Samoa: Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Samoa's taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) rose 6.69 percentage points on 2022 (from 38.44% to 45.13%).

Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2013 to 2022), the average change was −0.65 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.59 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 6.69 percentage points in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.57 percentage points in 2020. 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 0.7 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 38% 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, Samoa had the 4th highest value of the 16 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 Samoa in the 2023 ranking

• Croatia — 1st of 16: 47.15%
• Sri Lanka — 2nd of 16: 46.08%
• Jordan — 4th of 16: 44.6%
• Cambodia — 5th of 16: 42.2%
• Togo — 6th of 16: 41.43%

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 12 values

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

• Australia — 17.79% (2022)
• Cambodia — 42.2% (2023)
• China — 28.26% (2024)
• Fiji — 44.41% (2024)
• Kiribati — 11.75% (2023)
• Korea, Rep. — 16.99% (2024)
• Lao PDR — 53.89% (2022)
• Macao SAR, China — 76.24% (2024)
• Malaysia — 22.58% (2024)
• Marshall Islands — 8.39% (2020)

More public sector data for Samoa

• CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.5 (2025)
• CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 4 (2025)
• CPIA economic management cluster average (1=low to 6=high) — 4.33 (2025)
• CPIA policy and institutions for environmental sustainability rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.5 (2025)
• CPIA quality of budgetary and financial management rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.5 (2025)
• CPIA financial sector rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.5 (2025)
• CPIA fiscal policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 4.5 (2025)
• CPIA gender equality rating (1=low to 6=high) — 4 (2025)
• CPIA building human resources rating (1=low to 6=high)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

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

45.13% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2012?

It is up 0.18 percentage points from 44.95% in 2012. The highest value was 49.19% in 2016 and the lowest 38.44% in 2022.

How does Samoa rank?

4th highest of 16 economies with data for 2023.

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

In 2023, Samoa's taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) rose 6.69 percentage points on 2022 (from 38.44% to 45.13%). Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2013 to 2022), the average change was −0.65 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.59 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

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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