Kenya’s economic freedom score is 55.3, making its economy the 132nd freest in the 2020 Index. Its overall score has increased by 0.2 point, but a higher property rights score was largely offset by a drop in the labor freedom score. Kenya is ranked 23rd among 47 countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, and its overall score is approximately equal to the regional average and well below the world average.
The Kenyan economy has been mostly unfree for more than two decades. GDP growth over the past five years, however, has been robust, led by expanded consumer demand.
Historically, economic freedom in Kenya has been hampered by weak rule of law (especially government integrity) and less-than-stellar performance in investment freedom and financial freedom. Although the government seeks to alleviate structural obstacles to more rapid economic growth and to prioritize trade liberalization, policymaking and implementation remain vulnerable to such risks as drought, insecurity, corruption, and political squabbling.
Heritage, The University of Nairobi, Kenya, Sub-saharan Africa
