Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Bhutan
Bhutan: Tax revenue (% of GDP) was 12.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Tax revenue in Bhutan, 1982–2020
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for tax revenue in Bhutan is 12.3%, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 15.3% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue in Bhutan peaked at 15.8% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 1990.
Bhutan ranks 113th of 157 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 5.7% | — |
| 1983 | 6.6% | +16.0% |
| 1984 | 7.6% | +14.6% |
| 1985 | 6.7% | -11.5% |
| 1986 | 7.1% | +5.7% |
| 1988 | 6.2% | -12.5% |
| 1989 | 5.4% | -13.1% |
| 1990 | 4.6% | -15.0% |
| 1991 | 5.2% | +12.0% |
| 1992 | 5.3% | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 6.5% | +23.1% |
| 1994 | 6.2% | -4.5% |
| 1995 | 6.9% | +11.4% |
| 1996 | 7.9% | +13.8% |
| 1997 | 6.8% | -13.5% |
| 1998 | 8.3% | +22.3% |
| 1999 | 7.4% | -11.4% |
| 2000 | 9.5% | +29.7% |
| 2001 | 8.2% | -14.2% |
| 2002 | 8.9% | +8.5% |
| 2003 | 8.9% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 7.3% | -17.8% |
| 2005 | 7.9% | +8.2% |
| 2006 | 8.6% | +8.2% |
| 2007 | 7.2% | -16.7% |
| 2008 | 8.0% | +12.2% |
| 2009 | 8.8% | +9.2% |
| 2010 | 12.2% | +39.0% |
| 2011 | 12.4% | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 13.6% | +9.3% |
| 2013 | 13.3% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 12.5% | -6.0% |
| 2015 | 12.1% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 11.9% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 11.9% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 15.8% | +33.3% |
| 2019 | 14.5% | -8.3% |
| 2020 | 12.3% | -15.3% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 12.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 13.9%, 88% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 12.3% is above the median for South Asia, which is 11.1%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.5% | 5.4% | 7.6% | 7 |
| 1990s | 6.5% | 4.6% | 8.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.3% | 7.2% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.0% | 11.9% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.3% | 12.3% | 12.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More public sector data for Bhutan
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 5.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2021)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 5.16 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2021)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 4.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2021)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 104.88 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue in Bhutan?
- Tax revenue in Bhutan was 12.3% in 2020, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest tax revenue recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 15.8% in 2018.
- What is the lowest tax revenue recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 1990.
- How does Bhutan rank for tax revenue?
- Bhutan ranks 113th out of 157 countries with data for 2020.
- Is tax revenue rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Tax revenue (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Taxes are compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government units. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.