Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Tax revenue (% of GDP) was 9.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Tax revenue in Sri Lanka, 1990–2023
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 Sri Lanka is 9.9%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 35.8% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue in Sri Lanka peaked at 19.0% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 7.3%, in 2022.
That places Sri Lanka 134th out of 157 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 19.0% | — |
| 1991 | 18.3% | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 18.0% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 17.5% | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 17.2% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 17.8% | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 17.0% | -4.5% |
| 1997 | 16.0% | -5.6% |
| 1998 | 14.5% | -9.6% |
| 1999 | 15.0% | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 14.5% | -3.4% |
| 2001 | 14.6% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 14.0% | -4.1% |
| 2003 | 12.7% | -9.3% |
| 2004 | 13.5% | +5.9% |
| 2005 | 13.7% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 14.6% | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 14.2% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 13.3% | -6.6% |
| 2009 | 12.8% | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 10.9% | -14.6% |
| 2011 | 10.8% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 10.1% | -6.8% |
| 2013 | 10.1% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 9.7% | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 11.7% | +20.2% |
| 2016 | 11.4% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 11.6% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 11.2% | -3.9% |
| 2019 | 10.9% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 7.8% | -28.7% |
| 2021 | 7.4% | -5.2% |
| 2022 | 7.3% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 9.9% | +35.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 9.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.0%, 58% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 9.9% is below the median for South Asia, which is 11.1%, 89% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +35.8% | 7.3% | 9.9% |
| 2020 | -28.7% | 10.9% | 7.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.0% | 14.5% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.8% | 12.7% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.9% | 9.7% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.1% | 7.3% | 9.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 131 Democratic Republic of Congo 10.7% compare
- 132 Argentina 10.4% compare
- 133 Afghanistan 9.9% compare
- 135 Gabon 9.5% compare
- 136 Switzerland 9.5% compare
- 137 Guinea-Bissau 8.3% compare
More public sector data for Sri Lanka
- 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 11.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4107 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 80 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue in Sri Lanka?
- Tax revenue in Sri Lanka was 9.9% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest tax revenue recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 19.0% in 1990.
- What is the lowest tax revenue recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.3% in 2022.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for tax revenue?
- Sri Lanka ranks 134th out of 157 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tax revenue rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.