Small states: Social contributions (% of revenue)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2019, Small states' social contributions (% of revenue) rose 3.13 percentage points on 2018 (from 17.97% to 21.09%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2018), the average change was +0.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.12 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 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 9.95 percentage points in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 12.86 percentage points in 2001. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2010 to 2019 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 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.

What this measures

Social contributions are actual or imputed contributions payable to social insurance schemes to make provisions for social benefits to be paid. 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 35 values

Social contributions (% of revenue) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 0.6% (2017)
• Israel — 16% (2024)
• Jordan — 0.06% (2023)
• Lebanon — 0.00767% (2024)
• Malta — 15.26% (2024)
• United Arab Emirates — 9.03% (2024)

More public sector data for Small states

• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 12.79% (2022)
• Interest payments (% of revenue) — 1.78% (2022)
• Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) — 33.44% (2022)
• Taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of revenue) — 24.12% (2022)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.32% (2025)
• Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) — 1.18% (2019)
• Compensation of employees (% of expense) — 21.87% (2022)
• Goods and services expense (% of expense) — 10.08% (2022)
• Interest payments (% of expense) — 1.91% (2022)

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Questions people ask

What is Small states's social contributions (% of revenue)?

21.09% in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1976?

It is up 18.88 percentage points from 2.21% in 1976. The highest value was 26.56% in 2011 and the lowest 0.97% in 1980.

Is the latest change in social contributions (% of revenue) unusual for Small states?

In 2019, Small states' social contributions (% of revenue) rose 3.13 percentage points on 2018 (from 17.97% to 21.09%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2018), the average change was +0.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.12 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 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.REV.SOCL.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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