Tax Revenue by Country 2026

Executive summary

This index ranks 45 of the world's largest economies by tax revenue (% of GDP), using World Bank Open Data for cross-country comparability, and goes beyond a single snapshot: it shows the nominal figure, a ten-year history, a regional breakdown and the biggest movers. Denmark leads at 33.4% (2024); United Arab Emirates is lowest among those ranked at 0.6%. Sweden ranks 4th of 45 at 27.2% (2024). As reference points, the EU stands at 19.9%, the OECD at 15.7% and the world at 13.8%. Every figure carries its World Bank series and reference year, and the complete dataset is free to download as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

Key findings

Overview

Tax revenue as a share of GDP measures the size of the state's take from the economy. This index ranks countries by central-government tax revenue relative to GDP (World Bank, compiled from IMF and national accounts).

The spread reflects fundamentally different social contracts: high-tax European welfare states at one end, lower-tax economies that provide fewer public services (or fund them from other sources, such as resource revenue) at the other.

What drives the ranking

Tax-to-GDP is driven by the breadth of the tax base, VAT and income-tax rates, compliance, and the size of the informal economy. It shapes fiscal capacity and the room for public investment.

Sweden is a classic high-tax, high-service economy; its position here frames much of the tax and business-cost analysis Affärslivet publishes.

How it has changed over time

The chart tracks tax revenue (% of GDP) for Denmark (the current leader) against Sweden over the past decade; the table below shows the top economies year by year.

By region

Median tax revenue (% of GDP) by world region among the ranked economies. Regional medians reveal patterns the country ranking alone can hide.

Biggest movers

The largest changes in tax revenue (% of GDP) over the available window — where the action has been.

Full ranking — 45 economies

Complete ranking by tax revenue (% of GDP), most recent World Bank data, with world region. Region aggregates (EU, OECD, World) appear in the At-a-glance box as reference points.

Scoreboard (machine-readable data)

Every headline indicator with its value, period, source and confidence. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.

↓ CSV · ↓ JSON

Methodology & verification

Economies are ranked by tax revenue (% of GDP) using the World Bank Open Data API, which harmonises national statistics for cross-country comparison. Each value is the most recent year available for that economy, shown alongside the figure; the trend table uses each economy's reported history. Economies with no reported value are omitted rather than estimated. Region aggregates (EU, euro area, OECD, World) are reference points, not ranked. This series often captures central-government tax only and can exclude social contributions and local taxes, so it understates the total tax burden in federal or decentralised systems. Confidence: High (official multilateral source).

Data dictionary

Frequently asked questions

Glossary

Tax Revenue (% Of Gdp)

Tax revenue (% of GDP) — as reported by the World Bank. ↗

World Bank Open Data

A free, authoritative database of harmonised economic indicators for every country. ↗

Purchasing-power parity (PPP)

A conversion that equalises the price of a comparable basket of goods across countries, so output and incomes can be compared in real terms rather than at market exchange rates. ↗

Nominal (current US$)

A value converted at prevailing market exchange rates and not adjusted for differences in price levels. ↗

GNI per capita

Gross national income per person — like GDP per capita but including net income earned abroad; useful where cross-border corporate flows are large. ↗

Reference year

The year a figure applies to; it can differ across countries because national statistics are published on different schedules. ↗

Region aggregate

A World Bank grouping (e.g. European Union, OECD, World) whose value is a weighted regional total or average, shown here for reference rather than ranked. ↗

Sources

• World Bank Open Data — Tax revenue (% of GDP)
• IMF Government Finance Statistics via World Bank
• World Bank Open Data (home)
• IMF World Economic Outlook (comparison)
• OECD Data
• Affärslivet — Sweden Economic Indicators

Related reports & data

• Stock Market Capitalisation by Country 2026
• Foreign Direct Investment by Country 2026
• Entrepreneurship by Country 2026
• Current Account Balance by Country 2026
• Affärslivet Business Climate Index
• Sweden Economic Indicators