Located on the equator and along Africa’s eastern coast, the Republic of Kenya shipped US$8.24 billion worth of exported products around the world in 2024.

That dollar amount reflects a 36.7% advance over the 5-year period starting from $6.03 billion in 2020.

Year over year, Kenya’s total sales from exports accelerated by 14.1% compared to $7.22 billion during 2023.

Based on the average exchange rate for 2024, the Kenyan shilling depreciated by -3.8% against the US dollar from 2023 to 2024. Kenya’s weaker local currency makes its exports paid for in stronger US dollars relatively less expensive for international buyers.

Kenya’s Largest Trading Partners

The latest available country-specific data shows that about two-thirds (67.5%) of products exported from Kenya was bought by importers in: Uganda (11.3% of the Kenyan total), United Arab Emirates (9.2%), United States of America (8%), Pakistan (6.9%), Netherlands (6.4%), Tanzania (5.9%), United Kingdom (5.5%), Rwanda (3.8%), Democratic Republic of the Congo (2.9%), South Sudan (2.6%), Egypt (2.5%), then Saudi Arabia (2.4%).

From a continental perspective, 38.9% of Kenya’s exports by value was delivered to fellow African countries while 30.5% was sold to importers in Asia. Kenya shipped another 21.5% worth of goods to buyers located in Europe.

Smaller percentages went to customers in North America (8.7%), Oceania (0.4%) led by Australia and New Zealand, and Latin America (0.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.

Given Kenya’s population of 52.4 million people, its total $8.24 billion in 2024 exported goods translates to roughly $160 for every resident in the East African country. That dollar metric surpasses the average $140 per person one year earlier in 2023.

Kenya’s Top 10 Exports

The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Kenyan global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Kenya.

1. Coffee, tea, spices: US$1.7 billion (20.8% of total exports)
2. Mineral fuels including oil: $1.1 billion (12.9%)
3. Live trees, plants, cut flowers: $785.2 million (9.5%)
4. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $294.4 million (3.6%)
5. Fruits, nuts: $292.5 million (3.6%)
6. Vegetables: $281.4 million (3.4%)
7. Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: $240.6 million (2.9%)
8. Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $215.0 million (2.6%)
9. Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $182.9 million (2.2%)
10. Pharmaceuticals: $175.2 million (2.1%)

By value, Kenya’s top 10 export product categories generated over three-fifths (63.7%) of the overall value of its global shipments.

Mineral fuels including oil was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 189.4% from 2023 to 2024.

In second place for improving export sales was knitted or crocheted clothing and accessories via a 73.7% advance.

Kenya’s shipments of animal or vegetable fats, oils and waxes posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 30.1%.

The lone decliner among Kenya’s top 10 export categories was unknitted and non-crocheted clothing and accessories, recording a -1.1% drop year over year.

The above data is at the two-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level.

At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, tea including flavored varieties represents Kenya ’s most valuable exported product at 17% of the African country’s total. In second place were refined petroleum oils (12.8%) trailed by fresh or dried flowers for bouquets or ornamental purposes (8.7%) trailed by, coffee (3.6%), dates, figs, pineapples, mangoes, avocadoes and guavas (2.5%), medication mixes in dosage (2%), hydraulic cements (1.8%), sheep or goat meat (1.6%), plated or coated items made from flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel (1.5%), then palm oil (1.3%).

Products Driving Kenya’s Largest Trading Surpluses

The following types of Kenyan product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.

In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

1. Coffee, tea, spices: US$1.7 billion (Up by 5.2% since 2023)
2. Live trees, plants, cut flowers: $773.7 million (Up by 7.1%)
3. Fruits, nuts: $261.2 million (Up by 20.2%)
4. Vegetables: $241.7 million (Up by 68.8%)
5. Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: $184.4 million (Up by 106.3%)
6. Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $179 million (Up by 1.4%)
7. Meat: $129.1 million (Up by 2.2%)
8. Vegetable/fruit/nut preparations: $100.6 million (Down by -0.4%)
9. Ores, slag, ash: $83.4 million (Down by -44.3%)
10. Tobacco, manufactured substitutes: $82.2 million (Up by 15.0%)

Kenya has highly positive net exports in the international trade principally for tea, coffee and spices like ginger, pepper, cloves and vanilla.

Products Behind Kenya’s Worst Trading Deficits

Kenya incurred an estimated -US$11.9 billion trade deficit for 2024, up by 3.9% from -$11.5 billion in red ink one year earlier in 2023.

Below are exports from Kenya that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Kenya’s goods trail Kenyan importer spending on foreign products.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: -US$3.7 billion (Down by -18.6% since 2023)
2. Machinery including computers: -$1.5 billion (Up by 26.0%)
3. Cereals: -$1.2 billion (Down by -3.8%)
4. Vehicles: -$1.1 billion (Up by 46.1%)
5. Electrical machinery, equipment: -$1 billion (Up by 26.2%)
6. Plastics, plastic articles: -$796.4 million (Up by 22.0%)
7. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: -$681.9 million (Down by -6.8%)
8. Iron, steel: -$612.1 million (Down by -7.5%)
9. Pharmaceuticals: -$528.0 million (Up by 17.4%)
10. Other chemical goods: -$444.1 million (Up by 31.5%)

Kenya has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits for mineral fuels, historically refined petroleum oils, petroleum gases and coal.

Kenyan Export Companies

According to MarcoPolis.net rankings, the following are the top 10 Kenyan companies. Six of these companies are banks, which can support Kenya’s international trade projects.

• Safaricom (telecommunications)
• East African Breweries (beverages)
• Equity Banking (banking)
• Kenya Commercial Bank (banking)
• British American Tobacco (tobacco)
• Standard Chartered Bank (banking)
• Co-operative Bank of Kenya (banking)
• Lafarge-Bamburi Cement (cement)
• Barclays Bank (banking)
• Diamond Trust Bank (banking)

Wikipedia also lists exporters from Kenya. Selected examples are shown below.

• Cooper Motor Corporation (automobiles)
• Kakuzi Limited (coffee, tea, fruits)
• KenolKobil (petroleum)
• Sasini (tea, coffee)
• Total Kenya (petroleum)

 
In macroeconomic terms, Kenya’s total exported goods represent 2.2% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2024 ($373.6 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 2.2% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2024 compares to 2.1% for 2023. Those percentages suggest a relatively increasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Kenya’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.

Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Kenya’s unemployment rate averaged 6.9% for 2024, up from 5.68% one year earlier per Trading Economics.

Kenya’s capital city is Nairobi, nicknamed the “Safari Capital of the World” and the “Green City in the Sun”.

See also Kenya’s Top 10 Imports, Uganda’s Top 10 Exports, Coffee Exports by Country, Tea Imports by Country and Tea Exports by Country Plus Average Prices

Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Africa: Kenya. Accessed on April 23, 2025

EXCHANGE-RATES.org Kenyan Shillan (KES) to US Dollar, Exchange Rate History. Accessed on April 23, 2025

Forbes 2024 Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on April 23, 2025

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on April 23, 2025

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on April 23, 2025

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on April 23, 2025

The Star (Kenya), Unemployment rate to rise by 2% in 2024–ILO. Accessed on April 23, 2025

MarcoPolis.net, Top 10 Companies in Kenya, Kenya Report. Accessed on April 23, 2025

Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on April 23, 2025

Wikipedia, List of Companies of Kenya. Accessed on April 23, 2025

Wikipedia, Kenya. Accessed on April 23, 2025

Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on April 23, 2025