United Kingdom: Taxes on international trade (% of revenue)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 0.55 percentage points from 0.00373% in 2019. Since 1972 it is down 1.1 percentage points from 1.65% in 1972. The World Bank has no value for 27 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, United Kingdom's taxes on international trade (% of revenue) fell 0.04 percentage points on 2023 (from 0.6% to 0.56%).

Across the 21 yearly changes before that (1973 to 2023), the average change was −0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.22 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 0.59 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.6 percentage points in 1975. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those 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, United Kingdom had the 56th highest value of the 68 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 United Kingdom in the 2024 ranking

• Korea, Rep. — 53rd of 68: 1.04%
• Chile — 54th of 68: 0.99%
• Canada — 55th of 68: 0.92%
• Georgia — 57th of 68: 0.52%
• Switzerland — 58th of 68: 0.5%
• San Marino — 59th of 68: 0.3%

What this measures

Taxes on international trade are taxes that become payable when goods cross the national or customs frontiers of the economic territory or when transactions in services exchange between residents and non-residents. 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 26 values

Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) in nearby economies

• Albania — 1.23% (2024)
• Armenia — 3.06% (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 3.77% (2024)
• Belarus — 10.07% (2024)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 0.0000133% (2024)
• Bulgaria — 0.03% (2024)
• Croatia — 0.000307% (2020)
• Cyprus — 0.16% (2019)
• Denmark — 0.04% (2024)
• France — 0.00325% (2024)

More public sector data for United Kingdom

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 609 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 88.98 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 71.18 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.35% (2025)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 702 million (2025)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU) — 203.14 billion (2024)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (% of GDP) — 7.03% (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 69.25 billion (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is United Kingdom's taxes on international trade (% of revenue)?

0.56% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1972?

It is down 1.1 percentage points from 1.65% in 1972. The highest value was 1.65% in 1972 and the lowest 0.000456% in 1993.

How does United Kingdom rank?

56th highest of 68 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in taxes on international trade (% of revenue) unusual for United Kingdom?

In 2024, United Kingdom's taxes on international trade (% of revenue) fell 0.04 percentage points on 2023 (from 0.6% to 0.56%). Across the 21 yearly changes before that (1973 to 2023), the average change was −0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.22 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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.INTT.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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