Kenya Balance of Trade1998-2019 Data | 2020-2022 Forecast | Calendar | Historical

Kenya's trade deficit rose to KES 113 billion in December 2019 from KES 83 billion in the same month a year ago. It was the largest monthly trade shortfall since May 2018, as imports surged 23% year-on-year to KES 155.31 billion, boosted by purchases of machinery & transport equipment (41%); manufactured goods (10%); chemicals (16%); food & live animals (29%); animals and vegetable oils & fats (41%) and crude materials (35%). Among major import partners, acquisitions grew from the UAE (136%) and India (8.7%), but declined from Saudi Arabia (-11%) and South Africa (-33%). Exports fell 2.8% to KES 43 billion, dragged down by lower shipments of coffee (-27%) and tea (-3 %), amid persistent unfavourable weather conditions. In contrast, external sales rose for horticulture products (3.2%). Among major export partners, sales shrank to Pakistan (-4.1%) while they rose to Uganda (1.5%) and the US (11.5%).

Kenya's trade deficit rose to KES 108 billion in November 2019 from KES 102 billion in the same month a year ago. Imports rose 5.9 percent year-on-year to KES 159.41 billion, amid higher purchases of machinery & transport equipment (29.6 percent); manufactured goods (3.4 percent); food & live animals (8.5 percent); animals and vegetable oils & fats (4.2 percent) and crude materials (15.2 percent). Still, decreases were recorded for mineral fuels, lubricants & related (-17.9 percent) and chemicals (-1.1 percent). Meantime, exports rose 7.5 percent to KES 51.94 billion, boosted by sales of horticulture products (34.8 percent). In contrast, lower shipments were recorded for tea (-2.1 percent) and coffee (-29.1 percent), amid poor harvests due to prolonged drought.

Kenya's trade deficit shrank to KES 78.6 billion in September 2019 from KES 83 billion in the same month a year ago. This was the smallest monthly trade gap since March, as imports fell 3.8 percent to KES 124.9 billion, pushed down by machinery & transport equipment (-9.1%); manufactured goods (-12.4%) and chemicals (-29.8%). In contrast, purchases grew mostly for food & live animals (38.4%) and mineral fuels, lubricants (24.8%). Among main trade partners, imports went down from India (-48.5%) and Japan (-41.3%), while advanced from the UAE (17%); Saudi Arabia (121.5%) and South Africa (20.8%). Meantime, exports decreased at a softer 0.9 percent to KES 46.3 billion, the least in 6 months, on lower shipments of tea (-18.8%); horticultural products (-14.5%) and chemicals (-5.4%). Among main trade partners, exports fell to Pakistan (-27.8%); the Netherlands (-19.2%) and the UK (-13%), but rose to Uganda (14.8%) and the US (27.2%).

Kenya's trade deficit decreased to KES 23.2 billion in August 2019 from KES 98.3 billion in the same month of the previous year. This is the smallest monthly trade deficit since March, as imports tumbled 11.4 percent to KES 132.8 billion, mainly dragged down by machinery & transport equipment (-14.1 percent); manufactured goods (-9.6 percent); mineral fuels, lubricants (-35.4 percent) and chemicals (-8.9 percent). In contrast, purchases increased for food & live animals (25.3 percent) and crude materials inedible except fuels (4.7 percent). Meantime, exports fell at a softer 2.7 percent to KES 49.6 billion, amid lower shipments of tea (-4.7 percent); chemicals (-12.7 percent); coffee (-5 percent) and fish (-16.1 percent). Conversely, overseas sales grew considerably for petroleum (641.5 percent) and horticultural products (14 percent).