver it.
What is daily life in Kenya really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Matatus and buses, the SGR railway from Nairobi to Mombasa, domestic flights and safari transfers
82.2%
literacy. Public spending on education runs at 4.0% of GDP and 28.5% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment stands at 84.3% gross (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2023 to 2025).
Made in Kenya.
Natural-materials traditions are strong, including sisal, cotton, the Maasai shuka and beadwork, kikoi cloth and hand-woven kiondo baskets. Many remain everyday working crafts and livelihoods. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Kenya actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Kenya sells the world is coffee, tea and spices, 22.7% of all exports in 2023 (about US$1.63 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are live trees, plants and cut flowers at 10.2%, mineral fuels and oils at 5.1%, fruit and nuts at 3.4%, animal and vegetable fats and oils at 3.1%.
Made now · natural materials
Sisal
Worked in Kenya from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Cotton
Worked in Kenya from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Maasai shuka
Worked in Kenya from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Beadwork
Worked in Kenya from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Kikoi cloth
Worked in Kenya from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Hand-woven kiondo baskets. Many remain everyday working crafts
Worked in Kenya from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Buys in · 6.9% of imports
Machinery and mechanical appliances
Kenya imported US$1.29 billion of machinery and mechanical appliances in 2023, 6.9% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 6.8% of imports
Cereals
Kenya imported US$1.27 billion of cereals in 2023, 6.8% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 4.8% of imports
Electrical machinery and electronics
Kenya imported US$0.90 billion of electrical machinery and electronics in 2023, 4.8% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 4.7% of imports
Vehicles
Kenya imported US$0.87 billion of vehicles in 2023, 4.7% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Kenya produces about US$136 billion a year, which is roughly US$2,363 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 23.2% of that, while food is 16.3% of everything the country imports. With 11.4% of the land arable, the raw material for that is already in the ground.
See the verified makersCulture in Kenya.
Eunoto rites
Eunoto is the shaving of the morans that marks their way to adulthood, one of three linked Maasai male rites of passage with Enkipaata and Olng'esherr. UNESCO listed them for urgent safeguarding in 2018.
After 1945
Benga music
Fast rhythm guitar over a driving bass, with interlocking solo guitar lines. It grew out of Luo guitar music in Nyanza after the Second World War, was recorded on Nairobi's River Road, and from the mid-1970s was taken up by Akamba musicians too.
Isukuti drumming of the IsukhaA fast, energetic celebratory dance of the Isukha and Idakho communities of Western Kenya, named after its set of three drums and danced at births, weddings, funerals and festivals. UNESCO listed it for urgent safeguarding in 2014.
Does Kenya protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Kenya's heritage is exceptionally rich across more than forty communities. The Maasai adumu jumping dance and eunoto rites, benga music, and coastal Swahili taarab are all widely alive. Isukuti drumming of the Isukha and Idakho is inscribed by UNESCO, as are the Mijikenda kaya sacred forests, where ancestral traditions are still observed.
Who it belongs to. Kenya has strong living indigenous cultures, including Maasai and Samburu communities, and its community conservancy model channels tourism and conservation income directly to local landowners, one of the better examples of money reaching residents despite past land-rights tensions.
Only here. Lake Turkana, the world's largest permanent desert lake and a cradle-of-humankind fossil site.
The Future of Kenya.
Three futures for Kenya, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: Kisumu National Museum, Abasuba Community Peace Museum, Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site, German Post Office, Lamu Museum. OpenStreetMap.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 6.64% to 6.63% across 29 recorded years.
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 89.3% to 78.1% across 26 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 0.25 t to 0.38 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 974k to 2,049k across 24 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 14.3% to 13.9% across 12 recorded years.
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 61.1% to 45.8% across 30 recorded years.
How much sea is protected?
Protected sea moved from 0.8% to 0.7% across 12 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 47.9% to 50% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 18.6% to 32.2% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 14.9 µg/m³ to 20.3 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 778 m³ to 382 m³ across 27 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 14% to 33.7% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 5.43% to 77% across 29 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 340 to 2,363 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 26,602k to 57,532k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 78.2% to 67.7% across 26 recorded years.
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 454 kg to 563 kg across 29 recorded years.
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 12.1% to 11.8% across 12 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 55.9 yrs to 63.8 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 1,753 kg/ha to 1,693 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 14.4 kg/ha to 48.4 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 81.4% to 67.8% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 18.2 $/m3 to 23.5 $/m3 across 27 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 3.62% to 4.35% across 23 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 37,784 km2 to 39,138 km2 across 30 recorded years.
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 132 kWh to 195 kWh across 29 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 27.25 to 53.34 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 5.41 to 11.58 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 0.43 to 1.24 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 10.43 to 27.9 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 0.76 to 4.12 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 1.43 to 4.41 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have transportation emissions moved?
Transportation emissions moved from 2.76 to 10.35 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, organic farming at 1/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift organic farming
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Kenya's record. Certified organic land is about 0.4% of agricultural area (FiBL, 2020 data), though much smallholder farming is low-input and Kenya has a notable certified organic export sector.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift recycling
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Kenya's record. Formal municipal recycling is low and dominated by the informal sector, though PET and paper recovery and extended-producer-responsibility schemes are growing.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift food and farming
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Kenya's record. Kenya is a deeply agrarian country where farming supports a large share of livelihoods, self-sufficient in its maize staple and a major grower of tea, coffee, vegetables and cut flowers, while importing wheat, rice and more in drought years.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Kenya.
Who is in charge of Kenya now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
William Ruto
President
William Ruto is the head of government of Kenya, in office since 13 September 2022. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 51.6 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Unchanged from 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 30.8 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 32.1 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 46.0 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 43.6 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 50.8 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 51.1 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 49.1 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 49.3 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
William RutoPresident
Parliament of KenyaLegislature, bicameral
Last election9 August 2022
Constitution2010
Government typepresidential republic
Kenya national goals: what has been pledged, and how far it has got · each pledge measured against this country's own recorded delivery
2030
30% of land protected
! behindTarget 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by more than 190 parties in December 2022. Kenya currently protects 13.9% of its land, which is 46% of the way to the pledge. Source
2030
30% of sea protected
✕ far behindThe marine half of the same 30x30 pledge. Kenya currently protects 0.7% of its territorial waters, which is 2% of the way there. Source
2030
Paris Agreement pledge
on recordKenya has a Nationally Determined Contribution lodged with the UNFCCC. The registry holds the current text, its target year and the sectors it covers. Source
Plastic policy
in force2017 plastic bag ban; 2020 single-use plastic ban in protected areas.
Grid, as it stands
78.1% renewableRecorded renewable share of electricity output, the number every energy pledge is measured against. Source
Plain Answers About Kenya.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
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Is Kenya sustainable?
Kenya scores 63 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. Kenya runs one of the world's greenest electricity grids and a pioneering community conservancy model alongside spectacular wildlife, balanced against water stress, low safe-water access and a still-forming recycling system.
Is the water in Kenya safe and plentiful?
Kenya is chronically water-stressed, drawing on rivers, Rift Valley lakes and Lake Victoria but hit by recurrent droughts and uneven access, especially across the arid north. National figures for safely managed drinking water are not reliably estimated, and tap water is generally not safe to drink.
Can Kenya feed itself?
Kenya is a deeply agrarian country where farming supports a large share of livelihoods, self-sufficient in its maize staple and a major grower of tea, coffee, vegetables and cut flowers, while importing wheat, rice and more in drought years.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Kenya?
Everyday Kenyan food leans on ugali, beans, githeri, sukuma wiki (collard greens), maize and vegetables, so unprocessed plant eating is cheap and normal. For most people meat features at celebrations more than at daily meals.
How much of Kenya is actually protected?
State protected areas cover about 14% of land but under 1% of the sea (World Bank, 2025), anchored by famous parks such as Maasai Mara, Amboseli and Tsavo and extended by a leading network of community conservancies. Anti-poaching and rhino protection are relatively strong, though marine protection lags well behind.
What wildlife is left in Kenya?
Kenya offers world-class biodiversity and iconic megafauna, from the Big Five to the annual wildebeest migration across the Mara, plus rarities such as Grevy's zebra, the hirola antelope and sitatunga. Rhino and elephant conservation are actively managed.
Is Kenya on clean energy?
Kenya runs one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, with renewables supplying close to 90 per cent of generation from geothermal fields at Olkaria, the Lake Turkana wind farm and hydropower. Emissions are very low at around 0.38 tonnes of CO2 per person. Its climate pledge targets a 32 per cent cut in emissions by 2030 and it aims for a fully clean power grid.
How polluted is Kenya?
Kenya introduced one of the world's strictest plastic bag bans in 2017 and barred single-use plastics from national parks, beaches and forests in 2020. Ambient PM2.5 averages about 20 µg/m³ (World Bank, 2023), with continuing challenges from Nairobi traffic and the Dandora dumpsite.
Does recycling work in Kenya?
Formal municipal recycling is low and dominated by the informal sector, though PET and paper recovery and extended-producer-responsibility schemes are growing.
Is the farming in Kenya organic?
Certified organic land is about 0.4% of agricultural area (FiBL, 2020 data), though much smallholder farming is low-input and Kenya has a notable certified organic export sector.
Are there natural materials and craft in Kenya?
Natural-materials traditions are strong, including sisal, cotton, the Maasai shuka and beadwork, kikoi cloth and hand-woven kiondo baskets. Many remain everyday working crafts and livelihoods.
Is there living culture in Kenya?
Kenya has strong living indigenous cultures, including Maasai and Samburu communities, and its community conservancy model channels tourism and conservation income directly to local landowners, one of the better examples of money reaching residents despite past land-rights tensions.
What heritage does Kenya keep alive?
Kenya's heritage is exceptionally rich across more than forty communities. The Maasai adumu jumping dance and eunoto rites, benga music, and coastal Swahili taarab are all widely alive. Isukuti drumming of the Isukha and Idakho is inscribed by UNESCO, as are the Mijikenda kaya sacred forests, where ancestral traditions are still observed.
So is Kenya actually green? The measured answer
What is working: renewable electricity at 78.1%.
What is not: land protected at 13.9% against a 30% mark, sea protected at 0.7% against a 30% mark.
How Kenya Ranks, region and world.
Where Kenya sits on the Eco Index, against its Africa neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does Kenya compare in Africa?
1Ethiopia70
2Zambia70
3Uganda65
4Tanzania65
5Namibia65
Scored Africa destinations, Eco Index.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
7Germany75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
Kenya sits 42 of 77 at 63/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Kenya particularly good at?
✓ Energy, scored 5/5. Kenya runs one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, with renewables supplying close to 90 per cent of generation from geothermal fields at Olkaria, the Lake Turkana wind farm and hydropower. Emissions are very low at around 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person. Its climate pledge targets a 32 per cent cut in emissions by 2030 and it aims for a fully clean power grid. A low emitting economy running on genuinely clean and largely domestic power places Kenya at the top of this pillar.
✓ Heritage, scored 5/5. Kenya's heritage is exceptionally rich across more than forty communities. The Maasai adumu jumping dance and eunoto rites, benga music, and coastal Swahili taarab are all widely alive. Isukuti drumming of the Isukha and Idakho is inscribed by UNESCO, as are the Mijikenda kaya sacred forests, where ancestral traditions are still observed. Pastoralist peoples such as the Maasai, Samburu and Turkana maintain living indigenous practice.
✓ Plant-based eating, scored 4/5. Everyday Kenyan food leans on ugali, beans, githeri, sukuma wiki (collard greens), maize and vegetables, so unprocessed plant eating is cheap and normal. For most people meat features at celebrations more than at daily meals.
Where does Kenya score worst?
✕ Organic farming, scored 1/5. Certified organic land is about 0.4% of agricultural area (FiBL, 2020 data), though much smallholder farming is low-input and Kenya has a notable certified organic export sector.
✕ Recycling, scored 1/5. Formal municipal recycling is low and dominated by the informal sector, though PET and paper recovery and extended-producer-responsibility schemes are growing.
✕ Food and farming, scored 2/5. Kenya is a deeply agrarian country where farming supports a large share of livelihoods, self-sufficient in its maize staple and a major grower of tea, coffee, vegetables and cut flowers, while importing wheat, rice and more in drought years.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Organic farming, 1/5
Certified organic land is about 0.4% of agricultural area (FiBL, 2020 data), though much smallholder farming is low-input and Kenya has a notable certified organic export sector.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Kenya's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Recycling, 1/5
Formal municipal recycling is low and dominated by the informal sector, though PET and paper recovery and extended-producer-responsibility schemes are growing.
Food and farming, 2/5
Kenya is a deeply agrarian country where farming supports a large share of livelihoods, self-sufficient in its maize staple and a major grower of tea, coffee, vegetables and cut flowers, while importing wheat, rice and more in drought years.
The Kenya Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Kenya, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Kenya
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
6.6%
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
13.9%
World Bank, 2025.
Protected sea
0.7%
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
78.1%
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
0.38 t (2024)
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
558 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
30.8 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
50.5 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
50.8 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
46.0 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
51.6 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
36.1 / 100 · 116 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 116 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
41.8 / 100 · 98 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 98 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
38.9 / 100 · 103 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 103 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
34.3 / 100 · 98 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 98 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
45.4 / 100 · 109 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 109 of 177 countries assessed.
Marine habitat protected
13.2 / 100 · 70 of 111
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 70 of 111 countries assessed.
How Kenya Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 71 sources across 27 institutions
World Bank17 FIGURES
- Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 check
- Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2025 check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2025 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (µg/m³) EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3, 2023 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2019 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2025 check
- Adult literacy rate SE.ADT.LITR.ZS, 2000 check
- Renewable internal freshwater per capita (m3) ER.H2O.INTR.PC, 2022 check
- Safely managed sanitation (% of population) SH.STA.SMSS.ZS, 2024 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
- What a Waste 2.0 country-level dataset check
Other published sources6 FIGURES
- Safe water share left blank: WHO/UNICEF JMP does not publish a reliable safely managed drinking water estimate for Kenya.
- Food import share left blank: no reliably comparable import-dependency figure verified.
- KWS publishes "View wildlife from a minimum distance of 20 meters" and "Off-road driving is strictly prohibited" (identical text on every KWS park page, checked Amboseli, Tsavo East, Nairobi and Lake Nakuru) check
- Supreme Court of Kenya, In the Matter of the National Land Commission (Advisory Opinion Reference 2 of 2014) [2015] KESC 3, para 101, via Kenya Law, Britain declared the East Africa Protectorate in 1895. check
- Supreme Court of Kenya, In the Matter of the National Land Commission (Advisory Opinion Reference 2 of 2014) [2015] KESC 3, para 101, via Kenya Law corroboration check
- Supreme Court of Kenya, In the Matter of the National Land Commission (Advisory Opinion Reference 2 of 2014) [2015] KESC 3, para 101, via Kenya Law corroboration check
UNESCO5 FIGURES
- Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity check
- Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists check
- Isukuti dance of Isukha and Idakho communities of Western Kenya (element 00981), Isukuti drumming of the Isukha and Idakho is inscribed by UNESCO, as are the Mijikenda kaya sacred forests, wh check
- Isukuti dance of Isukha and Idakho communities of Western Kenya (element 00981) corroboration check
- Isukuti dance of Isukha and Idakho communities of Western Kenya (element 00981) corroboration check
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics4 FIGURES
- national statistical authority check
- Economic Survey 2026, para 9.19, page 232, Kenya runs one of the world's greenest electricity grids and a pioneering community conservancy model alongsid check
- Economic Survey 2026, para 9.19, page 232 corroboration check
- Economic Survey 2026, para 9.19, page 232 corroboration check
National Museums of Kenya4 FIGURES
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_TERR, Kenya, 2025 (45.2%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, marine Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_MRN_MPA, Kenya, 2025 (50.1%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_FRHWTR, Kenya, 2025 (42.8%), country-reported check
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area (% of land area) AG_LND_FRST, Kenya, 2025 (6.7%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area under a long-term management plan (%) AG_LND_FRSTMGT, Kenya, 2025 (4.5%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area inside legally established protected areas (%) AG_LND_FRSTPRCT, Kenya, 2025 (49.7%), country-reported check
IUCN3 FIGURES
- Red List Categories and Criteria, version 3.1, second edition, pages 13 to 14, Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Kenya. check
- Red List Categories and Criteria, version 3.1, second edition, pages 13 to 14 corroboration check
- Red List Categories and Criteria, version 3.1, second edition, pages 13 to 14 corroboration check
National Environment Management Authority (NEMA)3 FIGURES
UN Comtrade3 FIGURES
UNESCO Institute for Statistics3 FIGURES
- public data API, Kenya indicators XGDP.FSGOV, XGOVEXP.IMF and GER.2T3, Public spending on education runs at 4.0% of GDP and 28.5% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment check
- public data API, Kenya indicators XGDP.FSGOV, XGOVEXP.IMF and GER.2T3 corroboration check
- public data API, Kenya indicators XGDP.FSGOV, XGOVEXP.IMF and GER.2T3 corroboration check
FAO2 FIGURES
- FAOSTAT Crops and livestock products (domain QCL), Africa bulk file, release 23 December 2025, By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Kenya are sugarcane, maize, tea leaves, potatoes and bananas (FAO, FAOS check
- FAOSTAT Crops and livestock products (domain QCL), Africa bulk file, release 23 December 2025 corroboration check
CBD1 FIGURE
- Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3 check
Climate Action Tracker1 FIGURE
- Kenya check
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Kenya 2010 check
Convention on Biological Diversity1 FIGURE
- Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Target 3 corroboration check
FiBL & IFOAM1 FIGURE
- The World of Organic Agriculture 2022 (2020 data), organic share of agricultural land check
IEA1 FIGURE
- Kenya emissions check
IEA, World Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Kenya, 2023 (68.6%), modelled estimate check
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Kenya elections and chambers check
IUCN Red List1 FIGURE
- World Bank, threatened mammals, birds, fish and higher plants (summed), 2022 check
Kenya Wildlife Service1 FIGURE
- national protected-area and wildlife authority check
Our World in Data1 FIGURE
- CO2 country profile: Kenya check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
UNEP1 FIGURE
- Kenya single-use plastic bag ban (2017) and protected-area single-use plastic ban (2020) check
UNFCCC1 FIGURE
- NDC Registry check
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, population using safely managed sanitation (%) SH_SAN_SAFE, Kenya, 2024 (35.8%), modelled estimate check