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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Saudi Arabia's customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue) rose 0.23 percentage points on 2023 (from 6.21% to 6.44%).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2011 to 2023), the average change was −1.39 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.62 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 5.17 percentage points in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was 16.88 percentage points in 2018. 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 the straight-line trend is downward, about 2.69 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 65% 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 2024, Saudi Arabia had the 26th highest value of the 65 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 Saudi Arabia in the 2024 ranking

• Zambia — 23rd of 65: 6.81%
• Mozambique — 24th of 65: 6.68%
• El Salvador — 25th of 65: 6.68%
• Argentina — 27th of 65: 5.98%
• Uruguay — 28th of 65: 5.95%
• Dominican Republic — 29th of 65: 5.52%

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 15 values

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

• Afghanistan — 35.2% (2017)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 6.85% (2015)
• Israel — 0.38% (2024)
• Jordan — 3.88% (2023)
• Lebanon — 11.17% (2024)
• Morocco — 4.24% (2024)
• United Arab Emirates — 0.02% (2024)

More public sector data for Saudi Arabia

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 3.04 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 83.18 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 311.93 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 6.48% (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 23.53% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 282,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 1.92% (2020)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100) — 80 (2024)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score (scale 0-100)

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 Saudi Arabia's customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue)?

6.44% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2010?

It is down 17.86 percentage points from 24.3% in 2010. The highest value was 31.54% in 2016 and the lowest 5.8% in 2022.

How does Saudi Arabia rank?

26th highest of 65 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, Saudi Arabia's customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue) rose 0.23 percentage points on 2023 (from 6.21% to 6.44%). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2011 to 2023), the average change was −1.39 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.62 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above 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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