Taxes on income, profits and capital gains in United States
United States: Taxes on income, profits and capital gains was 56.3% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Taxes on income, profits and capital gains in United States, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of revenue.
Analysis
In 2024, taxes on income, profits and capital gains in United States stood at 56.3%.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, taxes on income, profits and capital gains in United States peaked at 59.4% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 45.5%, in 2009.
That places United States 4th out of 153 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
Taxes on income, profits and capital gains in United States, year by year
| Year | % of revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 59.4% | — |
| 1973 | 57.2% | -3.7% |
| 1974 | 56.8% | -0.7% |
| 1975 | 55.9% | -1.5% |
| 1976 | 55.6% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 57.0% | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 57.9% | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 58.0% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 56.6% | -2.6% |
| 1981 | 54.2% | -4.2% |
| 1982 | 52.7% | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 49.9% | -5.2% |
| 1984 | 49.5% | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 50.0% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 50.1% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 52.4% | +4.6% |
| 1988 | 51.5% | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 52.5% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 51.6% | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 48.8% | -5.5% |
| 1992 | 49.9% | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 50.7% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 51.4% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 52.1% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 54.2% | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 55.3% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 56.6% | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 55.9% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 57.5% | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 55.3% | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 50.8% | -8.0% |
| 2003 | 50.1% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 50.8% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 54.2% | +6.8% |
| 2006 | 55.8% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 56.0% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 53.3% | -4.8% |
| 2009 | 45.5% | -14.7% |
| 2010 | 47.7% | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 52.8% | +10.8% |
| 2012 | 53.5% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 51.2% | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 53.1% | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 54.2% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 54.0% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 49.6% | -8.2% |
| 2018 | 51.6% | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 52.0% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 52.7% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 55.9% | +6.1% |
| 2022 | 58.9% | +5.4% |
| 2023 | 56.3% | -4.4% |
| 2024 | 56.3% | -0.1% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 56.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 24.5%, 2.3× the median. (55 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 57.2% | 55.6% | 59.4% | 8 |
| 1980s | 51.9% | 49.5% | 56.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.6% | 48.8% | 56.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 52.9% | 45.5% | 57.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 52.0% | 47.7% | 54.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.0% | 52.7% | 58.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 1 Australia 67.9% compare
- 2 Papua New Guinea 59.4% compare
- 3 New Zealand 56.7% compare
- 5 Canada 53.9% compare
- 6 Denmark 51.4% compare
- 7 South Africa 50.8% compare
More public sector data for United States
- Democracy, 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)
- Elected parliament, 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)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is taxes on income, profits and capital gains in United States?
- Taxes on income, profits and capital gains in United States was 56.3% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest taxes on income, profits and capital gains recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 59.4% in 1972.
- What is the lowest taxes on income, profits and capital gains recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.5% in 2009.
- How does United States rank for taxes on income, profits and capital gains?
- United States ranks 4th out of 153 countries with data for 2024.
- Is taxes on income, profits and capital gains rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 Taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of revenue). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Taxes on income, profits, and capital gains are taxes payable on the actual or presumed incomes, profits and capital gains. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of revenue which includes all transactions that add to the amount of economic value of a unit or sector.