Tax revenue as share of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Tax revenue as share of GDP was 33.3% in 2017. ▲ Rising
Tax revenue as share of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1990–2017
Source: OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 33.3% for tax revenue as share of gdp in 2017. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 33.3% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 29.3%, in 1996.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 21st out of 77 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Tax revenue as share of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 32.9% | — |
| 1991 | 31.7% | -3.6% |
| 1992 | 30.9% | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 29.9% | -3.3% |
| 1994 | 30.6% | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 29.5% | -3.7% |
| 1996 | 29.3% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 30.0% | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 31.5% | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 32.2% | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 32.9% | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 32.6% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 31.5% | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 31.3% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 32.3% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 32.7% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 32.9% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 33.0% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 32.3% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 31.2% | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 32.3% | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 33.2% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 32.4% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 32.2% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 31.8% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 32.2% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 32.7% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 33.3% | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 30.8% | 29.3% | 32.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.3% | 31.2% | 33.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.5% | 31.8% | 33.3% | 8 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More economy & growth data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.14 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.42 Percent per annum (2029)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2642 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 15,219 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth -88.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth -82.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 5.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 0.0049 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 279.97 current LCU per person (2025)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue as share of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Tax revenue as share of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 33.3% in 2017, according to OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tax revenue as share of gdp recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 33.3% in 2017.
- What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.3% in 1996.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for tax revenue as share of gdp?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 21st out of 77 countries with data for 2017.
- Is tax revenue as share of gdp rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Tax revenue as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The level of total tax revenues as a percentage of GDP. Total tax include sub-national revenues, and compulsory social security contributions paid to the general government.