Kenya (KEN) and China (CHN) Trade | The Observatory of Economic Complexity

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Kenya-China Trade: In 2023, Kenya exported $221M to China. The main products that Kenya exported to China were Titanium Ore ($67.8M), Niobium, Tantalum, Vanadium and Zirconium Ore ($31.8M), and Other Nuts ($17.5M). Over the past 5 years the exports of Kenya to China have increased at an annualized rate of 9.05%, from $143M in 2018 to $221M in 2023.

In 2023, Kenya did not export any services to China.

China-Kenya Trade: In 2023, China exported $4.66B to Kenya. The main products that China exported to Kenya were Rubber Footwear ($231M), Hot-Rolled Iron ($162M), and Rubber Tires ($146M). Over the past 5 years the exports of China to Kenya have increased at an annualized rate of 0.98%, from $4.43B in 2018 to $4.66B in 2023.

In 2023, China did not export any services to Kenya.

Comparison: In 2023, Kenya ranked 86 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI -0.47), and 109 in total exports ($8.59B). That same year, China ranked 21 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 1.16), and 1 in total exports ($3.42T).

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Depth

HS2

HS4

HS6

Value

Trade

Growth

Growth (%)

Year

In 2023, Kenya exported $221M to China. The main products exported from Kenya to China were Titanium Ore ($67.8M), Niobium, Tantalum, Vanadium and Zirconium Ore ($31.8M), and Other Nuts ($17.5M). During the last 5 years the exports of Kenya to China have increased at an annualized rate of 9.05%, from $143M in 2018 to $221M in 2023.

In 2018, China exported $4.66B to Kenya. The main products exported from China to Kenya were Rubber Footwear ($231M), Hot-Rolled Iron ($162M), and Rubber Tires ($146M). During the last 5 years the exports of China to Kenya have increased at an annualized rate of 0.98%, from $4.43B in 2023 to $4.66B in 2018.

Exports from Kenya () to China () (2023)

Exports from China () to Kenya () (2023)

Latest Data

Trade between Kenya () and China ()

Kenya Exports

Date

China Exports

Date

Market Competitiveness

Color

Exports

Export Growth

Section

Year

Kenya
Top DestinationUganda$893M

China
Top DestinationUnited States$436B

This map shows whether countries import more from Kenya or China. Each country is colored based on the difference in imports they receive from Kenya and China or the difference in the growth in imports.

In 2023, countries that imported more from Kenya than China included South Sudan ($227M), American Samoa ($6.04k), and Cocos (Keeling) Islands ($5k).

In 2023, countries that imported more from China than Kenya included United States ($436B), Hong Kong ($259B), and Japan ($169B).

Difference in imports from China () and Kenya () (2023)

Comparative Advantage Kenya - China

Flow

Section

HS2

HS4

Scale

Log

Linear

Year

This chart compares trade between Kenya and China by product, considering products traded by both, Kenya and China.

During 2023, Kenya had a large net trade with China in the exports of Mineral Products ($117M), Vegetable Products ($44.7M), and Animal Products ($18.9M).

During 2018, China had a large net trade with Kenya in the exports of Machines ($1.21B), Textiles ($781M), and Metals ($536M).

Potential Exports

Depth

Section

HS2

HS4

View

Top 20

Top 15

Top 10

Sort By

Highest Potential

Most Saturated

Section

Top Product Potential Kenya China+$12.7MOther Nuts

Top Product Potential China Kenya+$117MRefined Petroleum

We estimate the export potential of an economy for each product and destination using an extension of the bilateral relatedness model of Jun et al. (2019).This extended gravity model considers similarities among products and geographies and explains more than 50% of the variance in future trade flows.

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

Year

This visualization shows the product space at the HS4 level with the flags of Kenya and China. This means that a dot/product with the flag of Kenya indicates it has a comparative advantage over China. Similarly, a dot/product with the flag of China indicates it has a comparative advantage over Kenya.

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Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Exports from Kenya () to China () (2023)

Exports from China () to Kenya () (2023)

Latest Data

Trade between Kenya () and China ()

Kenya Exports

China Exports

Market Competitiveness

Difference in imports from China () and Kenya () (2023)

Comparative Advantage Kenya - China

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

Product Space of Kenya () and China () (2023)

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