Kenya overtakes Ethiopia as East Africa’s largest economy after five years of trailing

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Kenya has dethroned Ethiopia in a fight for the region’s economic dominance in a race that mirrors their fierce rivalry in long-distance running, where the crown regularly changes hands.

After five years of trailing Ethiopia, Kenya overtook its neighbour in 2025 to become the region’s largest economy, as its gross domestic product (GDP) in dollar terms rose while Ethiopia’s shrank, according to the latest report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).