Kenya Retail Statistics
Retail is where most Kenyans earn and spend, but the sector is hard to size without a real source. Here are the figures from the KNBS Economic Survey that put the shop economy in context: trade-sector employment, the dominant services share of GDP, and overall growth.
Last updated 13 June 2026. Every figure is cited to a primary source below.
These figures are free to use in your article, report or research. We just ask that you credit Veira with a link to this page, so your readers can follow the numbers back to their primary sources.
The shop economy in context
Wholesale and retail trade employed 276,127 people in the formal private sector in 2024 according to KNBS, and that counts only formal jobs. The true number of people running and working in shops is far higher once the informal majority is included, which the MSME data shows.
Services, which include trade, make up 55.3 percent of GDP, the largest share of the economy. So when you run a shop in Kenya, you are part of the single biggest engine of the economy, even if your individual business feels small.
Frequently asked questions
The wholesale and retail trade sector employed 276,127 people in the formal private sector in 2024, according to the KNBS 2025 Economic Survey. The true figure is much larger once informal shops and traders are counted, which the MSME survey reflects.
Services, which include wholesale and retail trade, make up 55.3 percent of GDP, the largest share of the economy, according to the KNBS 2025 Economic Survey. Agriculture is 22.5 percent and industry 16.5 percent.
Real GDP grew 4.7 percent in 2024, according to the KNBS 2025 Economic Survey, down from a revised 5.7 percent in 2023. Steady, moderate growth means competition for customers matters.
The KNBS MSME survey found the majority of enterprises are unlicensed and informal. Formal employment figures therefore capture only part of the shop economy, which is why retail feels far bigger on the ground than formal numbers suggest.
They come from the KNBS 2025 Economic Survey, the official annual survey of the Kenyan economy. Each figure on this page is cited to that source with the year it refers to.
Veira gives a Kenyan business the POS, eTIMS and M-Pesa tools to run on the rails these figures describe. From KES 2,999 a month, with a free terminal.