Timor-Leste: Taxes on goods and services (% of industry and services value added)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Timor-Leste's taxes on goods and services (% of industry and services value added) rose 1.28 percentage points on 2021 (from 2.18% to 3.46%).

Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2011 to 2021), the average change was −0.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.16 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations above 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 1.87 percentage points in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.07 percentage points in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.51 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 77% 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.

Closest to Timor-Leste in the 2022 ranking

• Australia — 4th of 9: 5.21%
• India — 5th of 9: 4.2%
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 6th of 9: 3.75%
• Canada — 8th of 9: 2.91%
• Equatorial Guinea — 9th of 9: 1.08%

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 value added in industry and services which is the contribution to the economy by industries in ISIC (Rev. 3) divisions 05-43 and 50-99.

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 13 values

Taxes on goods and services (% of industry and services value added) in nearby economies

• Australia — 5.21% (2022)
• Cambodia — 8.14% (2023)
• China — 4.53% (2024)
• Fiji — 17.58% (2024)
• Kiribati — 13.36% (2023)
• Korea, Rep. — 4.91% (2024)
• Lao PDR — 10.72% (2022)
• Macao SAR, China — 25.06% (2024)
• Malaysia

More public sector data for Timor-Leste

• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100) — 80 (2024)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 47.92 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 47.92 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.25% (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 2.38% (2025)
• CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 2.5 (2025)
• CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.5 (2025)
• CPIA economic management cluster average (1=low to 6=high) — 2.83 (2025)
• CPIA policy and institutions for environmental sustainability rating (1=low to 6=high)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Timor-Leste's taxes on goods and services (% of industry and services value added)?

3.46% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2010?

It is down 2.18 percentage points from 5.65% in 2010. The highest value was 7.74% in 2014 and the lowest 2.18% in 2021.

Is the latest change in taxes on goods and services (% of industry and services value added) unusual for Timor-Leste?

In 2022, Timor-Leste's taxes on goods and services (% of industry and services value added) rose 1.28 percentage points on 2021 (from 2.18% to 3.46%). Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2011 to 2021), the average change was −0.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.16 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

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