Varieties of democracy in Kenya
Kenya: Varieties of democracy was 0.563 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.563
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
76th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.57
in 2023
All-time low
0.01
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Varieties of democracy in Kenya, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 0.563 for varieties of democracy in 2025.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in Kenya peaked at 0.57 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.01, in 1900.
Kenya ranks 76th of 176 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.
Varieties of democracy in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.01 | — |
| 1901 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.062 | +520.0% |
| 1921 | 0.067 | +8.1% |
| 1922 | 0.067 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.067 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.07 | +4.5% |
| 1925 | 0.071 | +1.4% |
| 1926 | 0.071 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.068 | -4.2% |
| 1928 | 0.074 | +8.8% |
| 1929 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.076 | +2.7% |
| 1931 | 0.075 | -1.3% |
| 1932 | 0.075 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.075 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.053 | -29.3% |
| 1935 | 0.046 | -13.2% |
| 1936 | 0.046 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.046 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.068 | +47.8% |
| 1939 | 0.075 | +10.3% |
| 1940 | 0.074 | -1.3% |
| 1941 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.076 | +2.7% |
| 1946 | 0.079 | +3.9% |
| 1947 | 0.079 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.082 | +3.8% |
| 1949 | 0.082 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.085 | +3.7% |
| 1951 | 0.084 | -1.2% |
| 1952 | 0.081 | -3.6% |
| 1953 | 0.078 | -3.7% |
| 1954 | 0.077 | -1.3% |
| 1955 | 0.08 | +3.9% |
| 1956 | 0.094 | +17.5% |
| 1957 | 0.097 | +3.2% |
| 1958 | 0.1 | +3.1% |
| 1959 | 0.102 | +2.0% |
| 1960 | 0.111 | +8.8% |
| 1961 | 0.122 | +9.9% |
| 1962 | 0.123 | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 0.21 | +70.7% |
| 1964 | 0.238 | +13.3% |
| 1965 | 0.275 | +15.5% |
| 1966 | 0.247 | -10.2% |
| 1967 | 0.219 | -11.3% |
| 1968 | 0.217 | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 0.2 | -7.8% |
| 1970 | 0.196 | -2.0% |
| 1971 | 0.197 | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 0.196 | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 0.198 | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 0.202 | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 0.209 | +3.5% |
| 1976 | 0.21 | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 0.21 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.21 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.211 | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 0.207 | -1.9% |
| 1981 | 0.205 | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 0.197 | -3.9% |
| 1983 | 0.193 | -2.0% |
| 1984 | 0.181 | -6.2% |
| 1985 | 0.181 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.183 | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 0.183 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.177 | -3.3% |
| 1989 | 0.175 | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 0.189 | +8.0% |
| 1991 | 0.203 | +7.4% |
| 1992 | 0.291 | +43.3% |
| 1993 | 0.329 | +13.1% |
| 1994 | 0.334 | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 0.337 | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 0.337 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.336 | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 0.363 | +8.0% |
| 1999 | 0.363 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.374 | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 0.376 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 0.419 | +11.4% |
| 2003 | 0.51 | +21.7% |
| 2004 | 0.51 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.51 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.51 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.511 | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 0.415 | -18.8% |
| 2009 | 0.416 | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 0.427 | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 0.428 | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 0.425 | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 0.524 | +23.3% |
| 2014 | 0.539 | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 0.539 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.534 | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 0.512 | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 0.496 | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 0.501 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 0.503 | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.507 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 0.55 | +8.5% |
| 2023 | 0.57 | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 0.557 | -2.3% |
| 2025 | 0.563 | +1.1% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 0.563 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3475, 1.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 0.563 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.317, 1.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Varieties of democracy 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | +520.0% | 0.01 | 0.062 |
| 1963 | +70.7% | 0.123 | 0.21 |
| 1938 | +47.8% | 0.046 | 0.068 |
| 1992 | +43.3% | 0.203 | 0.291 |
| 1934 | -29.3% | 0.075 | 0.053 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.0691 | 0.062 | 0.074 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.0635 | 0.046 | 0.076 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.0768 | 0.074 | 0.082 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0878 | 0.077 | 0.102 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1962 | 0.111 | 0.275 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2039 | 0.196 | 0.211 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1882 | 0.175 | 0.207 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3082 | 0.189 | 0.363 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4551 | 0.374 | 0.511 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4925 | 0.425 | 0.539 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5417 | 0.503 | 0.57 | 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 varieties of democracy in Kenya?
- Varieties of democracy in Kenya was 0.563 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 0.57 in 2023.
- What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.01 in 1900.
- How does Kenya rank for varieties of democracy?
- Kenya ranks 76th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. 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 Varieties of democracy. 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
Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.