St. Lucia: Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, St. Lucia's taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) fell 6.15 percentage points on 2016 (from 40.95% to 34.8%).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2016), the average change was +1.83 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.31 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 19.2 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.15 percentage points in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is upward, about 3.52 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 72% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to St. Lucia in the 2017 ranking

• Belize — 1st of 4: 48.07%
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 2nd of 4: 43.46%
• Afghanistan — 4th of 4: 8.6%

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 18 values

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

• Argentina — 31.77% (2024)
• Bahamas, The — 58.67% (2024)
• Barbados — 45.88% (2016)
• Belize — 48.07% (2017)
• Brazil — 20.34% (2024)
• Chile — 47.01% (2024)
• Colombia — 24.34% (2024)
• Costa Rica — 25.63% (2024)
• Dominican Republic — 47.92% (2024)
• Ecuador — 21.07% (2022)

More public sector data for St. Lucia

• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 39.04 (2023)
• Intentional homicides, male (per 100,000 male) — 68.85 (2023)
• Intentional homicides, female (per 100,000 female) — 9.92 (2023)
• CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.5 (2025)
• CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3 (2025)
• CPIA economic management cluster average (1=low to 6=high) — 3.67 (2025)
• CPIA policy and institutions for environmental sustainability rating (1=low to 6=high) — 4 (2025)
• CPIA quality of budgetary and financial management rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3 (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is St. Lucia's taxes on goods and services (% of revenue)?

34.8% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 23.08 percentage points from 11.72% in 2000. The highest value was 41.11% in 2013 and the lowest 11.72% in 2000.

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

In 2017, St. Lucia's taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) fell 6.15 percentage points on 2016 (from 40.95% to 34.8%). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2016), the average change was +1.83 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.31 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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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