Labor force, total in Kenya
Kenya: Labor force, total was 24.71 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, total in Kenya, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force, total in Kenya stood at 24.71 million. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 21.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, total in Kenya peaked at 24.71 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 8.49 million, in 1990.
Kenya ranks 29th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.96 million | 8.49 million | 11.52 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.31 million | 11.98 million | 16.72 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.63 million | 17.28 million | 20.98 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.01 million | 21.27 million | 24.71 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More education data for Kenya
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 60.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 36.3% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 98.2% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 281,500 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female 96.6% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, male 99.8% (2023)
- Labor force, female 47.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 0.9709 GPI (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, total in Kenya?
- Labor force, total in Kenya was 24.71 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, total recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 24.71 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.49 million in 1990.
- How does Kenya rank for labor force, total?
- Kenya ranks 29th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, total rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.