Wealth and income percentiles in Kenya
How much net worth or income does it take to be in the top 10% or top 1% in Kenya? Model estimates for 31.1 million adults aged 20+, reference level 2025.
Net worth thresholds in Kenya
Net worth is private assets (property, deposits, securities, business ownership) minus debt, per adult. Thresholds show the minimum net worth needed to belong to each group.
| Group of adults | Threshold, USD |
|---|---|
| Median (top 50%) | USD 2,360 |
| Top 10% | USD 18,900 |
| Top 5% | USD 34,800 |
| Top 1% | USD 106,000 |
| Top 0.1% | USD 524,000 |
| Average (mean) | USD 10,600 |
Income thresholds in Kenya
Income is a harmonized pre-tax economic income per adult used for cross-country comparison. It is broader than wages and includes capital income, pensions and some imputed components.
| Group of adults | Threshold, USD |
|---|---|
| Median (top 50%) | USD 2,080 |
| Top 10% | USD 8,570 |
| Top 5% | USD 12,500 |
| Top 1% | USD 30,400 |
| Top 0.1% | USD 83,700 |
| Average (mean) | USD 3,820 |
Kenya in a global context
Kenya has 0.56% of the world’s adults. About 0.53% of them are in the world’s top 10% by net worth and 0.03% are in the global top 1%. By income, the shares are 0.51% and 0.02%.
The median adult in Kenya is in the global top 73.4% by net worth and the global top 69.2% by income. Kenya is home to about 0.02% of the world’s top 1% by net worth.
Data quality and sources
Scores run from 1 (strong direct national source coverage) to 5 (mainly modelled).
| Measure | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Net worth | 5 | No comparable national net-worth distribution has been imported. The wealth level and distribution shape are primarily donor/proxy-based. |
| Income | 5 | No comparable national income distribution has been imported into this model. The level comes from macro data and the distribution shape is borrowed from donor countries. |
- World Inequality Lab TN 2026/04: Global Inequality Update
- World Inequality Report 2026: Country Sheets
- World Inequality Lab TN 2026/04: Global Inequality Update
- World Inequality Report 2026: Country Sheets
Amounts are converted at fixed exchange rates of 2025-12-31; they do not adjust for purchasing power. Thresholds in the extreme top are modelled and uncertain.
Frequently asked questions
How much net worth do you need to be in the top 1% in Kenya?
About USD 106,000 in net worth (assets minus debt) per adult, according to the WealthPercentile model for 2025. The top 10% starts at about USD 18,900.
What is the median income in Kenya?
The median adult in Kenya has a broad pre-tax economic income of about USD 2,080 a year. This measure is broader than wages: it includes capital income and some imputed components, so it is higher than a typical payslip.
How many adults in Kenya are in the global top 1%?
About 0.03% of adults in Kenya are in the world’s top 1% by net worth, and 0.02% by income.
How reliable are these numbers?
They are model estimates. The data-quality score for Kenya is 5/5 for net worth and 5/5 for income, where 1 means strong direct source coverage and 5 means mainly modelled.