Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Malaysia
Malaysia: Tax revenue (% of GDP) was 12.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Tax revenue in Malaysia, 1996–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Malaysia recorded 12.4% for tax revenue in 2024.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 16.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue in Malaysia peaked at 19.8% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 10.9%, in 2020.
That places Malaysia 111th out of 157 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 19.4% | — |
| 1997 | 19.8% | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 16.7% | -15.3% |
| 1999 | 14.1% | -15.8% |
| 2000 | 13.7% | -3.0% |
| 2001 | 17.8% | +30.2% |
| 2002 | 17.4% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 15.5% | -11.2% |
| 2004 | 15.2% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 14.8% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 14.5% | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 14.3% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 14.7% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 14.9% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 13.3% | -10.8% |
| 2011 | 14.8% | +11.0% |
| 2012 | 15.6% | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 15.3% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 14.8% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 14.1% | -5.3% |
| 2016 | 13.6% | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 12.9% | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 12.0% | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 11.9% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 10.9% | -8.8% |
| 2021 | 11.2% | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 11.6% | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 12.6% | +8.0% |
| 2024 | 12.4% | -1.1% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 12.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.0%, 73% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 12.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 16.7%, 75% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.5% | 14.1% | 19.8% | 4 |
| 2000s | 15.3% | 13.7% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.8% | 11.9% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.7% | 10.9% | 12.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More public sector data for Malaysia
- 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 7.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.1993 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -90.14 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue in Malaysia?
- Tax revenue in Malaysia was 12.4% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest tax revenue recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 19.8% in 1997.
- What is the lowest tax revenue recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.9% in 2020.
- How does Malaysia rank for tax revenue?
- Malaysia ranks 111th out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tax revenue rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.