Middle income: Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Middle income's taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) rose 0.52 percentage points on 2022 (from 33.02% to 33.54%).

Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2022), the average change was −0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.3 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above 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 2.66 percentage points in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.85 percentage points in 2022. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 3% 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

General taxes on goods and services are taxes levied on the production, leasing, delivery, sale, purchase or other change of ownership of a wide range of goods and the provision of a wide range of services. 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 22 values

Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 8.6% (2017)
• Bahrain — 13.86% (2020)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 26.11% (2015)
• Israel — 31.9% (2024)
• Jordan — 44.6% (2023)
• Lebanon — 48.4% (2024)
• Malta — 28.34% (2024)
• Morocco — 45.29% (2024)
• Saudi Arabia — 22.94% (2024)
• United Arab Emirates — 17.26% (2024)

More public sector data for Middle income

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 12.46 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.88% (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 753.26 billion (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 17.48 million (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.69% (2020)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 5.82% (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 18.01% (2023)
• Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) — 4.4% (2023)
• Taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of revenue) — 28.52% (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Middle income's taxes on goods and services (% of revenue)?

33.54% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2002?

It is down 0.17 percentage points from 33.71% in 2002. The highest value was 37% in 2004 and the lowest 32.79% in 2010.

Is the latest change in taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) unusual for Middle income?

In 2023, Middle income's taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) rose 0.52 percentage points on 2022 (from 33.02% to 33.54%). Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2022), the average change was −0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.3 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source

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