Net foreign assets in Kenya
Kenya: Net foreign assets was 796.06 billion current LCU in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
796.06 billion current LCU
Change on year
up 179.8%
World rank
67th
of 187 countries
All-time high
800.60 billion current LCU
in 2019
All-time low
-8.03 billion current LCU
in 1991
Years of data
58
1966–2023
Net foreign assets in Kenya, 1966–2023
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 796.06 billion current LCU for net foreign assets in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 179.8% on the previous year and up 104.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net foreign assets in Kenya peaked at 800.60 billion current LCU in 2019 and was at its lowest, -8.03 billion current LCU, in 1991.
Kenya ranks 67th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Net foreign assets in Kenya, year by year
| Year | current LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 775.00 million current LCU | — |
| 1967 | 594.00 million current LCU | -23.4% |
| 1968 | 789.00 million current LCU | +32.8% |
| 1969 | 1.26 billion current LCU | +59.2% |
| 1970 | 1.62 billion current LCU | +28.8% |
| 1971 | 1.20 billion current LCU | -25.8% |
| 1972 | 1.33 billion current LCU | +10.9% |
| 1973 | 1.55 billion current LCU | +16.2% |
| 1974 | 962.00 million current LCU | -37.8% |
| 1975 | 533.65 million current LCU | -44.5% |
| 1976 | 1.45 billion current LCU | +170.9% |
| 1977 | 3.61 billion current LCU | +149.7% |
| 1978 | 1.95 billion current LCU | -45.9% |
| 1979 | 3.28 billion current LCU | +67.6% |
| 1980 | 1.83 billion current LCU | -44.1% |
| 1981 | 128.10 million current LCU | -93.0% |
| 1982 | -2.17 billion current LCU | -1791.8% |
| 1983 | -1.03 billion current LCU | -52.6% |
| 1984 | -373.66 million current LCU | -63.6% |
| 1985 | -2.04 billion current LCU | +446.6% |
| 1986 | -489.44 million current LCU | -76.0% |
| 1987 | -2.21 billion current LCU | +351.8% |
| 1988 | -3.67 billion current LCU | +66.1% |
| 1989 | -2.43 billion current LCU | -33.8% |
| 1990 | -5.49 billion current LCU | +125.8% |
| 1991 | -8.03 billion current LCU | +46.3% |
| 1992 | -6.06 billion current LCU | -24.6% |
| 1993 | 30.06 billion current LCU | -596.4% |
| 1994 | 15.88 billion current LCU | -47.2% |
| 1995 | 23.53 billion current LCU | +48.2% |
| 1996 | 47.42 billion current LCU | +101.6% |
| 1997 | 55.66 billion current LCU | +17.4% |
| 1998 | 53.79 billion current LCU | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 55.12 billion current LCU | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 86.83 billion current LCU | +57.5% |
| 2001 | 90.31 billion current LCU | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 103.32 billion current LCU | +14.4% |
| 2003 | 123.02 billion current LCU | +19.1% |
| 2004 | 140.58 billion current LCU | +14.3% |
| 2005 | 182.84 billion current LCU | +30.1% |
| 2006 | 206.97 billion current LCU | +13.2% |
| 2007 | 255.26 billion current LCU | +23.3% |
| 2008 | 258.39 billion current LCU | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 243.45 billion current LCU | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 269.41 billion current LCU | +10.7% |
| 2011 | 294.30 billion current LCU | +9.2% |
| 2012 | 328.31 billion current LCU | +11.6% |
| 2013 | 390.14 billion current LCU | +18.8% |
| 2014 | 483.26 billion current LCU | +23.9% |
| 2015 | 485.49 billion current LCU | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 487.60 billion current LCU | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 511.18 billion current LCU | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 711.46 billion current LCU | +39.2% |
| 2019 | 800.60 billion current LCU | +12.5% |
| 2020 | 742.35 billion current LCU | -7.3% |
| 2021 | 588.98 billion current LCU | -20.7% |
| 2022 | 284.52 billion current LCU | -51.7% |
| 2023 | 796.06 billion current LCU | +179.8% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 796.06 billion current LCU is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 256.19 billion current LCU, 3.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 796.06 billion current LCU is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 241.93 billion current LCU, 3.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Net foreign assets 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | -1791.8% | 128.10 million current LCU | -2.17 billion current LCU |
| 1993 | +596.4% | -6.06 billion current LCU | 30.06 billion current LCU |
| 1985 | -446.6% | -373.66 million current LCU | -2.04 billion current LCU |
| 1987 | -351.8% | -489.44 million current LCU | -2.21 billion current LCU |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 853.49 million current LCU | 594.00 million current LCU | 1.26 billion current LCU | 4 |
| 1970s | 1.75 billion current LCU | 533.65 million current LCU | 3.61 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 1980s | -1.25 billion current LCU | -3.67 billion current LCU | 1.83 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.19 billion current LCU | -8.03 billion current LCU | 55.66 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2000s | 169.10 billion current LCU | 86.83 billion current LCU | 258.39 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2010s | 476.17 billion current LCU | 269.41 billion current LCU | 800.60 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2020s | 602.98 billion current LCU | 284.52 billion current LCU | 796.06 billion current LCU | 4 |
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 net foreign assets in Kenya?
- Net foreign assets in Kenya was 796.06 billion current LCU in 2023, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest net foreign assets recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 800.60 billion current LCU in 2019.
- What is the lowest net foreign assets recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was -8.03 billion current LCU in 1991.
- How does Kenya rank for net foreign assets?
- Kenya ranks 67th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is net foreign assets rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 104.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Net foreign assets (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 58 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Net foreign assets are the sum of foreign assets held by monetary authorities and deposit money banks, less their foreign liabilities. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.