Corn: Yield gap in Kenya
Kenya: Corn: Yield gap was 2.53 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▬ Flat
Corn: Yield gap in Kenya, 2000–2024
Source: Mueller et al. (2012); USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) (2026); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
In 2024, corn: yield gap in Kenya stood at 2.53 tonnes per hectare.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.0% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, corn: yield gap in Kenya peaked at 2.91 tonnes per hectare in 2009 and was at its lowest, 2.27 tonnes per hectare, in 2004.
That places Kenya 44th out of 115 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Corn: Yield gap in Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.76 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 2001 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | -9.5% |
| 2002 | 2.69 tonnes per hectare | +7.5% |
| 2003 | 2.58 tonnes per hectare | -4.1% |
| 2004 | 2.27 tonnes per hectare | -11.9% |
| 2005 | 2.56 tonnes per hectare | +12.7% |
| 2006 | 2.48 tonnes per hectare | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 2.39 tonnes per hectare | -3.8% |
| 2008 | 2.81 tonnes per hectare | +17.6% |
| 2009 | 2.91 tonnes per hectare | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 2.47 tonnes per hectare | -14.8% |
| 2011 | 2.62 tonnes per hectare | +5.7% |
| 2012 | 2.46 tonnes per hectare | -5.8% |
| 2013 | 2.51 tonnes per hectare | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 2.54 tonnes per hectare | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 2.38 tonnes per hectare | -6.4% |
| 2016 | 2.77 tonnes per hectare | +16.6% |
| 2017 | 2.67 tonnes per hectare | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 2.43 tonnes per hectare | -8.9% |
| 2019 | 2.64 tonnes per hectare | +8.4% |
| 2020 | 2.43 tonnes per hectare | -8.1% |
| 2021 | 2.68 tonnes per hectare | +10.3% |
| 2022 | 2.74 tonnes per hectare | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 2.44 tonnes per hectare | -11.1% |
| 2024 | 2.53 tonnes per hectare | +4.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 2.53 tonnes per hectare is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.37 tonnes per hectare, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 2.53 tonnes per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.47 tonnes per hectare, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.59 tonnes per hectare | 2.27 tonnes per hectare | 2.91 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.55 tonnes per hectare | 2.38 tonnes per hectare | 2.77 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.56 tonnes per hectare | 2.43 tonnes per hectare | 2.74 tonnes per hectare | 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 corn: yield gap in Kenya?
- Corn: yield gap in Kenya was 2.53 tonnes per hectare in 2024, according to Mueller et al. (2012); USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) (2026); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest corn: yield gap recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 2.91 tonnes per hectare in 2009.
- What is the lowest corn: yield gap recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.27 tonnes per hectare in 2004.
- How does Kenya rank for corn: yield gap?
- Kenya ranks 44th out of 115 countries with data for 2024.
- Is corn: yield gap rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Kenya data come from?
- The figures come from Mueller et al. (2012); USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) (2026); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Corn: Yield gap. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Yield gaps are the difference between attainable yields and actual yields, measured in tonnes per hectare. Negative values have been replaced by zero, meaning that the attainable yield has been reached.