Arms imports in Kenya

Kenya: Arms imports was 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values
Change on year
up 1,600.0%
World rank
90th
of 173 countries
All-time high
211.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values
in 1978
All-time low
0 SIPRI trend indicator values
in 1970
Years of data
46
1964–2024

Arms imports in Kenya, 1964–2024

050.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M196419942024

Source: Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in SIPRI trend indicator values.

Analysis

The most recent figure for arms imports in Kenya is 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1,600.0% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, arms imports in Kenya peaked at 211.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in 1978 and was at its lowest, 0 SIPRI trend indicator values, in 1970.

That places Kenya 90th out of 173 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Arms imports in Kenya, year by year

Annual values for Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) in Kenya, 1964 to 2024.
Year SIPRI trend indicator values Change
1964 6.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values
1965 15.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +150.0%
1966 19.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +26.7%
1967 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -89.5%
1968 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +0.0%
1969 3.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +50.0%
1970 0 SIPRI trend indicator values -100.0%
1971 26.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values
1972 9.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -65.4%
1973 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -77.8%
1974 28.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +1300.0%
1975 25.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -10.7%
1976 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -32.0%
1977 58.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +241.2%
1978 211.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +263.8%
1979 56.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -73.5%
1980 119.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +112.5%
1981 144.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +21.0%
1982 85.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -41.0%
1983 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -80.0%
1984 12.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -29.4%
1985 6.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -50.0%
1986 26.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +333.3%
1987 178.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +584.6%
1989 47.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -73.6%
1990 43.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -8.5%
1991 14.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -67.4%
1994 30.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +114.3%
1997 61.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +103.3%
2000 15.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -75.4%
2007 11.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -26.7%
2009 34.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +209.1%
2010 96.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +182.4%
2011 35.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -63.5%
2012 68.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +94.3%
2013 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -98.5%
2014 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +1600.0%
2015 30.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +76.5%
2016 32.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +6.7%
2017 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -46.9%
2018 6.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -64.7%
2019 18.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +200.0%
2020 71.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +294.4%
2021 4.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -94.4%
2022 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values -75.0%
2024 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values +1600.0%

Kenya compared with similar countries

  • Kenya's 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, 1.5× the median. (41 countries reporting)
  • Kenya's 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, 2.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Arms imports 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.

YearChange FromTo
2014 +1600.0% 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values
2024 +1600.0% 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values
1974 +1300.0% 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 28.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 7.83 million SIPRI trend indicator values 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 19.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 6
1970s 43.20 million SIPRI trend indicator values 0 SIPRI trend indicator values 211.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 10
1980s 70.44 million SIPRI trend indicator values 6.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 178.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 9
1990s 37.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 14.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 61.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 4
2000s 20.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 11.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 34.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 3
2010s 32.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 96.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 10
2020s 23.25 million SIPRI trend indicator values 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 71.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values 4

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 90 Georgia 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
  2. 90 Uzbekistan 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
  3. 93 Angola 16.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
  4. 93 Fiji 16.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
  5. 93 Uganda 16.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare

See the full ranking of 218 places →

More public sector data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is arms imports in Kenya?
Arms imports in Kenya was 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in 2024, according to Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
What is the highest arms imports recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 211.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in 1978.
What is the lowest arms imports recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 0 SIPRI trend indicator values in 1970.
How does Kenya rank for arms imports?
Kenya ranks 90th out of 173 countries with data for 2024.
Is arms imports rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Kenya data come from?
The figures come from Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Arms imports in Kenya. Statizoid, drawing on Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/arms-imports-sipri-trend-indicator-values/kenya/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/arms-imports-sipri-trend-indicator-values/kenya/">Arms imports in Kenya</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values)
Unit
SIPRI trend indicator values
Source
Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
218 places, 9,426 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Arms transfers (imports) cover the volume of transfers of major arms through sales and gifts, and those made through manufacturing licenses. Data cover major conventional weapons such as aircraft, armored vehicles, artillery, radar systems, missiles, and ships. Figures are SIPRI Trend Indicator Values (TIVs). A '0' indicates that the volume of deliveries is between 0 and 0.5 million SIPRI TIV.