Judicial Corruption Score in Kenya
Kenya: Judicial Corruption Score was 0.832 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.832
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
66th
of 176 countries
All-time high
2.03
in 1921
All-time low
-1.55
in 1980
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Judicial Corruption Score in Kenya, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 0.832 for judicial corruption score in 2025.
The figure is up 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, judicial corruption score in Kenya peaked at 2.03 in 1921 and was at its lowest, -1.55, in 1980.
That places Kenya 66th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Judicial Corruption Score in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 1.82 | — |
| 1901 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 1.82 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 2.03 | +11.8% |
| 1922 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.551 | -72.9% |
| 1964 | 0.288 | -47.7% |
| 1965 | 0.288 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.288 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.288 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.288 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.288 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | -0.288 | -200.0% |
| 1971 | -0.288 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -0.288 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -0.288 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -0.288 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -0.288 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -0.288 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -0.288 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -0.543 | +88.5% |
| 1979 | -0.543 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -1.55 | +184.9% |
| 1981 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -1.55 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -1.02 | -33.9% |
| 2004 | -1.02 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -0.512 | -49.9% |
| 2006 | -0.512 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -0.395 | -22.9% |
| 2008 | -0.192 | -51.4% |
| 2009 | -0.192 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.626 | -426.0% |
| 2011 | 0.758 | +21.1% |
| 2012 | 0.848 | +11.9% |
| 2013 | 0.807 | -4.8% |
| 2014 | 0.807 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.807 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.807 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.807 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.807 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.71 | -12.0% |
| 2020 | 0.373 | -47.5% |
| 2021 | 0.832 | +123.1% |
| 2022 | 0.832 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.832 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.832 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.832 | +0.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 0.832 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is -1.01. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 0.832 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.632. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 1.82 | 1.82 | 1.82 | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.82 | 1.82 | 1.82 | 10 |
| 1920s | 2.01 | 1.82 | 2.03 | 10 |
| 1930s | 2.03 | 2.03 | 2.03 | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.03 | 2.03 | 2.03 | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.03 | 2.03 | 2.03 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.8381 | 0.288 | 2.03 | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.339 | -0.543 | -0.288 | 10 |
| 1980s | -1.55 | -1.55 | -1.55 | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.55 | -1.55 | -1.55 | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.8488 | -1.55 | -0.192 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7784 | 0.626 | 0.848 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7555 | 0.373 | 0.832 | 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 judicial corruption score in Kenya?
- Judicial corruption score in Kenya was 0.832 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest judicial corruption score recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 2.03 in 1921.
- What is the lowest judicial corruption score recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.55 in 1980.
- How does Kenya rank for judicial corruption score?
- Kenya ranks 66th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is judicial corruption score rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Judicial Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of how often individuals or businesses make undocumented extra payments or bribes to obtain a favorable judicial decision, or speed up or delay the process. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.