Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD): Taxes on international trade (% of revenue)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD)'s taxes on international trade (% of revenue) fell 0.76 percentage points on 2023 (from 3.3% to 2.54%).

Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2023), the average change was −0.12 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.48 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.62 percentage points in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.19 percentage points in 2006. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Taxes on international trade are taxes that become payable when goods cross the national or customs frontiers of the economic territory or when transactions in services exchange between residents and non-residents. 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.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 28 values

Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 7.42% (2017)
• Bahrain — 4.09% (2020)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 4.06% (2015)
• Israel — 0.26% (2024)
• Jordan — 2.63% (2023)
• Lebanon — 9.25% (2024)
• Morocco — 3.85% (2024)
• Saudi Arabia — 1.95% (2024)
• United Arab Emirates — 0.01% (2024)

More public sector data for Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD)

• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 5.59% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 7.31 billion (2025)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 2.87 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 381.64 billion (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 3.27 million (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 1.57% (2020)
• Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) — 37.03% (2024)
• Taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of revenue)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD)'s taxes on international trade (% of revenue)?

2.54% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1997?

It is down 3.78 percentage points from 6.32% in 1997. The highest value was 6.32% in 1997 and the lowest 2.45% in 2010.

Is the latest change in taxes on international trade (% of revenue) unusual for Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD)?

In 2024, Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD)'s taxes on international trade (% of revenue) fell 0.76 percentage points on 2023 (from 3.3% to 2.54%). Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2023), the average change was −0.12 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.48 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.TAX.INTT.RV.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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