Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Sweden
Sweden: Tax revenue (% of GDP) was 27.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Tax revenue in Sweden, 1972–2024
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 Sweden is 27.2%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue in Sweden peaked at 30.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 14.8%, in 1994.
Sweden ranks 8th of 157 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 19.1% | — |
| 1973 | 17.6% | -7.6% |
| 1974 | 17.1% | -2.9% |
| 1975 | 16.5% | -3.5% |
| 1976 | 19.4% | +17.5% |
| 1977 | 20.0% | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 18.3% | -8.3% |
| 1979 | 16.8% | -8.2% |
| 1980 | 16.3% | -3.0% |
| 1981 | 16.7% | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 16.4% | -2.0% |
| 1983 | 16.9% | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 17.7% | +5.1% |
| 1985 | 20.2% | +14.1% |
| 1986 | 19.2% | -5.2% |
| 1987 | 21.6% | +12.7% |
| 1988 | 21.7% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 21.3% | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 21.7% | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 19.7% | -9.0% |
| 1992 | 17.2% | -12.8% |
| 1993 | 15.5% | -9.9% |
| 1994 | 14.8% | -4.0% |
| 1995 | 26.8% | +80.3% |
| 1996 | 27.3% | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 27.5% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 29.7% | +7.8% |
| 1999 | 30.3% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 30.4% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 28.5% | -6.2% |
| 2002 | 27.5% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 27.6% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 28.0% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 29.2% | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 29.2% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 29.1% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 28.3% | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 27.7% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 27.8% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 27.1% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 26.8% | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 26.8% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 26.9% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 27.5% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 28.4% | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 28.6% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 28.3% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 27.7% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 27.0% | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 28.0% | +3.7% |
| 2022 | 28.2% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 27.4% | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 27.2% | -0.5% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 27.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 20.7%, 1.3× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 27.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 20.8%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Tax revenue (% of GDP) in Sweden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +80.3% | 14.8% | 26.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 18.1% | 16.5% | 20.0% | 8 |
| 1980s | 18.8% | 16.3% | 21.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.0% | 14.8% | 30.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.6% | 27.5% | 30.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.6% | 26.8% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.6% | 27.0% | 28.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 5 Luxembourg 28.6% compare
- 6 Macao 27.4% compare
- 7 Greece 27.4% compare
- 9 United Kingdom 26.9% compare
- 10 South Africa 25.9% compare
- 11 Austria 25.8% compare
More public sector data for Sweden
- 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 146.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 6.24 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 -32.65 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue in Sweden?
- Tax revenue in Sweden was 27.2% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest tax revenue recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 30.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest tax revenue recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.8% in 1994.
- How does Sweden rank for tax revenue?
- Sweden ranks 8th out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tax revenue rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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.