Bank return on assets (%, before tax) in Kenya
Kenya: Bank return on assets (%, before tax) was 3.8% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Bank return on assets in Kenya, 2000–2021
Source: Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD). Measured in %, before tax.
Analysis
The most recent figure for bank return on assets in Kenya is 3.8%, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 123.7% on the previous year and down 18.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, bank return on assets in Kenya peaked at 5.3% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2002.
That places Kenya 15th out of 168 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Bank return on assets (%, before tax) in Kenya, year by year
| Year | %, before tax | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.8% | — |
| 2001 | 2.1% | +158.4% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | -89.8% |
| 2003 | 2.3% | +947.2% |
| 2004 | 2.7% | +21.6% |
| 2005 | 4.0% | +45.9% |
| 2006 | 4.2% | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 3.7% | -12.2% |
| 2008 | 3.9% | +6.6% |
| 2009 | 3.7% | -6.1% |
| 2010 | 4.9% | +33.5% |
| 2011 | 4.6% | -6.5% |
| 2012 | 4.6% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 5.3% | +14.8% |
| 2014 | 5.0% | -5.7% |
| 2015 | 4.4% | -11.9% |
| 2016 | 4.0% | -9.0% |
| 2017 | 4.0% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 4.1% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 3.9% | -6.4% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | -56.1% |
| 2021 | 3.8% | +123.7% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 3.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.7%, 2.3× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 3.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.0%, 1.9× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Bank return on assets (%, before tax) in Kenya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +947.2% | 0.2% | 2.3% |
| 2001 | +158.4% | 0.8% | 2.1% |
| 2021 | +123.7% | 1.7% | 3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.8% | 0.2% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5% | 3.9% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.7% | 1.7% | 3.8% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More financial sector data for Kenya
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 0.3189 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 0.2328 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 0.3189 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is bank return on assets in Kenya?
- Bank return on assets in Kenya was 3.8% in 2021, according to Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD).
- What is the highest bank return on assets recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 5.3% in 2013.
- What is the lowest bank return on assets recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2002.
- How does Kenya rank for bank return on assets?
- Kenya ranks 15th out of 168 countries with data for 2021.
- Is bank return on assets rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD), published as part of Bank return on assets (%, before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Raw data are from Bankscope. Data10270[t] / ((data2025[t] + data2025[t-1])/2). Numerator and denominator are first aggregated on the country level before division. Note that banks used in the calculation might differ between indicators. Calculated from underlying bank-by-bank unconsolidated data from Bankscope.