The number of Kenyans spending time on the internet and making voice phone calls has increased in the second quarter of 2025, according to the latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
KNBS, in its Quarterly Gross Domestic Product report published on Tuesday, revealed that Kenya's information and communication sector grew by 6.0 per cent in the second quarter of 2025, compared to the 6.7 per cent growth posted in a similar quarter of 2024.
This pushed the growth to 12.7 percent even as domestic mobile voice traffic rose sharply by 17.3 percent to 29.2 billion minutes, up from 24.9 billion minutes in the same period last year.
Additionally, on Kenyans making international calls, their mobile voice traffic also registered strong growth, surging by 24.3 percent to 367.5 million minutes in the quarter under review.
''Activities in the Information and Communication sector grew by 6.0 per cent in the second quarter of 2025 compared to 6.7 per cent growth in the similar quarter of 2024. Total domestic mobile voice traffic increased by 17.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2025, to 29.2 billion minutes, compared to 24.9 billion minutes in the corresponding quarter of 2024,'' read part of the data by KNBS.
Mobile Data Usage
At the same time, mobile broadband data consumption continued its upward trajectory, increasing by 38.4 percent to 620.2 million gigabytes compared to 448.2 million gigabytes in the second quarter of 2024, indicating an expansion in the average data consumption per user.
Mobile Money Transactions
Additionally, the value of mobile money transactions fell slightly, dipping by 1.4 per cent to Ksh2.08 trillion from Ksh2.11 trillion recorded in the second quarter of 2024.
However, despite the dip, mobile money transactions remain a critical driver of financial transactions in the economy, even as growth shifts towards digital communication services.
Gender Internet Usage
In August, men in Kenya were found to be using the internet more than women across all age groups, according to the 2023/24 Kenya Household Survey (KHS) by the data bureau.
The disparity was most pronounced among young adults aged 25 to 34 years, where 64 per cent of men use the internet compared to 54.5 per cent of women. This age group recorded the highest overall internet usage in the country at 59.3 per cent.
Economic Performance
Meanwhile, the economy expanded by 5.0 per cent in the second quarter of 2025 compared to a growth of 4.6 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2024, according to KNBS.
The growth was mainly supported by growths in agriculture, forestry, and fishing activities (4.4 per cent), transportation and storage (5.4 per cent), and financial and Insurance (6.6 per cent).
Additionally, the growth was also supported by rebounds in construction and mining and quarrying activities that rose by 5.7 and 15.3 per cent, respectively, after contracting in the second quarter of 2024.
Electricity and water supply activities, on the other hand, also recorded improved performance in the quarter under review, posting a growth of 5.7 per cent compared to 1.2 per cent growth in the second quarter of 2024.
