Kenya

Kenya is characterized as a medium economic transformer with an ATI score of 28.1 in 2020. While the country shows strengths in economic diversification and human well-being, it faces challenges in productivity increases and export competitiveness. The manufacturing sector has shrunk due to a lack of strategic investment and climate-related declines in agricultural output. Despite these challenges, Kenya has seen significant improvements in technology upgrading and a substantial reduction in the gender gap within formal sector employment.

• Kenya is classified as a medium economic transformer with a 2020 ATI score of 28.1, which is close to the African average of 30.3. The country experienced significant economic transformation progress between 2003 and 2006, though some of these gains were later reversed.
• Kenya's economy is more diversified than its peers, and export diversification has improved as the share of the top five commodity exports—tea, cut flower, coffee, refined petroleum, and gold—fell from 59 percent in 2000 to 45 percent in 2020. However, the manufacturing sector has contracted due to insufficient strategic investment and climate challenges affecting agricultural and agro-based manufacturing output.
• Overall economic productivity declined by 4.1 points between 2000 and 2020, largely driven by a drop in agricultural productivity from $1500 in value addition per worker in 2000 to just over $1000 in 2010. Conversely, manufacturing productivity grew from $1820 per worker in 2000 to $4761 in 2020.
• Kenya has seen rapid technology upgrading compared to peers, though the trend slowed after 2010 (when high-tech exports peaked at 25 percent) and 2015 (when high-tech usage in manufacturing peaked at 14 percent).
• Human well-being has improved faster than in many other countries, with a score increase of 13.2 points since 2000. This is attributed to per capita income gains, reduced income inequality, and a narrowing gender gap in formal employment; the proportion of female formal workers rose from 20 percent in 2000 to 42.5 percent in 2020.

APA

African Center for Economic Transformation (2023). Kenya. https://acetforafrica.org/ati/country-profiles/kenya/

Chicago

African Center for Economic Transformation. Kenya. 2023. https://acetforafrica.org/ati/country-profiles/kenya/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=African Center for Economic Transformation |title=Kenya |date=29 March 2023 |url=https://acetforafrica.org/ati/country-profiles/kenya/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{africancenterforeconomictransformation2023kenya, author = {{African Center for Economic Transformation}}, title = {{Kenya}}, institution = {African Center for Economic Transformation}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://acetforafrica.org/ati/country-profiles/kenya/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }