Kenya — Health spending
Health Spending (% of GDP) for Kenya, 2000–2023.
Health spending for Kenya was 4.35% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 24 years, from 2000 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 5.39% in 2010. The lowest was 3.62% in 2000 (about 1.2× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.80% per year.
Kenya ranks 142 of 189 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 75%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 4.48%, so Kenya sits below it. It peaked in 2010 and has fallen 19% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved down 12%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 24 of 46 economies; Mauritania (4.34%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 19% in 2006. That is 3% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 87 years at that pace.
World ranking. Slipped: 139th of 184 in 2000 → 99th of 188 in 2010 → 147th of 189 in 2020 → 141st of 188 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 2000 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4.35% | +0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 4.32% | -0.2 pp |
| 2021 | 4.57% | +0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 4.49% | +0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 4.37% | +0.3 pp |
| 2018 | 4.1% | +0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 3.99% | -0.8 pp |
| 2016 | 4.75% | -0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 4.76% | -0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 4.91% | -0.0 pp |
| 2013 | 4.93% | -0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 5.02% | -0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 5.2% | -0.2 pp |
| 2010 | 5.39% | +0.1 pp |
| 2009 | 5.29% | +0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 5.19% | +0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 5.12% | +0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 5.01% | +0.8 pp |
| 2005 | 4.22% | +0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 4.21% | +0.2 pp |
| 2003 | 4.03% | +0.2 pp |
| 2002 | 3.82% | +0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 3.74% | +0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 3.62% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Kenya’s Health spending in 2001?
3.74% (2001). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Kenya’s Health spending growing or shrinking?
Between 2000 and 2023 the series was growing overall: +20.1% in total — about 0.8% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2023: 4.35%; 2022: 4.32%; 2021: 4.57%; 2020: 4.49%; 2019: 4.37%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS — Health Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.