Kenya vs South Korea
Kenya vs South Korea: GDP growth
GDP growth in 2025: 4.6% a year in Kenya and 1.1% a year in South Korea, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Kenya, by 3.5 percentage points, or 4.07 times that in South Korea.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Kenya has been higher since 2009, when it overtook South Korea.
- In 2025, Kenya ranked 43 and South Korea ranked 119 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Kenya at 5% a year and South Korea at 1.9% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Kenya | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.6 | 1.1 |
| 2024 | 4.7 | 2.2 |
| 2023 | 5.7 | 1.5 |
| 2022 | 4.9 | 2.9 |
| 2021 | 7.6 | 4.7 |
| 2020 | -0.3 | -0.7 |
| 2019 | 5.1 | 2.3 |
| 2018 | 5.7 | 3.2 |
| 2017 | 3.8 | 3.4 |
| 2016 | 4.2 | 3.2 |
| 2015 | 5 | 2.9 |
| 2014 | 5 | 3.2 |
| 2013 | 3.8 | 3.3 |
| 2012 | 4.6 | 2.5 |
| 2011 | 5.1 | 3.7 |
| 2010 | 8.1 | 7 |
| 2009 | 3.3 | 0.8 |
| 2008 | 0.2 | 3 |
| 2007 | 6.9 | 5.8 |
| 2006 | 5.9 | 5.2 |
| 2005 | 5.7 | 4.4 |
| 2004 | 4.6 | 5.2 |
| 2003 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
| 2002 | 0.5 | 7.7 |
| 2001 | 4 | 4.7 |
| 2000 | 0.3 | 9.2 |
| 1999 | 2.2 | 11.6 |
| 1998 | 3 | -4.9 |
| 1997 | 0.4 | 6.3 |
| 1996 | 4.5 | 8 |
| 1995 | 4.3 | 9.7 |
| 1994 | 2.5 | 9.4 |
| 1993 | -0.1 | 7 |
| 1992 | -1.1 | 6.4 |
| 1991 | 1.3 | 10.9 |
| 1990 | 4.1 | 10 |
| 1989 | 4.6 | 7.2 |
| 1988 | 6.1 | 12.1 |
| 1987 | 5.8 | 12.9 |
| 1986 | 7 | 11.5 |
| 1985 | 4.1 | 7.9 |
| 1984 | 1.6 | 10.6 |
| 1983 | 1.6 | 13.5 |
| 1982 | 5.1 | 8.5 |
| 1981 | 4.1 | 7.4 |
| 1980 | 5.6 | -1.5 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Kenya | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4.5 | 3.3 |
| 2027 | 4.7 | 2.8 |
| 2028 | 4.9 | 2.3 |
| 2029 | 5 | 2.1 |
| 2030 | 5 | 1.9 |
| 2031 | 5 | 1.9 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- 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 143 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 South Korea
Health
- Life expectancyKenya: 63.7 years in 2023South Korea: 84.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityKenya: 3.9 per 100 live births in 2024South Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityKenya: 29.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionKenya: 3.51% in 2017South Korea: 3.17% in 2017
- Suicide rateKenya: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017South Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationKenya: 55.3 million people in 2023South Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023
- Population growthKenya: 1.97% a year in 2023South Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateKenya: 3.21 births per woman in 2023South Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationKenya: 32.2% in 2025South Korea: 81.2% in 2025
- Median ageKenya: 19.5 years in 2023South Korea: 44.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overKenya: 2.9% in 2023South Korea: 18.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateKenya: -0.2 per 1,000 people in 2023South Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingKenya: 1.07% of GDP in 2025South Korea: 2.6% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsKenya: $1.36B in 2025South Korea: $48.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personKenya: $26 in 2025South Korea: $924 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingKenya: 4.6% of government spending in 2025South Korea: 10.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelKenya: 24,000 people in 2020South Korea: 569,000 people in 2020
- National powerKenya: 0.23% of world capability in 2022South Korea: 2% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersKenya: 0.11% of the labour force in 2020South Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsKenya: 117 million TIV in 2025South Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsKenya: 2 million TIV in 1993South Korea: 2.02 billion TIV in 2025