Kenya vs Saudi Arabia
Kenya vs Saudi Arabia: Government debt
Government debt in 2025: 71.3% of GDP in Kenya and 31.8% of GDP in Saudi Arabia, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Kenya, by 39.5 percentage points, or 2.24 times that in Saudi Arabia.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Kenya has been higher since 2005, when it overtook Saudi Arabia.
- In 2025, Kenya ranked 36 and Saudi Arabia ranked 122 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Kenya at 74% of GDP and Saudi Arabia at 48.7% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Kenya | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 71.3 | 31.8 |
| 2024 | 67.3 | 25.9 |
| 2023 | 73.4 | 23 |
| 2022 | 67.8 | 21.3 |
| 2021 | 68.2 | 25.5 |
| 2020 | 68 | 29.7 |
| 2019 | 59.1 | 20.3 |
| 2018 | 56.5 | 16.8 |
| 2017 | 53.9 | 16 |
| 2016 | 50.4 | 12.3 |
| 2015 | 45.8 | 5.5 |
| 2014 | 41.3 | 1.5 |
| 2013 | 39.8 | 2.1 |
| 2012 | 37.6 | 3 |
| 2011 | 35.7 | 5.3 |
| 2010 | 36.7 | 8.4 |
| 2009 | 36 | 14 |
| 2008 | 34.3 | 12.1 |
| 2007 | 34.2 | 17.1 |
| 2006 | 37.1 | 25.8 |
| 2005 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| 2004 | 40.8 | 62.9 |
| 2003 | 43.8 | 81.6 |
| 2002 | 42 | 96.4 |
| 2001 | 41.3 | 93.2 |
| 2000 | 43.1 | 86.7 |
| 1999 | 38.4 | 103 |
| 1998 | 38.5 | 101.5 |
| 1997 | – | 76.7 |
| 1996 | – | 75.2 |
| 1995 | – | 74.3 |
| 1994 | – | 67.9 |
| 1993 | – | 58.6 |
| 1992 | – | 47.8 |
| 1991 | – | 39.4 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Kenya | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 72.9 | 35.4 |
| 2027 | 73.8 | 37.3 |
| 2028 | 74.5 | 40.2 |
| 2029 | 74.4 | 43.1 |
| 2030 | 74.3 | 45.9 |
| 2031 | 74 | 48.7 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Kenya vs Saudi Arabia
Health
- Life expectancyKenya: 63.7 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityKenya: 3.9 per 100 live births in 2024Saudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityKenya: 29.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023Saudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionKenya: 3.51% in 2017Saudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide rateKenya: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Saudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationKenya: 55.3 million people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthKenya: 1.97% a year in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateKenya: 3.21 births per woman in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationKenya: 32.2% in 2025Saudi Arabia: 84.6% in 2025
- Median ageKenya: 19.5 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overKenya: 2.9% in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateKenya: -0.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingKenya: 1.07% of GDP in 2025Saudi Arabia: 6.48% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsKenya: $1.36B in 2025Saudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personKenya: $26 in 2025Saudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingKenya: 4.6% of government spending in 2025Saudi Arabia: 23.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelKenya: 24,000 people in 2020Saudi Arabia: 282,000 people in 2020
- National powerKenya: 0.23% of world capability in 2022Saudi Arabia: 1.34% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersKenya: 0.11% of the labour force in 2020Saudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsKenya: 117 million TIV in 2025Saudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsKenya: 2 million TIV in 1993Saudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023