Citizen support for democracy in Kenya
Kenya: Citizen support for democracy was -0.2886 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Citizen support for democracy in Kenya, 2002–2020
Source: Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, citizen support for democracy in Kenya stood at -0.2886.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 189.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, citizen support for democracy in Kenya peaked at 0.8184 in 2002 and was at its lowest, -0.2889, in 2017.
Kenya ranks 74th of 144 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.5257 | 0.3387 | 0.8184 | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.058 | -0.2889 | 0.3914 | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.2886 | -0.2886 | -0.2886 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More social development data for Kenya
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 617,125 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 13,325 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.563 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.9 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.793 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.563 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.335 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.446 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is citizen support for democracy in Kenya?
- Citizen support for democracy in Kenya was -0.2886 in 2020, according to Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest citizen support for democracy recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8184 in 2002.
- What is the lowest citizen support for democracy recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.2889 in 2017.
- How does Kenya rank for citizen support for democracy?
- Kenya ranks 74th out of 144 countries with data for 2020.
- Is citizen support for democracy rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 189.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Claassen (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Citizen support for democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the average extent to which citizens support a democratic political system and reject autocratic alternatives. It combines responses across more than one thousand nationally-representative surveys on how desirable citizens find democracy, how they evaluate undemocratic alternatives (such as a strong unelected leader, the army, or religious authorities), and how they assess democratic and autocratic political systems relative to another.