Tax revenue as share of GDP in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Tax revenue as share of GDP was 7.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
7.3%
Change on year
down 6.1%
World rank
172nd
of 192 countries
All-time high
7.8%
in 2022
All-time low
3.3%
in 1984
Years of data
40
1984–2023
Tax revenue as share of GDP in Bangladesh, 1984–2023
Source: UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, tax revenue as share of gdp in Bangladesh stood at 7.3%.
That represents a change of down 6.1% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp in Bangladesh peaked at 7.8% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 1984.
That places Bangladesh 172nd out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Tax revenue as share of GDP in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 3.3% | — |
| 1985 | 3.8% | +15.4% |
| 1986 | 3.8% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 3.9% | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 3.9% | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 4.4% | +12.4% |
| 1990 | 4.2% | -4.6% |
| 1991 | 4.3% | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 4.9% | +12.7% |
| 1993 | 5.3% | +9.4% |
| 1994 | 5.2% | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 5.4% | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 5.3% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 5.4% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 5.4% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 5.2% | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 4.9% | -5.0% |
| 2001 | 5.5% | +12.1% |
| 2002 | 5.6% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 5.8% | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 5.9% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 6.0% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 5.9% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 5.8% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 6.4% | +10.7% |
| 2009 | 6.3% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 6.5% | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 7.3% | +10.9% |
| 2012 | 7.5% | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 7.5% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 7.2% | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 7.1% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 7.3% | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 7.6% | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 7.7% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 7.6% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 7.0% | -8.3% |
| 2021 | 7.6% | +9.2% |
| 2022 | 7.8% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 7.3% | -6.1% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 7.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.9%, 49% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 7.3% is below the median for South Asia, which is 14.8%, 49% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.8% | 3.3% | 4.4% | 6 |
| 1990s | 5.0% | 4.2% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.8% | 4.9% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.3% | 6.5% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.4% | 7.0% | 7.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
- 169 Saudi Arabia 8.0% compare
- 170 Congo 7.8% compare
- 171 Iran, Islamic Republic of 7.4% compare
- 173 Central African Republic 7.2% compare
- 174 Nigeria 7.2% compare
- 175 Yemen 7.0% compare
More economy & growth data for Bangladesh
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 6.09 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 7 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 10.10 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 0.0575 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 1.85 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 44.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.004 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 10.51 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 33.5 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue as share of gdp in Bangladesh?
- Tax revenue as share of gdp in Bangladesh was 7.3% in 2023, according to UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tax revenue as share of gdp recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 7.8% in 2022.
- What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 1984.
- How does Bangladesh rank for tax revenue as share of gdp?
- Bangladesh ranks 172nd out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tax revenue as share of gdp rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing 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 — 40 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Direct and indirect taxes as well as social contributions included.