Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Ghana
Ghana: Tax revenue (% of GDP) was 12.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Tax revenue in Ghana, 1990–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, tax revenue in Ghana stood at 12.4%.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue in Ghana peaked at 21.8% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 10.7%, in 2013.
That places Ghana 112th out of 157 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 11.4% | — |
| 1991 | 13.2% | +15.1% |
| 1992 | 10.8% | -18.2% |
| 1993 | 13.1% | +22.1% |
| 2001 | 17.2% | +30.8% |
| 2002 | 17.5% | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 18.5% | +5.6% |
| 2004 | 21.8% | +17.7% |
| 2005 | 21.3% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 12.5% | -41.2% |
| 2007 | 13.9% | +10.7% |
| 2008 | 13.9% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 12.6% | -9.2% |
| 2010 | 13.4% | +6.2% |
| 2011 | 14.9% | +11.0% |
| 2012 | 15.4% | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 10.7% | -30.6% |
| 2014 | 11.3% | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 11.7% | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 11.1% | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 11.6% | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 12.2% | +5.8% |
| 2019 | 12.0% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 11.3% | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 12.2% | +8.0% |
| 2022 | 12.3% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 12.4% | +0.8% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 12.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 13.9%, 89% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 12.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.6%, 98% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.1% | 10.8% | 13.2% | 4 |
| 2000s | 16.6% | 12.5% | 21.8% | 9 |
| 2010s | 12.4% | 10.7% | 15.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.1% | 11.3% | 12.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More public sector data for Ghana
- 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 (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.3195 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 37.5 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue in Ghana?
- Tax revenue in Ghana was 12.4% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest tax revenue recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 21.8% in 2004.
- What is the lowest tax revenue recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.7% in 2013.
- How does Ghana rank for tax revenue?
- Ghana ranks 112th out of 157 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tax revenue rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana 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.