Tax Revenue by Country 2026
By Axis Intelligence Research
Co-author: Mia Scarlett | Last updated: October 12, 2026 | License: CC BY 4.0
Axis Intelligence Research estimates that 137 economies collected $26.27 trillion in tax revenue in 2023. The United States alone collected $7.13 trillion, 27.1% of the total. The 38 African countries in the OECD dataset collected $372.3 billion combined: 5.2% of the US figure, and less than France collected on its own.
Quick Answer
The OECD average tax-to-GDP ratio reached a record 34.1% in 2024, ranging from 18.3% in Mexico to 45.2% in Denmark (OECD Revenue Statistics 2025). Across 141 economies in 2023, the median ratio was 21.62%. Axis Intelligence Research’s Income-to-Consumption Tax Ratio (ICTR™) shows the United States taxes income at 3.83 times what it raises from goods and services, the highest of 121 economies measured.
Key Findings
- Axis Intelligence Research estimates the 137 economies in the OECD’s global tax database collected $26.27 trillion in tax revenue in 2023, with the United States and China together holding 41.4% of it.
- According to Axis Intelligence Research, 38 African countries collected $372.3 billion in tax in 2023, equal to 5.2% of the United States’ $7.13 trillion and below France’s $1.34 trillion.
- The OECD average tax-to-GDP ratio rose to 34.1% in 2024, the highest level recorded for the 38 member countries, according to OECD Revenue Statistics 2025.
- Axis Intelligence Research’s Income-to-Consumption Tax Ratio (ICTR™) is above 1 in 34 of 38 OECD countries but in only 4 of 29 African countries measured, using 2023 OECD data.
- According to Axis Intelligence Research’s Benchmark Tax Gap (BTG™), the United States collected 8.10 points of GDP less than the OECD average in 2023, worth $2.25 trillion at 2023 GDP.
Which Countries Collect the Most Tax Revenue?
There are two honest answers, and they rarely produce the same list. Measured as a share of the economy, the Nordic and Western European states lead. Measured in dollars, the list follows the size of the economy, and the United States leads by a wide margin.
Highest tax-to-GDP ratios, 2023 and 2024
| Rank (2023) | Country | 2019 | 2023 | 2024 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark | 47.15% | 43.99% | 45.18% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| 2 | France | 45.02% | 43.85% | 43.46% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| 3 | Finland | 42.53% | 42.76% | 42.22% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| 4 | Austria | 42.91% | 42.61% | 43.37% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| 5 | Belgium | 42.32% | 41.89% | 42.57% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| 6 | Sweden | 43.07% | 41.71% | 41.44% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| 7 | Norway | 39.85% | 41.63% | 40.19% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| 8 | Italy | 42.32% | 41.52% | 42.75% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| 9 | Luxembourg | 39.93% | 39.81% | 41.46% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| 10 | Netherlands | 38.47% | 39.26% | 38.54% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| 11 | Greece | 39.10% | 38.92% | 39.83% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| 12 | Germany | 38.62% | 37.29% | 38.02% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| 13 | Croatia | 38.44% | 36.73% | 38.43% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| 14 | Spain | 34.44% | 36.41% | 36.68% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| 15 | Slovenia | 37.92% | 36.36% | 38.30% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
Tax revenue of general government, including compulsory social security contributions, as % of GDP. Source: OECD Global Revenue Statistics Database, retrieved October 12, 2026. All 141 economies are in the CSV.
Eight economies collected more than 40% of GDP in tax in 2023, all of them European OECD members. The 2024 data reshuffles the top of the table: Denmark widened its lead to 45.18%, Austria moved past France, and Italy climbed to 42.75%.
Lowest tax-to-GDP ratios, 2023
| Country | Region | 2023 | 2024 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somalia | Africa | 2.92% | 3.11% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Sierra Leone | Africa | 6.66% | 7.36% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Bangladesh | Asia-Pacific | 7.23% | 6.72% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Nigeria | Africa | 8.19% | n/a | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Niger | Africa | 8.20% | 7.16% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Timor-Leste | Asia-Pacific | 9.60% | 10.02% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Sri Lanka | Asia-Pacific | 10.05% | 12.54% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Pakistan | Asia-Pacific | 10.57% | 12.28% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Guyana | LAC | 11.59% | 9.19% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
Six economies collected less than 10% of GDP in tax in 2023, and 36 of 141 collected less than 15%, according to Axis Intelligence Research’s count of the OECD data.
Which countries collect the most tax in dollars?
The OECD publishes tax revenue as a share of GDP for all 141 economies, but in US dollars only for its 38 members. To put every economy on the same dollar scale, Axis Intelligence Research multiplied each country’s 2023 tax-to-GDP ratio by its 2023 GDP in current dollars from the IMF World Economic Outlook database (April 2026 edition).
Formula: Tax revenue (USD) = tax-to-GDP ratio ÷ 100 × GDP in current USD
Worked example, United States: 25.63% × $27,811.5 billion = $7,128.1 billion.
| Rank | Country | Tax-to-GDP 2023 | Tax revenue 2023 (Axis estimate) | OECD-published USD | Per person (Axis estimate) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 25.63% | $7,128.1B | $7,105.9B | $21,154 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| 2 | China | 20.44% | $3,754.2B | n/a | $2,663 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| 3 | Germany | 37.29% | $1,701.7B | $1,701.5B | $20,432 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| 4 | Japan | 33.73% | $1,479.0B | $1,426.0B | $11,881 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| 5 | France | 43.85% | $1,342.3B | $1,340.3B | $19,623 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| 6 | United Kingdom | 34.97% | $1,196.7B | $1,178.3B | $17,463 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| 7 | Italy | 41.52% | $962.2B | $962.0B | $16,310 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| 8 | Canada | 34.79% | $764.2B | $756.0B | $19,135 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| 9 | Brazil | 31.66% | $693.7B | n/a | $3,277 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| 10 | Spain | 36.41% | $589.8B | $589.7B | $12,129 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| 11 | Australia | 29.87% | $522.2B | $530.4B | $19,371 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| 12 | Korea | 26.87% | $495.7B | $494.2B | $9,586 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| 13 | Netherlands | 39.26% | $445.9B | $445.8B | $25,036 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| 14 | Mexico | 17.73% | $318.1B | $318.0B | $2,426 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| 15 | Poland | 34.95% | $284.1B | $283.9B | $7,731 | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
Does the method hold? For the 38 OECD members, where the OECD publishes its own dollar figures, the Axis estimate lands within a median 0.15% of the official number. Twenty-eight of 38 are within 1%. The widest gap is Norway, at 3.96%, consistent with differences in GDP vintage and exchange-rate timing between the two databases. We publish both columns side by side rather than replacing one with the other.
According to Axis Intelligence Research, the ten largest collectors hold 74.7% of all tax revenue in the 137 economies. China’s $3.75 trillion is 14.3% of the total, a little over half the US figure, despite a population roughly four times larger.
Mia Scarlett’s read: Treat the dollar table the way you would treat consolidated revenue in a group filing: it tells you about scale, not efficiency. The United States ranks 51st of 141 on the ratio and first on the dollars, because the denominator is $27.8 trillion of GDP. The ratio table tells you how much of the economy the state claims. The dollar table tells you how large the claim is in absolute terms. Analysts who quote one without the other are reading half a statement.
How Much Tax Does the World Collect?
Axis Intelligence Research estimates that the 137 economies with both OECD tax data and IMF GDP data collected $26.27 trillion in tax in 2023, on combined GDP of $96.21 trillion. Weighted by economic size, that is a tax-to-GDP ratio of 27.3%. The unweighted median across 141 economies is 21.62%, because most of the world’s economies are smaller, lower-income and lower-tax than the large OECD members that dominate the weighted figure.
Tax revenue by region, 2023 (Axis estimate)
| Group | Economies with GDP data | Tax revenue (USD) | Share of total | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OECD members | 38 | $20,086.8B | 76.5% | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Asia-Pacific (non-OECD) | 31 | $4,512.6B | 17.2% | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Latin America and the Caribbean (non-OECD) | 23 | $1,070.2B | 4.1% | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Africa | 38 | $372.3B | 1.4% | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Other European economies | 7 | $228.4B | 0.9% | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Total | 137 | $26,270.2B | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
OECD members are counted once, in the OECD row, even where they also appear in a regional report (Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand in Asia-Pacific; Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Costa Rica in LAC).
The African figure is the one that stops readers. According to Axis Intelligence Research, the 38 African countries covered by the OECD collected $372.3 billion in 2023, 5.2% of what the United States collected and less than France’s $1,342.3 billion. Per person, the gap is wider still: Luxembourg collected an estimated $53,490 per resident in 2023 and Somalia $20. The median across 137 economies was $1,644.
What are the average tax-to-GDP ratios by region?
| Region | 2019 | 2023 | 2024 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OECD average (38) | 33.35% | 33.73% | 34.06% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Latin America and the Caribbean (28) | 21.24% | 21.54% | 21.72% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Asia and the Pacific (38) | 19.31% | 19.35% | 19.69% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Africa (38) | 15.22% | 16.09% | not yet published | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
Unweighted averages as published by the OECD. The OECD and its regional partners do not publish a single world average, and Axis Intelligence Research does not build one by averaging these regional means: they cover different country sets and weight a micro-state and a G20 economy equally.
How Did Tax-to-GDP Ratios Change in 2024?
The OECD average tax-to-GDP ratio rose 0.3 percentage points to 34.1% in 2024, its highest recorded level, according to OECD Revenue Statistics 2025, released December 9, 2025. Ratios rose in 22 of the 36 members with preliminary 2024 data and fell in 13. Latvia recorded the largest increase (2.4 points) and Slovenia the second-largest (1.9 points), both driven by social security contributions. Colombia recorded the largest decline, 2.2 points, on lower corporate tax revenue.
Over a longer window, 31 OECD countries collected more tax relative to GDP in 2024 than in 2010.
Latin America and the Caribbean
The LAC average rose 0.2 points to 21.7% in 2024, ranging from 9.2% in Guyana to 33.7% in Brazil, according to Revenue Statistics in Latin America and the Caribbean 2026 (May 5, 2026). Cuba posted the largest increase, 5.0 points, and Trinidad and Tobago the largest fall, 3.0 points. The gap to the OECD average barely moved in a decade: 12.6 points in 2014, 12.3 points in 2024.
Asia and the Pacific
The Asia-Pacific average reached 19.7% in 2024, above its pre-pandemic 19.3% in 2019, per Revenue Statistics in Asia and the Pacific 2026 (June 30, 2026). The ratio still fell in 20 of 36 economies with 2024 data. The Cook Islands (5.9 points) and Mongolia (4.8 points) recorded the largest gains. Taxes on goods and services supplied 50% of total taxation across the region.
Africa
The Africa average rose 0.5 points to 16.1% in 2023, the latest year in Revenue Statistics in Africa 2025 (December 3, 2025). Ratios ranged from 2.9% in Somalia to 34.0% in Tunisia, and 20 of the 38 countries collected less than 15% of GDP. Gabon (4.9 points), Equatorial Guinea (4.5 points) and Chad (3.4 points) posted the largest gains, driven by corporate tax on extractive-sector profits. Over 2013 to 2023 the African average rose 1.4 points, and ratios rose in 29 of 38 countries.
African tax-to-GDP ratios, 2023
| Country | Tax-to-GDP 2023 | Tax revenue (Axis estimate) | Per person (Axis estimate) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tunisia | 33.99% | $16.5B | $1,352 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| Morocco | 28.52% | $41.7B | $1,125 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| South Africa | 26.52% | $101.1B | $1,642 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| Senegal | 19.49% | $6.0B | $329 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| Kenya | 15.80% | $17.1B | $332 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| Ghana | 14.51% | $11.7B | $346 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| Cameroon | 14.43% | $7.0B | $248 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| Côte d’Ivoire | 14.04% | $11.3B | $365 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| Egypt | 13.57% | $53.4B | $508 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 10.93% | $7.6B | $76 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| Nigeria | 8.19% | $39.9B | $175 | OECD; Axis calc. |
All 38 African countries are in the CSV.
Mia Scarlett’s read: Read 2023 Africa the way you would read a commodity company’s year: Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad grew their ratios on extractive profits, which is revenue tied to a price you do not control. A ratio built on corporate tax from oil and minerals can reverse in a single price cycle. The more durable gains are the ones built on broad bases, and those move a tenth of a point at a time.
Who Taxes Paychecks and Who Taxes Purchases? The ICTR™
Tax-to-GDP tells you how much a state collects. It does not tell you from whom. Two countries at 25% of GDP can run opposite systems: one funded by income tax and payroll contributions withheld from wages, the other by VAT and excise collected at the till.
Axis Intelligence Research built the Income-to-Consumption Tax Ratio (ICTR™) to measure that split in one number.
Definition: The ICTR™ divides revenue from taxes on people’s income and earnings by revenue from taxes on goods and services.
Formula: ICTR™ = (personal income tax + social security contributions + payroll taxes) ÷ taxes on goods and services, all as % of GDP, same country, same year.
A reading above 1 means the country raises more from income and earnings than from consumption. Below 1, consumption taxes carry more of the load. Every input is a published line in the OECD’s harmonised classification (categories 1100, 2000, 3000 and 5000), so any reader can recompute it from the CSV.
Worked example, United States, 2023: (10.25 + 6.03 + 0.01) ÷ 4.25 = 3.83. The United States has no national VAT, so its consumption-tax line is the lowest in the OECD, and its ICTR™ is the highest of 121 economies measured.
ICTR™ by region, 2023
| Group | ICTR™ on the OECD-published regional average | Median country ICTR™ | Countries with ICTR™ above 1 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OECD | 1.69 | 1.80 | 34 of 38 | Axis calc. from OECD |
| Asia and the Pacific | 0.60 | 0.57 | 3 of 25 | Axis calc. from OECD |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 0.57 | 0.53 | 3 of 22 | Axis calc. from OECD |
| Africa | 0.54 | 0.48 | 4 of 29 | Axis calc. from OECD |
According to Axis Intelligence Research, the average OECD country raises $1.69 from income and earnings for every $1 from goods and services. In Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America the relationship inverts: roughly 54 to 60 cents from income and earnings per consumption-tax dollar. The divide is close to binary. Across 121 economies with a computable ICTR™, 48 are above 1, and 34 of those are OECD members.
Highest and lowest ICTR™, 2023
| Highest | ICTR™ | Lowest | ICTR™ | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3.83 | Tonga | 0.09 | Axis calc. from OECD |
| Switzerland | 2.89 | Sri Lanka | 0.13 | Axis calc. from OECD |
| Japan | 2.84 | Bangladesh | 0.13 | Axis calc. from OECD |
| Marshall Islands | 2.74 | Bahamas | 0.14 | Axis calc. from OECD |
| Germany | 2.43 | Fiji | 0.14 | Axis calc. from OECD |
| Canada | 2.42 | Samoa | 0.15 | Axis calc. from OECD |
| Luxembourg | 2.42 | Cabo Verde | 0.19 | Axis calc. from OECD |
| Belgium | 2.39 | Dominican Republic | 0.19 | Axis calc. from OECD |
Two readings stand out among large economies. China’s ICTR™ is 0.95, almost balanced, because social security contributions (6.44% of GDP) nearly offset a small personal income tax (1.14%). Brazil sits at 0.90: one of the highest-taxed economies in Latin America at 31.66% of GDP, yet still weighted toward consumption, with taxes on goods and services at 12.96% of GDP.
The OECD’s own tax-mix data frames the same picture from the other side. Across OECD members in 2023, social security contributions supplied 25.5% of total tax revenue, personal income tax 23.7%, VAT 20.5%, other consumption taxes 10.8%, corporate income tax 11.9% and property taxes 5.1%.
Tax mix of major economies, 2023 (% of GDP)
| Country | Personal income tax | Corporate income tax | Social security contributions | Goods and services | of which VAT | Property | ICTR™ | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 10.25 | 2.20 | 6.03 | 4.25 | 0.00 | 2.91 | 3.83 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| China | 1.14 | 3.18 | 6.44 | 7.95 | 5.46 | 1.23 | 0.95 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| Japan | 6.18 | 4.70 | 13.19 | 6.83 | 4.94 | 2.75 | 2.84 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| Germany | 9.85 | 2.24 | 14.32 | 9.96 | 6.92 | 0.91 | 2.43 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| United Kingdom | 10.55 | 3.38 | 6.67 | 10.55 | 7.19 | 3.68 | 1.65 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| France | 9.41 | 2.35 | 14.55 | 11.29 | 7.27 | 3.45 | 2.29 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| Brazil | 3.06 | 3.65 | 8.00 | 12.96 | 6.37 | 1.54 | 0.90 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| India | not covered | — | ||||||
| Indonesia | 1.11 | 3.97 | 0.52 | 5.03 | 3.54 | 0.19 | 0.32 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| South Africa | 9.04 | 4.36 | 0.35 | 10.72 | 6.27 | 1.18 | 0.91 | OECD; Axis calc. |
| Nigeria | 0.59 | 3.57 | 0.52 | 2.93 | 1.55 | 0.07 | 0.39 | OECD; Axis calc. |
India is not in the OECD Global Revenue Statistics Database, so no harmonised figure exists for it on this basis. Corporate tax rates by country, and what companies actually pay, are covered in our corporate tax statistics.
Mia Scarlett’s read: The ICTR™ is a revenue-mix disclosure, the public-finance equivalent of a segment note. A high reading means the state’s income is concentrated on wages, so receipts track employment and the payroll cycle. A low reading means receipts track spending, which is visible at the border and the checkout but harder to make progressive. Neither is a verdict. What the metric does is stop analysts comparing two 25% countries as if they were the same business.
How Far Is Each Country From Its Regional Benchmark? The BTG™
The second Axis metric answers the question finance ministries, development lenders and journalists ask most often: how much more would a country collect if it simply matched its peers?
Definition: The Benchmark Tax Gap (BTG™) is a country’s tax-to-GDP ratio minus the OECD-published average for its benchmark group, in percentage points, same year.
Benchmarks: OECD members are measured against the OECD average (33.73% in 2023). Other economies are measured against the average of the OECD regional report that covers them: Africa (16.09%), Asia and the Pacific (19.35%), or Latin America and the Caribbean (21.54%). Seven European economies outside those reports carry no BTG™.
Dollar value: For countries below their benchmark, Axis Intelligence Research translates the gap into dollars: −BTG ÷ 100 × 2023 GDP in current USD. This is static arithmetic, a measure of the distance, not a forecast of revenue any government could raise.
Worked example, Nigeria: 8.19% − 16.09% = −7.90 points. At 2023 GDP of $487.35 billion, the gap equals $38.5 billion a year.
Largest Benchmark Tax Gaps in dollars, 2023 (Axis estimate)
| Country | Benchmark | Tax-to-GDP 2023 | BTG™ (points) | Gap in USD | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | OECD average | 25.63% | −8.10 | $2,252.7B | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Mexico | OECD average | 17.73% | −16.00 | $287.1B | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Korea | OECD average | 26.87% | −6.86 | $126.6B | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Türkiye | OECD average | 23.22% | −10.51 | $121.2B | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Indonesia | Asia-Pacific average | 12.05% | −7.30 | $100.1B | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Bangladesh | Asia-Pacific average | 7.23% | −12.12 | $54.7B | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Nigeria | Africa average | 8.19% | −7.90 | $38.5B | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Pakistan | Asia-Pacific average | 10.57% | −8.78 | $29.55B | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Malaysia | Asia-Pacific average | 13.11% | −6.24 | $24.96B | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Peru | LAC average | 16.67% | −4.87 | $13.28B | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
| Egypt | Africa average | 13.57% | −2.52 | $9.92B | Axis calc. from OECD, IMF |
According to Axis Intelligence Research, the United States collected 8.10 points of GDP less tax than the average OECD member in 2023, a difference worth $2.25 trillion at 2023 GDP. Outside the OECD, the dollar gaps of every country below its regional average add up to $414.9 billion, less than one-fifth of the US figure alone.
The BTG™ also counts who sits below the line. In 2023, 22 of 38 African countries, 20 of 34 non-OECD Asia-Pacific economies, 13 of 24 non-OECD LAC economies and 15 of 38 OECD members collected less than their benchmark average.
Some gaps are small in dollars and large in meaning. Cameroon sits 1.66 points under the African average, a $0.81 billion gap; Côte d’Ivoire, 2.05 points and $1.66 billion. At the other end, several countries run well above their regional peers: Tunisia by 17.90 points, Morocco by 12.43 and South Africa by 10.43 in Africa; Brazil by 10.12 in Latin America.
Mia Scarlett’s read: A benchmark gap is what a credit analyst calls headroom. It does not say a government should close it, only how much revenue capacity sits unused relative to comparable issuers. For Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nigeria, the headroom is large in both points and dollars, which is why tax collection appears in nearly every lender’s conversation with them. For the United States, the gap is a design choice: no national VAT, and a consumption-tax line of 4.25% of GDP. Our US tax statistics show where federal revenue actually comes from instead.
Which Countries Raised or Cut Their Tax Take Since 2019?
Between 2019 and 2023, tax-to-GDP ratios rose in 89 of 141 economies and fell in 51, according to Axis Intelligence Research’s comparison of the OECD data.
| Largest increases, 2019–2023 | 2019 | 2023 | Largest decreases, 2019–2023 | 2019 | 2023 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chad | 5.95% | 13.14% | Guyana | 23.20% | 11.59% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Maldives | 20.05% | 25.49% | Timor-Leste | 16.37% | 9.60% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Azerbaijan | 18.06% | 22.98% | Malta | 30.01% | 26.17% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Gabon | 12.05% | 16.65% | Denmark | 47.15% | 43.99% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Suriname | 15.07% | 19.14% | Cambodia | 16.30% | 13.32% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
| Kyrgyzstan | 18.36% | 21.91% | Fiji | 22.87% | 20.38% | OECD Global Revenue Statistics |
Micro-states (Niue, Nauru) and Cuba show larger swings and are in the CSV; they are left out of this table because single events dominate their ratios.
Guyana’s halving is the clearest example of a ratio falling while revenue grows: the LAC report attributes its 2024 decline to extraordinary oil-driven GDP growth outpacing tax receipts. A falling ratio is not always a falling tax take.
Methodology
Collection. Axis Intelligence Research retrieved every figure on October 12, 2026 from primary publications: the OECD Global Revenue Statistics Database (dataflow DSD_REV_COMP_GLOBAL@DF_RSGLOBAL, general government, % of GDP, 2019–2024, 141 economies plus four OECD-published averages); the OECD Revenue Statistics comparative tables for member countries (DSD_REV_COMP_OECD@DF_RSOECD, used for OECD-published USD totals); the IMF World Economic Outlook database, April 2026 (GDP in current USD and population, 2023); and four OECD reports: Revenue Statistics 2025, Revenue Statistics in Africa 2025, Revenue Statistics in Latin America and the Caribbean 2026, and Revenue Statistics in Asia and the Pacific 2026. No figure on this page comes from a secondary compilation.
Definitions. “Tax revenue” follows the OECD classification: compulsory, unrequited payments to general government, including compulsory social security contributions. Ratios are general government, all levels.
Tax revenue in USD (Axis estimate). Tax-to-GDP ratio ÷ 100 × IMF GDP in current USD, 2023. Per person = tax revenue in USD ÷ IMF population. Validated against the OECD’s own USD figures for 38 members (median absolute difference 0.15%, maximum 3.96%). Four economies without IMF GDP data (Cook Islands, Cuba, Niue, Tokelau) are excluded from dollar totals.
Income-to-Consumption Tax Ratio (ICTR™). (OECD category 1100 + 2000 + 3000) ÷ category 5000, % of GDP, 2023. Payroll taxes not reported are treated as zero. The ICTR™ is not computed where personal income tax or social security contributions are not reported separately (20 economies, logged as declined rows in the CSV).
Benchmark Tax Gap (BTG™). Country tax-to-GDP ratio minus the OECD-published average of its benchmark group, 2023, in percentage points. Dollar value = −BTG™ ÷ 100 × IMF GDP in current USD, 2023, for countries below their benchmark only.
Arithmetic. Every calculated row was computed twice, in floating point and in exact rational arithmetic; 597 calculated values were checked with zero mismatches.
Scope. Regional averages are unweighted, as published. India, Russia and Saudi Arabia are not in the OECD Global Revenue Statistics Database and therefore have no harmonised figure here; we did not substitute non-comparable national data. 2023 is the comparison year because it is the latest year with data for all 141 economies; 2024 values appear wherever published. GDP-based ratios move with GDP revisions, so the OECD’s next releases may revise individual readings.
About This Dataset
Title: Tax Revenue by Country 2026
Creator and publisher: Axis Intelligence Research; co-author Mia Scarlett
File: tax-revenue-by-country.csv, 3,014 rows
Contents: Tax-to-GDP ratios for 141 economies, 2019–2024; tax mix by category (personal income, corporate income, social security contributions, payroll, property, goods and services, VAT, other) for 2023; IMF GDP and population; Axis tax revenue estimates in USD and per person; OECD-published USD totals for 38 members; every ICTR™ and BTG™ reading with its formula; OECD regional averages; headline figures from four OECD reports; and declined calculations with reasons.
Format: UTF-8 CSV, one observation per row, source URL and retrieval date on every row.
License: CC BY 4.0. Also published on Hugging Face, Kaggle and GitHub.
How to Cite This Data
APA: Axis Intelligence Research, & Scarlett, M. (2026, October 12). Tax revenue by country 2026: Tax-to-GDP ratios for 141 economies, who collects the most in dollars, and who taxes paychecks vs purchases. Axis Intelligence. https://axis-intelligence.com/tax-revenue-by-country/
MLA: Axis Intelligence Research, and Mia Scarlett. “Tax Revenue by Country 2026: Tax-to-GDP Ratios for 141 Economies, Who Collects the Most in Dollars, and Who Taxes Paychecks vs Purchases.” Axis Intelligence, 12 Oct. 2026, axis-intelligence.com/tax-revenue-by-country/.
Chicago: Axis Intelligence Research and Mia Scarlett. “Tax Revenue by Country 2026: Tax-to-GDP Ratios for 141 Economies, Who Collects the Most in Dollars, and Who Taxes Paychecks vs Purchases.” Axis Intelligence, October 12, 2026. https://axis-intelligence.com/tax-revenue-by-country/.
Tax Revenue by Country: What Analysts, Ministries and Journalists Ask
Which country collects the most tax revenue in dollars?
The United States, with an estimated $7.13 trillion in 2023, according to Axis Intelligence Research’s calculation from OECD and IMF data. China follows at $3.75 trillion and Germany at $1.70 trillion. The United States alone accounts for 27.1% of tax collected by the 137 economies measured.
Which country has the highest tax-to-GDP ratio in 2024?
Denmark, at 45.2% of GDP in 2024, according to OECD Revenue Statistics 2025. Mexico had the lowest ratio among OECD members, at 18.3%. Across all 141 economies in 2023, Somalia had the lowest ratio, at 2.92%.
Why does the US collect the most tax but rank low on tax-to-GDP?
Because the US economy is large and its consumption taxes are small. US tax revenue was 25.63% of GDP in 2023, against an OECD average of 33.73%, ranking 32nd of 38 OECD members. The United States levies no national VAT, so taxes on goods and services were 4.25% of GDP, the lowest in the OECD.
How much tax do African countries collect compared with the rest of the world?
Axis Intelligence Research estimates the 38 African countries in the OECD dataset collected $372.3 billion in 2023, or 1.4% of the 137-economy total. Their average tax-to-GDP ratio was 16.1%, and 20 of the 38 collected less than 15% of GDP, per Revenue Statistics in Africa 2025.
Are social security contributions counted as taxes in these rankings?
Yes. The OECD classifies compulsory social security contributions paid to general government as taxes, which is why France (14.55% of GDP in contributions) and Germany (14.32%) rank high. Countries that fund pensions privately or through non-government schemes report lower ratios on this definition.
What is the Income-to-Consumption Tax Ratio (ICTR™)?
The ICTR™ is an Axis Intelligence Research metric dividing revenue from personal income tax, social security contributions and payroll taxes by revenue from taxes on goods and services. The United States reads 3.83, the OECD average 1.69 and the Africa average 0.54, using 2023 OECD data.
How much more tax would Nigeria or Indonesia collect at their regional average?
Axis Intelligence Research’s Benchmark Tax Gap (BTG™) puts Nigeria 7.90 points of GDP below the African average, worth $38.5 billion at 2023 GDP, and Indonesia 7.30 points below the Asia-Pacific average, worth $100.1 billion. These are arithmetic distances, not revenue forecasts.
Is the OECD tax-to-GDP ratio at a record high?
Yes. The OECD average reached 34.1% in 2024, up from 33.7% in 2023, the highest recorded level for the 38 members, according to OECD Revenue Statistics 2025. The two largest increases, in Latvia and Slovenia, were driven by social security contributions.
Does a higher tax-to-GDP ratio mean higher tax rates?
Not necessarily. The ratio measures revenue collected, which depends on rates, the size of the tax base, exemptions and compliance. Two countries with similar headline rates can collect very different shares of GDP. For headline corporate rates by country, see our corporate tax statistics.
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