Tax revenue (% of GDP) in United States
United States: Tax revenue (% of GDP) was 10.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Tax revenue in United States, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, tax revenue in United States stood at 10.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and down 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue in United States peaked at 13.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 7.9%, in 2009.
That places United States 129th out of 157 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Tax revenue (% of GDP) in United States, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 11.8% | — |
| 1973 | 11.5% | -2.7% |
| 1974 | 11.8% | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 11.2% | -5.5% |
| 1976 | 10.7% | -3.9% |
| 1977 | 11.6% | +8.1% |
| 1978 | 11.5% | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 12.0% | +4.0% |
| 1980 | 12.1% | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 12.6% | +3.4% |
| 1982 | 12.0% | -4.6% |
| 1983 | 10.3% | -13.6% |
| 1984 | 10.2% | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 10.4% | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 10.2% | -2.1% |
| 1987 | 10.9% | +7.7% |
| 1988 | 10.6% | -3.2% |
| 1989 | 10.8% | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 10.5% | -2.9% |
| 1991 | 10.3% | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 10.0% | -3.3% |
| 1993 | 10.3% | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 10.6% | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 11.0% | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 11.4% | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 11.8% | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 12.3% | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 12.3% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 13.0% | +5.8% |
| 2001 | 11.9% | -8.6% |
| 2002 | 9.9% | -16.8% |
| 2003 | 9.4% | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 9.5% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 10.7% | +12.0% |
| 2006 | 11.3% | +5.9% |
| 2007 | 11.3% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 10.3% | -9.0% |
| 2009 | 7.9% | -23.1% |
| 2010 | 8.6% | +8.3% |
| 2011 | 9.5% | +11.4% |
| 2012 | 9.8% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 10.5% | +7.1% |
| 2014 | 10.9% | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 11.2% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 10.9% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 11.5% | +6.0% |
| 2018 | 9.9% | -13.7% |
| 2019 | 9.9% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 10.1% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 11.4% | +12.3% |
| 2022 | 12.6% | +10.7% |
| 2023 | 10.6% | -15.8% |
| 2024 | 10.8% | +1.4% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 10.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 20.7%, 52% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.5% | 10.7% | 12.0% | 8 |
| 1980s | 11.0% | 10.2% | 12.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.0% | 10.0% | 12.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.5% | 7.9% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.3% | 8.6% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.1% | 10.1% | 12.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 126 Madagascar 10.9% compare
- 127 Germany 10.9% compare
- 128 Russia 10.9% compare
- 130 Tajikistan 10.7% compare
- 131 Democratic Republic of Congo 10.7% compare
- 132 Argentina 10.4% compare
More public sector data for United States
- 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 745.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.56 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 52.65 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue in United States?
- Tax revenue in United States was 10.8% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest tax revenue recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 13.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest tax revenue recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.9% in 2009.
- How does United States rank for tax revenue?
- United States ranks 129th out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tax revenue rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.