Ghana: Customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Ghana's customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue) fell 0.37 percentage points on 2022 (from 13.04% to 12.66%).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2022), the average change was −0.24 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.16 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 6.68 percentage points in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.83 percentage points in 2012. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.48 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 46% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2023, Ghana had the 6th highest value of the 15 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Ghana in the 2023 ranking

• Togo — 3rd of 15: 20.27%
• Nepal — 4th of 15: 19.07%
• Sri Lanka — 5th of 15: 14.34%
• Samoa — 7th of 15: 12.27%
• Côte d'Ivoire — 8th of 15: 11.84%
• Cambodia — 9th of 15: 11.23%

What this measures

Taxes and duties on imports are taxes on goods and services that become payable at the moment when goods enter the economic territory or when services are delivered by non-resident producers to residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of tax revenue which includes compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government units.

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).

All 27 values

Customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue) in nearby economies

• Angola — 5.13% (2024)
• Botswana — 40.91% (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 13.11% (2024)
• Burundi — 12.96% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 20.34% (2020)
• Cameroon — 12.7% (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 9.62% (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 18.77% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 11.84% (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea

More public sector data for Ghana

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 506.65 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 6.37 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0.48% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 5 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 2.4% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 16,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.13% (2020)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 25.99 billion (2023)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 19.11% (2023)
• Revenue, excluding grants (current LCU)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Ghana's customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue)?

12.66% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 16.08 percentage points from 28.74% in 1990. The highest value was 28.74% in 1990 and the lowest 12.28% in 2021.

How does Ghana rank?

6th highest of 15 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue) unusual for Ghana?

In 2023, Ghana's customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue) fell 0.37 percentage points on 2022 (from 13.04% to 12.66%). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2022), the average change was −0.24 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.16 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.TAX.IMPT.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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