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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Tonga's customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue) rose 1.13 percentage points on 2022 (from 7.91% to 9.04%).

Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2022), the average change was −0.36 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.97 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 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 1.13 percentage points in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.57 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 0.36 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 66% 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, Tonga had the 10th highest value of the 15 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 Tonga in the 2023 ranking

• Samoa — 7th of 15: 12.27%
• Côte d'Ivoire — 8th of 15: 11.84%
• Cambodia — 9th of 15: 11.23%
• Uzbekistan — 11th of 15: 8.01%
• Jordan — 12th of 15: 3.88%
• Kazakhstan — 13th of 15: 3.77%

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 11 values

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

• Australia — 3.08% (2022)
• Cambodia — 11.23% (2023)
• China — 2.65% (2024)
• Fiji — 11.72% (2024)
• Kiribati — 2.32% (2023)
• Korea, Rep. — 2.07% (2024)
• Lao PDR — 8.29% (2022)
• Malaysia — 1.28% (2024)
• Marshall Islands — 22.34% (2020)
• Micronesia, Fed. Sts.

More public sector data for Tonga

• CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3 (2025)
• CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3 (2025)
• CPIA economic management cluster average (1=low to 6=high) — 3.33 (2025)
• CPIA policy and institutions for environmental sustainability rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3 (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) — 3.5 (2025)
• CPIA gender equality rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3 (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 Tonga's customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue)?

9.04% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2013?

It is down 2.08 percentage points from 11.12% in 2013. The highest value was 11.12% in 2013 and the lowest 7.58% in 2020.

How does Tonga rank?

10th highest of 15 economies with data for 2023.

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

In 2023, Tonga's customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue) rose 1.13 percentage points on 2022 (from 7.91% to 9.04%). Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2022), the average change was −0.36 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.97 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 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.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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