Beef production in Kenya
Kenya: Beef production was 260,083 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
260,083 tonnes
Change on year
up 9.3%
World rank
44th
of 198 countries
All-time high
487,176 tonnes
in 2015
All-time low
95,200 tonnes
in 1963
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Beef production in Kenya, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, beef production in Kenya stood at 260,083 tonnes.
That represents a change of up 9.3% on the previous year and down 41.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, beef production in Kenya peaked at 487,176 tonnes in 2015 and was at its lowest, 95,200 tonnes, in 1963.
Kenya ranks 44th of 198 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Beef production in Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 112,200 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 107,200 tonnes | -4.5% |
| 1963 | 95,200 tonnes | -11.2% |
| 1964 | 103,500 tonnes | +8.7% |
| 1965 | 112,000 tonnes | +8.2% |
| 1966 | 105,988 tonnes | -5.4% |
| 1967 | 111,000 tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1968 | 121,000 tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1969 | 123,000 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 133,000 tonnes | +8.1% |
| 1971 | 136,000 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1972 | 141,000 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1973 | 143,940 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1974 | 145,000 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 132,300 tonnes | -8.8% |
| 1976 | 144,900 tonnes | +9.5% |
| 1977 | 189,000 tonnes | +30.4% |
| 1978 | 191,872 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 192,000 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 192,500 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 165,620 tonnes | -14.0% |
| 1982 | 185,900 tonnes | +12.2% |
| 1983 | 196,800 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1984 | 198,000 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 192,000 tonnes | -3.0% |
| 1986 | 199,230 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 219,497 tonnes | +10.2% |
| 1988 | 238,351 tonnes | +8.6% |
| 1989 | 227,711 tonnes | -4.5% |
| 1990 | 215,000 tonnes | -5.6% |
| 1991 | 247,000 tonnes | +14.9% |
| 1992 | 250,000 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 242,500 tonnes | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 241,900 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 239,000 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 252,000 tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1997 | 260,800 tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 270,000 tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 279,000 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 256,619 tonnes | -8.0% |
| 2001 | 282,096 tonnes | +9.9% |
| 2002 | 318,650 tonnes | +13.0% |
| 2003 | 342,700 tonnes | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 350,200 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 396,200 tonnes | +13.1% |
| 2006 | 430,000 tonnes | +8.5% |
| 2007 | 445,000 tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 458,000 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 483,000 tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2010 | 462,000 tonnes | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 458,000 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 410,600 tonnes | -10.3% |
| 2013 | 425,000 tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 442,571 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 487,176 tonnes | +10.1% |
| 2016 | 200,293 tonnes | -58.9% |
| 2017 | 172,061 tonnes | -14.1% |
| 2018 | 200,771 tonnes | +16.7% |
| 2019 | 329,187 tonnes | +64.0% |
| 2020 | 244,217 tonnes | -25.8% |
| 2021 | 250,607 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 222,881 tonnes | -11.1% |
| 2023 | 237,907 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2024 | 260,083 tonnes | +9.3% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 260,083 tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67,309 tonnes, 3.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 260,083 tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 39,552 tonnes, 6.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Beef production 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | -58.9% | 487,176 tonnes | 200,293 tonnes |
| 2019 | +64.0% | 200,771 tonnes | 329,187 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 110,121 tonnes | 95,200 tonnes | 123,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 154,901 tonnes | 132,300 tonnes | 192,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 201,561 tonnes | 165,620 tonnes | 238,351 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 249,720 tonnes | 215,000 tonnes | 279,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 376,246 tonnes | 256,619 tonnes | 483,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 358,766 tonnes | 172,061 tonnes | 487,176 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 243,139 tonnes | 222,881 tonnes | 260,083 tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More agriculture & rural data for Kenya
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 16.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2316 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 547.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6779 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 12.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is beef production in Kenya?
- Beef production in Kenya was 260,083 tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest beef production recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 487,176 tonnes in 2015.
- What is the lowest beef production recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 95,200 tonnes in 1963.
- How does Kenya rank for beef production?
- Kenya ranks 44th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is beef production rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Beef production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).