Kenya vs Zambia
Kenya vs Zambia: Government debt
Government debt in 2025: 71.3% of GDP in Kenya and 100.6% of GDP in Zambia, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Zambia, by 29.3 percentage points, or 1.41 times that in Kenya.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Zambia has been higher since 2015, when it overtook Kenya.
- In 2025, Kenya ranked 36 and Zambia ranked 13 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Kenya at 74% of GDP and Zambia at 56.7% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Kenya | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 71.3 | 100.6 |
| 2024 | 67.3 | 125.5 |
| 2023 | 73.4 | 136.8 |
| 2022 | 67.8 | 99.5 |
| 2021 | 68.2 | 111 |
| 2020 | 68 | 140 |
| 2019 | 59.1 | 103.3 |
| 2018 | 56.5 | 81.2 |
| 2017 | 53.9 | 66.6 |
| 2016 | 50.4 | 61.2 |
| 2015 | 45.8 | 61.9 |
| 2014 | 41.3 | 33.9 |
| 2013 | 39.8 | 25.9 |
| 2012 | 37.6 | 24.9 |
| 2011 | 35.7 | 20.8 |
| 2010 | 36.7 | 18.9 |
| 2009 | 36 | 20.5 |
| 2008 | 34.3 | 19.2 |
| 2007 | 34.2 | 21.9 |
| 2006 | 37.1 | 25 |
| 2005 | 37.4 | 75.8 |
| 2004 | 40.8 | 129.9 |
| 2003 | 43.8 | 159.5 |
| 2002 | 42 | 180.2 |
| 2001 | 41.3 | 210.2 |
| 2000 | 43.1 | 261 |
| 1999 | 38.4 | – |
| 1998 | 38.5 | – |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Kenya | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 72.9 | 82.1 |
| 2027 | 73.8 | 77 |
| 2028 | 74.5 | 72.3 |
| 2029 | 74.4 | 67.2 |
| 2030 | 74.3 | 61.9 |
| 2031 | 74 | 56.7 |
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 Zambia
Health
- Life expectancyKenya: 63.7 years in 2023Zambia: 66.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityKenya: 3.9 per 100 live births in 2024Zambia: 4.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityKenya: 29.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023Zambia: 38.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionKenya: 3.51% in 2017Zambia: 3.64% in 2017
- Suicide rateKenya: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Zambia: 13.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationKenya: 55.3 million people in 2023Zambia: 20.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthKenya: 1.97% a year in 2023Zambia: 2.83% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateKenya: 3.21 births per woman in 2023Zambia: 4.1 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationKenya: 32.2% in 2025Zambia: 45.9% in 2025
- Median ageKenya: 19.5 years in 2023Zambia: 17.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overKenya: 2.9% in 2023Zambia: 1.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateKenya: -0.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Zambia: 0.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingKenya: 1.07% of GDP in 2025Zambia: 1.26% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsKenya: $1.36B in 2025Zambia: $343M in 2025
- Military spending per personKenya: $26 in 2025Zambia: $19 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingKenya: 4.6% of government spending in 2025Zambia: 4.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelKenya: 24,000 people in 2020Zambia: 16,000 people in 2020
- National powerKenya: 0.23% of world capability in 2022Zambia: 0.1% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersKenya: 0.11% of the labour force in 2020Zambia: 0.24% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsKenya: 117 million TIV in 2025Zambia: 1 million TIV in 2024
- Arms exportsKenya: 2 million TIV in 1993Zambia: 2 million TIV in 1990