That dollar amount reflects a 17.4% increase from $16.7 billion in 2017 and a 27.1% year-over-year acceleration from $15.4 billion during 2020.
In 2021 Kenya’s top 5 most valuable imported goods were processed petroleum oils, palm oil, medication mixes in dosage, wheat and cars. Those 5 products garnered 29.2% of Kenya’s total spending on imported products.
Kenya’s Largest Suppliers for Imported Products
The latest available country-specific data shows that 69.5% of products imported into Kenya were shipped by exporters in: mainland China (20.5% of the global total), India (10.8%), United Arab Emirates (8.3%), Saudi Arabia (5.3%), Japan (4.6%), Malaysia (4.4%), United States of America (4.1%), South Korea (2.52%), Tanzania (2.5%), Egypt (2.3%), Netherlands (2.2%) and Indonesia (2.1%).
From a continental perspective, over two-thirds (67%) of Kenya’s total imports by value were purchased from Asian countries. European trade partners supplied 15.4% of import purchases by Kenya while another 10.6% originated from fellow African nations.
Smaller percentages came from exporters in North America (4.7%), Oceania (1.2%) led by Australia and New Zealand, and Latin America (1.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
Given Kenya’s population of 49.8 million people, its total $19.6 billion in 2021 imports translates to roughly $400 in yearly product demand from every person in the East African country. That dollar metric exceeds the average $320 per person one year earlier during 2020.
Kenya’s Top 10 Imports
The following product groups represent the highest dollar value in Kenya’s import purchases during 2021. Also shown is the percentage share each product category represents in terms of overall imports into Kenya.
- Mineral fuels including oil: US$3.5 billion (17.9% of total imports)
- Machinery including computers: $1.6 billion (8.1%)
- Vehicles: $1.4 billion (7%)
- Iron, steel: $1.3 billion (6.6%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: $1.2 billion (6.1%)
- Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $1.1 billion (5.4%)
- Cereals: $1 billion (5.3%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $982.3 million (5%)
- Pharmaceuticals: $776.8 million (4%)
- Articles of iron or steel: $474.9 million (2.4%)
Kenya’s top 10 imports accounted for more than two-thirds (67.8%) of the overall value of its product purchases from other countries.
Imported articles made from iron or steel posted the fastest-growing increase in value among Kenya’s top 10 import categories, up 60.79% from 2020 to 2021.
Close behind in second place for improving import purchases were mineral fuels including oil thanks to a 60.76% uptick.
Kenyan imports of the metals iron and steel delivered the third-fastest gain up 37.8%.
Electrical machinery and equipment was the flatliner among the top 10 Kenyan import categories, posting a -0.6% setback compared to 2020.
Please note that the results listed above are at the 2-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level. Information presented under the sections below is at the more granular 4-digit level.
Kenya’s Imports of Energy Products
In 2021, Kenyan importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of mineral fuels including oil.
- Processed petroleum oils: US$3.1 billion (up 61.8% from 2020)
- Petroleum gases: $237 million (up 63.9%)
- Coal, solid fuels made from coal: $100.3 million (up 74.4%)
- Petroleum oil residues: $36.7 million (up 10.7%)
- Electrical energy: $29.2 million (up 615.6%)
- Asphalt/petroleum bitumen mixes: $24 million (down -29.8%)
- Petroleum jelly, mineral waxes: $17.8 million (up 33.7%)
- Natural bitumen, asphalt, shale: $5.4 million (up 27%)
- Coal tar oils (high temperature distillation): $3.5 million (up 1.9%)
- Peat: $1.3 million (up 65.6%)
Among these import subcategories, Kenyan purchases of electrical energy (up 615.6%), coal including solid fuels made from coal (up 74.4%) then peat (up 65.6%) grew at the fastest pace from 2020 to 2021.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported mineral fuels including oil among businesses and consumers in Kenya.
Kenya’s Imports of Machinery Products
In 2021, Kenyan importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of machinery including computers.
- Sort/screen/washing machinery: US$148.2 million (up 57.2% from 2020)
- Heavy machinery (bulldozers, excavators, road rollers): $128.9 million (up 54%)
- Computers, optical readers: $128.5 million (down -2.5%)
- Temperature-change machines: $77.5 million (up 4.2%)
- Centrifuges, filters and purifiers: $74.5 million (up 28.5%)
- Miscellaneous machinery: $72.6 million (up 28%)
- Liquid pumps and elevators: $67.6 million (up 17.6%)
- Lifting/loading machinery: $66.3 million (up 51.3%)
- Refrigerators, freezers: $52.1 million (up 4.6%)
- Rubber/plastic article making machines: $46.4 million (up 31.3%)
Among these import subcategories, Kenyan purchases of sorting, screening or washing machinery (up 57.2%), heavy machinery including bulldozers, excavators and road rollers (up 54%) then lifting or loading machinery (up 51.3%) grew at the fastest pace from 2020 to 2021.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported machinery among businesses and consumers in Kenya.
Kenya’s Imports of Vehicles
In 2021, Kenyan importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of vehicles and related goods.
- Cars: US$482.9 million (up 9.1% from 2020)
- Trucks: $263.5 million (up 60.6%)
- Motorcycles: $189.4 million (up 47.9%)
- Tractors: $172.2 million (up 36%)
- Automobile parts/accessories: $125.4 million (up 13.7%)
- Trailers: $39.3 million (up 55.8%)
- Public-transport vehicles: $30.6 million (down -38.6%)
- Motorcycle parts/accessories: $23.9 million (up 22.9%)
- Special purpose vehicles: $20.2 million (down -16.7%)
- Armored vehicles, tanks: $11.9 million (down -23.7%)
Among these import subcategories, Kenyan purchases of trucks (up 60.6%), trailers (up 55.8%) then motorcycles (up 47.9%) grew at the fastest pace from 2020 to 2021.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported electronics among Kenyan businesses and consumers.
Kenya’s Imports of Iron and Steel
In 2021, Kenyan importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of the metals iron and steel.
- Hot-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products: US$473.2 million (up 34.5% from 2020)
- Iron or non-alloy steel products (semi-finished): $357.4 million (up 51.3%)
- Flat-rolled other alloy steel products: $141.6 million (up 94.7%)
- Flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products (plated/coated): $99.9 million (up 54.7%)
- Coiled iron or non-alloy steel bars, rods: $96.5 million (down -0.9%)
- Iron or non-alloy steel angles, shapes, sections: $34.4 million (up 31.7%)
- Iron or non-alloy steel wire: $24 million (down -11.4%)
- Flat-rolled stainless steel items: $7.8 million (up 42.5%)
- Flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products (plated/coated): $7.4 million (up 33.6%)
- Stainless steel bars, rods: $7.2 million (up 466.6%)
Among these import subcategories, Kenyan purchases of stainless steel bars and rods (up 466.6%), flat-rolled other alloy steel products (up 94.7%) then plated or coated flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products (up 54.7%) grew at the fastest pace from 2020 to 2021.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported iron and steel among Kenyan businesses and consumers.
See also Kenya’s Top 10 Exports, Refined Oil Exports by Country, Drugs and Medicines Exports by Country, Wheat Exports by Country and Car Exports by Country Plus Average Prices per Car
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Africa: Kenya. Accessed on July 3, 2022
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on July 3, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 3, 2022
Wikipedia, Kenya. Accessed on July 3, 2022
