Tax revenue as share of GDP in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Tax revenue as share of GDP was 6.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Tax revenue as share of GDP in Sierra Leone, 1981–2023
Source: UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for tax revenue as share of gdp in Sierra Leone is 6.3%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 6.8% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp in Sierra Leone peaked at 7.8% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 1986.
That places Sierra Leone 179th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Tax revenue as share of GDP in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 5.9% | — |
| 1982 | 4.3% | -27.5% |
| 1983 | 2.7% | -37.7% |
| 1984 | 2.3% | -12.8% |
| 1985 | 1.8% | -22.9% |
| 1986 | 1.1% | -37.6% |
| 1987 | 2.2% | +97.2% |
| 1988 | 1.9% | -13.8% |
| 1989 | 2.0% | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 3.4% | +75.7% |
| 1991 | 3.3% | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 4.4% | +31.4% |
| 1993 | 5.2% | +18.8% |
| 1994 | 5.2% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 3.9% | -25.1% |
| 1996 | 4.3% | +9.0% |
| 1998 | 3.1% | -27.7% |
| 1999 | 3.0% | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 4.7% | +55.1% |
| 2001 | 5.9% | +25.8% |
| 2002 | 5.6% | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 5.4% | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 5.5% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 4.9% | -10.2% |
| 2006 | 5.1% | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 5.0% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 5.0% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 5.1% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 5.6% | +8.5% |
| 2011 | 6.6% | +19.0% |
| 2012 | 7.1% | +6.8% |
| 2013 | 7.2% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 7.0% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 6.3% | -10.2% |
| 2016 | 7.2% | +13.1% |
| 2017 | 7.1% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 7.5% | +6.5% |
| 2019 | 7.8% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 7.0% | -9.6% |
| 2021 | 7.5% | +6.2% |
| 2022 | 5.9% | -20.5% |
| 2023 | 6.3% | +6.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.7% | 1.1% | 5.9% | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.0% | 3.0% | 5.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.2% | 4.7% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.9% | 5.6% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.7% | 5.9% | 7.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 176 Afghanistan 6.8% compare
- 177 Palestine, State of 6.6% compare
- 178 Myanmar 6.4% compare
- 180 Lebanon 5.8% compare
- 181 Chad 5.7% compare
- 182 Brunei Darussalam 5.6% compare
More economy & growth data for Sierra Leone
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.55 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.53 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps -33,272 BoP, current US$ (2010)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2010)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -0.0053 BoP, current US$ per person (2010)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 121.78 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -16.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0175 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 14.09 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate -12.59 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue as share of gdp in Sierra Leone?
- Tax revenue as share of gdp in Sierra Leone was 6.3% 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 7.8% in 2019.
- What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 1986.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for tax revenue as share of gdp?
- Sierra Leone ranks 179th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tax revenue as share of gdp rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.
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About this data
Direct and indirect taxes as well as social contributions included.