Self-reported life satisfaction in Kenya
Kenya: Self-reported life satisfaction was 4.67 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Self-reported life satisfaction in Kenya, 2011–2025
Source: Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for self-reported life satisfaction in Kenya is 4.67, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.6% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-reported life satisfaction in Kenya peaked at 4.67 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4.18, in 2011.
That places Kenya 112th out of 157 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Self-reported life satisfaction in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 4.18 | — |
| 2012 | 4.4 | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 4.42 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 4.36 | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 4.55 | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 4.41 | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 4.51 | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 4.58 | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 4.61 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 4.54 | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 4.49 | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 4.47 | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 4.51 | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 4.67 | +3.6% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 4.67 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.63, 1.0× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 4.67 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.38, 1.1× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.43 | 4.18 | 4.58 | 8 |
| 2020s | 4.55 | 4.47 | 4.67 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More social development data for Kenya
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 617,125 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,325 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,325 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0107 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-reported life satisfaction in Kenya?
- Self-reported life satisfaction in Kenya was 4.67 in 2025, according to Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest self-reported life satisfaction recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 4.67 in 2025.
- What is the lowest self-reported life satisfaction recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.18 in 2011.
- How does Kenya rank for self-reported life satisfaction?
- Kenya ranks 112th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-reported life satisfaction rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Self-reported life satisfaction. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average of survey responses. The survey question asks respondents their current position on a hypothetical ladder, where the best possible life for them is a 10, and the worst possible life is a 0.