Data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) compares Kenya and Ethiopia’s economic output between 2023 and 2026, highlighting fluctuations in their GDP rankings and Kenya’s position as Africa’s seventh-largest economy in the 2026 estimates.
In 2023, Kenya’s gross domestic product (GDP) stood at $163.71 billion, ahead of Ethiopia’s $108.21 billion.
The figures shifted in 2024, when Kenya’s GDP fell to $119.36 billion, while Ethiopia’s surged to $210 billion, temporarily putting it ahead of Kenya.
Kenya regained the lead in 2025, with its GDP rising to $135.92 billion as Ethiopia’s declined to $126.35 billion.
By 2026, Kenya had widened the gap, with its GDP reaching $151.15 billion compared with Ethiopia’s $127.15 billion.
The figures point to changing economic valuations in the two East African countries over the four-year period.
However, the sharp fluctuations, particularly Ethiopia’s reported surge in 2024, warrant verification against the IMF’s underlying data and methodology before publication.
