Country rankings

Tax to GDP Ratio by Country

Nauru has the highest Tax to GDP Ratio (Tax Revenue as % of GDP) (44.4%), followed by Norway (31.3%) and Lesotho (30.4%). United Arab Emirates has the lowest (0.58%).

Economics161 countries · 2 metricsUpdated Feb 26, 2025Original page
1 source
Tax to GDP Ratio (Tax Revenue as % of GDP)Better directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
161 of 235 countries

Tax to GDP Ratio (Tax Revenue as % of GDP)

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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Ranking

Highest first: the first 15 and last 5 of 161 countries.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
16.4%
Middle half 11.8% – 21.3%
Average
16.5%
161 countries
Highest
44.4%
Nauru
Lowest
0.58%
United Arab Emirates

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

161 countries · # = rank by Tax to GDP Ratio (Tax Revenue as % of GDP)
#
1Nauru44.4%2020
2Norway31.3%2022
3Lesotho30.4%2022
4Denmark30.4%2022
5New Zealand29.9%2022
6Greece27.6%2022
7Sweden27.6%2022
8United Kingdom27.3%2023
9Namibia27.2%2022
10Austria26.2%2022
11Seychelles26.2%2020
12South Africa26.0%2022
13Luxembourg26.0%2022
14Jamaica25.7%2020
15Samoa25.0%2021
16Israel25.0%2022
17Barbados24.9%2016
18Eswatini24.7%2021
19Italy24.5%2022
20France24.5%2022
21Latvia24.2%2022
22Serbia23.9%2022
23Saint Vincent and the Grenadines23.8%2017
24Australia23.6%2022
25Iceland23.4%2023
26Hungary23.4%2022
27Cyprus23.3%2022
28Netherlands23.3%2022
29Georgia22.9%2022
30Portugal22.9%2022
31Belgium22.7%2022
32Mozambique22.7%2022
33Malta22.3%2022
34Morocco22.1%2022
35Armenia21.8%2022
36Bulgaria21.7%2022
37Croatia21.7%2022
38Timor-Leste21.6%2022
39Palestine21.5%2021
40Belize21.3%2017
41Kyrgyzstan21.3%2023
42Chile21.3%2022
43Finland21.2%2022
44Lithuania21.1%2022
45Tonga20.8%2020
46Estonia20.8%2022
47Solomon Islands20.7%2022
48El Salvador20.6%2023
49Tunisia20.1%2012
50Nicaragua19.8%2022
51Mauritius19.8%2023
52Botswana19.7%2022
53Maldives19.5%2021
54Senegal19.4%2023
54Slovakia19.4%2022
56Bosnia and Herzegovina19.1%2023
57Moldova18.9%2022
58Uruguay18.5%2020
59South Korea18.4%2022
60Cape Verde18.4%2020
61Kiribati18.3%2023
62Saint Lucia18.2%2017
63Gambia18.2%1990
64Slovenia18.2%2022
65Albania18.1%2021
66Palau18.1%2020
67San Marino17.8%2022
68Burkina Faso17.7%2022
69Nepal17.5%2021
70Jordan17.5%2022
71North Macedonia17.4%2021
72Marshall Islands17.2%2020
73Poland17.1%2022
74Bolivia17.0%2007
75Mongolia16.9%2021
76Ireland16.8%2022
77Zambia16.8%2021
78Macau16.7%2022
79Ukraine16.7%2022
80Trinidad and Tobago16.6%2019
81Bahamas16.4%2022
82Romania16.2%2022
83Turkey16.1%2022
84Peru15.9%2021
85Vanuatu15.9%2021
86Fiji15.9%2021
87Burundi15.6%2021
88Spain15.5%2022
89Thailand15.5%2023
89Azerbaijan15.5%2022
91Colombia15.3%2022
92Rwanda15.1%2020
92Honduras15.1%2020
94Saint Kitts and Nevis15.0%2020
95Papua New Guinea14.8%2022
96Costa Rica14.4%2022
97Mexico14.3%2023
98Togo14.2%2022
99Mali14.2%2020
100Brazil14.2%2023
101Philippines14.1%2023
102Canada14.0%2023
103Kenya14.0%2023
104Dominican Republic13.8%2022
105Malawi13.5%2022
106Ecuador13.0%2022
107Belarus12.8%2023
108Czechia12.6%2022
109Uganda12.6%2022
110Egypt12.5%2015
111Liberia12.5%2013
112Ghana12.3%2022
113Bhutan12.3%2020
114Laos12.1%2022
115Singapore12.0%2022
116Uzbekistan12.0%2022
116Cambodia12.0%2021
118Ivory Coast11.9%2022
119Kazakhstan11.9%2023
120Guatemala11.8%2022
121Niger11.8%1980
122Malaysia11.6%2022
123Indonesia11.6%2022
124Tanzania11.5%2023
125DR Congo11.4%2022
126Japan11.4%1993
127Cameroon11.3%2021
128Argentina11.1%2022
129Germany11.0%2022
130Russia11.0%2022
131Benin10.8%1979
132Tajikistan10.3%2022
133Paraguay10.3%2022
134United States10.2%2023
135Angola10.1%2019
136Afghanistan9.9%2017
137Sri Lanka9.85%2023
138Gabon9.49%2021
139Madagascar9.36%2022
140Switzerland9.1%2022
141Guinea-Bissau8.57%2019
142Central African Republic8.21%2021
143Saudi Arabia7.77%2022
144China7.7%2022
145Bangladesh7.64%2021
146Pakistan7.5%2000
147Panama7.46%2021
148Iran7.4%2009
149Sudan7.39%2016
150Zimbabwe7.21%2018
151Micronesia7.05%2020
152India6.72%2022
153Equatorial Guinea6.6%2022
154Republic of the Congo6.51%2021
155Myanmar6.02%2019
156Lebanon5.68%2021
157Ethiopia3.93%2023
158Bahrain2.82%2020
159Kuwait1.5%1998
160Iraq1.34%2019
161United Arab Emirates0.58%2022

What correlates with Tax to GDP Ratio (Tax Revenue as % of GDP)?

Pearson r against 1,443 other country metrics sharing at least 97 countries. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Tax to GDP Ratio (Tax Revenue as % of GDP) tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. WJP RoLI Fundamental Rights ScoreWorld Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index
    r = +0.63 · strong · n = 126
    Plot
  2. LP Personal FreedomLegatum Prosperity IndexA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.63 · strong · n = 140
    Plot
  3. Culture Rank GCI v1.6Good Country Index by CountryA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.62 · strong · n = 146
    Plot
  4. EIU Civil Liberties ScoreDemocracy Index by Country
    r = +0.59 · strong · n = 139
    Plot
  5. Rights & RulesSocial Progress Index by Country
    r = +0.59 · strong · n = 142
    Plot
  6. V-Dem LDI ScoreV Dem Democracy Index by Country
    r = +0.58 · strong · n = 143
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Tax to GDP Ratio (Tax Revenue as % of GDP) tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Human RightsFailed States
    r = −0.59 · strong · n = 149
    Plot
  2. Civil Liberties Freedom RatingVoting Rights by Country
    r = −0.56 · strong · n = 152
    Plot
  3. ObjectiveLists Conservative Country ScoreMost Conservative Countries
    r = −0.55 · strong · n = 134
    Plot
  4. Vulnerability ScoreGlobal Slavery Index by Country
    r = −0.54 · strong · n = 134
    Plot
  5. State LegitimacyFailed States
    r = −0.53 · strong · n = 149
    Plot
  6. Vulnerability Score (lower is better)Countries that Still Have Slavery
    r = −0.53 · strong · n = 135
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Tax to GDP Ratio (Tax Revenue as % of GDP)?
Nauru has the highest Tax to GDP Ratio (Tax Revenue as % of GDP), at 44.4%, followed by Norway (31.3%) and Lesotho (30.4%).
Which country has the lowest Tax to GDP Ratio (Tax Revenue as % of GDP)?
United Arab Emirates has the lowest Tax to GDP Ratio (Tax Revenue as % of GDP), at 0.58%.
What is the median Tax to GDP Ratio (Tax Revenue as % of GDP) across countries?
The median is 16.4% across the 161 countries with data.
Where does this tax to gdp ratio by country data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Tax revenue (% of GDP) - World Bank.

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