> Source: https://coursetojob.com/countries/kenya/ — updated 2026-09-26 · language: en > Markdown version of this CourseToJob page for AI agents. The HTML page is canonical. Data licence CC BY 4.0: cite the page URL and the original statistical source. Sub-Saharan Africa # Graduate jobs and salaries in Kenya Updated September 26, 2026 Data years: 2019, 2021 [How we use data](https://coursetojob.com/methodology/) Older data (2019) The latest official figure is from 2019. It may not reflect today's labour market. Quick answer In Kenya, employees with tertiary education earned a median of KES 43,116 a month in 2019 (PPP$ 997) — +617% compared with all employees. Their unemployment rate was 6.6%, against 4.2% for all adults aged 25 and over (2021). Sources: ILOSTAT (ILO) - **+617%** degree premium: tertiary-educated vs all employees (2019) - **KES 43,116** median monthly pay with tertiary education (2019) - **6.6%** unemployment, tertiary-educated adults 25+ (all adults: 4.2%, 2021) - **22.8%** unemployment, tertiary-educated 15–24 year olds (2021) ## Do graduates earn more in Kenya? **Median monthly earnings by education level, Kenya, 2019Employees, median monthly earnings. PPP$ adjusts for price differences between countries.** | Education level | Local currency a month | PPP$ a month | vs all employees | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Less than basic education | KES 800 | 18 | -87% | | Basic education | KES 6,000 | 139 | 0% | | Intermediate education | KES 8,400 | 194 | +40% | | Advanced (tertiary) education | KES 43,116 | 997 | +617% | | Bachelor's or equivalent | KES 40,000 | 925 | +565% | | Master's or equivalent | KES 100,000 | 2,312 | +1,563% | | All levels | KES 6,000 | 139 | — | The degree premium ranks 1 of 128 countries with data. That is above the Sub-Saharan Africa median of +151%. ## Which occupations pay the most in Kenya? Median monthly earnings by occupation group in 2019, from highest to lowest. Examples link to our career profiles. | Occupation group | Local currency a month | PPP$ a month | vs all employees | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Managers [Construction manager](https://coursetojob.com/careers/construction-manager/), [Marketing manager](https://coursetojob.com/careers/marketing-manager/), [Project manager](https://coursetojob.com/careers/project-manager/), [Supply chain manager](https://coursetojob.com/careers/supply-chain-manager/) | KES 31,130 | 720 | +418% | | Professionals [Software developer](https://coursetojob.com/careers/software-developer/), [Web developer](https://coursetojob.com/careers/web-developer/), [Data scientist](https://coursetojob.com/careers/data-scientist/), [Data analyst](https://coursetojob.com/careers/data-analyst/) | KES 24,639 | 570 | +310% | | Technicians and associate professionals [IT support technician](https://coursetojob.com/careers/it-support-technician/), [Paramedic](https://coursetojob.com/careers/paramedic/), [Biomedical scientist](https://coursetojob.com/careers/biomedical-scientist/), [Paralegal](https://coursetojob.com/careers/paralegal/) | KES 20,000 | 462 | +232% | | Clerical support workers | KES 20,000 | 462 | +232% | | Plant and machine operators and assemblers | KES 10,000 | 231 | +66% | | Service and sales workers [Police officer](https://coursetojob.com/careers/police-officer/) | KES 8,000 | 185 | +33% | | Craft and related trades workers | KES 1,200 | 28 | -80% | | Elementary occupations | KES 1,000 | 23 | -83% | | Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers | KES 600 | 14 | -90% | | All occupations | KES 6,000 | 139 | — | ## Are graduates less likely to be unemployed in Kenya? **Unemployment rate by education level, 2021** | Education level | Adults 25+ | Young people 15–24 | | --- | --- | --- | | Less than basic education | 2.0% | — | | Basic education | 2.9% | 8.2% | | Intermediate education | 5.9% | 14.6% | | Advanced (tertiary) education | 6.6% | 22.8% | | All levels | 4.2% | 12.3% | Unemployment among tertiary-educated adults is the 92 lowest of 130 countries with data. The Sub-Saharan Africa median is 8.3%. ### Unemployment over time, adults 25+ Advanced (tertiary) educationAll levels ## Studying and working in Kenya Rules on student visas, work after graduation and recognition of qualifications change often. Use the official sources below and check the date on any advice you read. [Guide: how to choose a country to study in](https://coursetojob.com/guides/study-abroad/) · [Guide: getting your degree recognised abroad](https://coursetojob.com/guides/degree-recognition-abroad/) ## Country context - **Population:** 57.5M (2025) - **GDP per person (PPP):** $7,016 (2025) - **Tertiary enrolment (gross):** 10.4% (2024) ## Questions about graduate jobs in Kenya **Do graduates earn more than non-graduates in Kenya?** According to the International Labour Organization, employees in Kenya with tertiary education earned a median of KES 43,116 a month in 2019, compared with KES 6,000 for all employees — +617%. The degree premium ranks 1 of 128 countries with data. **What is the unemployment rate for graduates in Kenya?** In 2021, the unemployment rate for adults aged 25 and over with tertiary education in Kenya was 6.6%, compared with 4.2% for all adults. Among young people aged 15–24 with tertiary education it was 22.8%. **Which jobs pay the most in Kenya?** The best-paid occupation group in Kenya in 2019 was “Managers”, with median monthly earnings of KES 31,130 (PPP$ 720). Professionals, the group that includes most graduate careers, earned a median of KES 24,639. ## Compare with other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa [Compare Kenya side by side](https://coursetojob.com/compare/?c=KE,SD,UG) - **[Sudan](https://coursetojob.com/countries/sudan/)** — -3% more for tertiary-educated employees (2022) Sub-Saharan Africa - **[Uganda](https://coursetojob.com/countries/uganda/)** — +151% more for tertiary-educated employees (2021) Sub-Saharan Africa - **[South Africa](https://coursetojob.com/countries/south-africa/)** — +96% more for tertiary-educated employees (2020) Sub-Saharan Africa - **[Tanzania](https://coursetojob.com/countries/tanzania/)** — +219% more for tertiary-educated employees (2025) Sub-Saharan Africa - **[Angola](https://coursetojob.com/countries/angola/)** — +200% more for tertiary-educated employees (2024) Sub-Saharan Africa - **[Mozambique](https://coursetojob.com/countries/mozambique/)** — +296% more for tertiary-educated employees (2022) Sub-Saharan Africa ## Sources 1. [ILOSTAT — Median monthly earnings of employees by education](https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/) — HS - Continuous household survey, 2019 2. [ILOSTAT — Median monthly earnings of employees by occupation](https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/) — HS - Continuous household survey, 2019 3. [ILOSTAT — Unemployment rate by age and education](https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/) — HS - Continuous household survey, 2021 4. [World Bank — World Development Indicators](https://data.worldbank.org/country/ke) — Population, GDP per person (PPP) and tertiary enrolment **How to cite this page:** CourseToJob (2026). Kenya: graduate salaries, jobs and unemployment. https://coursetojob.com/countries/kenya/ (accessed September 26, 2026) [Report a data or content issue](mailto:hello@elitedigitalagency.io?subject=Data%20issue%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fcoursetojob.com%2Fcountries%2Fkenya%2F) ## Key facts - **Region:** Sub-Saharan Africa - **Currency:** KES - **Degree premium:** +617% (2019) - **Unemployment, tertiary:** 6.6% (2021) - **Degree premium rank:** 1 of 128 **On this page** 1. Do graduates earn more in Kenya? 2. Which occupations pay the most in Kenya? 3. Are graduates less likely to be unemployed in Kenya? 4. Studying and working in Kenya Machine-readable: [JSON](https://coursetojob.com/api/v1/countries/ke.json) · [Markdown](https://coursetojob.com/countries/kenya.md)