Tax revenue as share of GDP in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Tax revenue as share of GDP was 9.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
9.8%
Change on year
up 32.5%
World rank
162nd
of 192 countries
All-time high
15.6%
in 1990
All-time low
7.4%
in 2022
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Tax revenue as share of GDP in Sri Lanka, 1990–2023
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 Sri Lanka stood at 9.8%.
That represents a change of up 32.5% on the previous year and down 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp in Sri Lanka peaked at 15.6% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 2022.
That places Sri Lanka 162nd out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Tax revenue as share of GDP in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 15.6% | — |
| 1991 | 15.0% | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 14.8% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 14.4% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 14.1% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 14.6% | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 14.0% | -4.3% |
| 1997 | 13.2% | -5.3% |
| 1998 | 12.1% | -9.0% |
| 1999 | 12.5% | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 12.1% | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 12.1% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 11.6% | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 10.9% | -6.1% |
| 2004 | 11.5% | +5.9% |
| 2005 | 11.8% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 12.5% | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 12.2% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 11.4% | -7.2% |
| 2009 | 11.0% | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 11.1% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 11.0% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 10.2% | -7.0% |
| 2013 | 10.3% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 9.9% | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 11.9% | +19.9% |
| 2016 | 11.6% | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 11.8% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 11.3% | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 11.1% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 8.0% | -28.0% |
| 2021 | 7.6% | -5.2% |
| 2022 | 7.4% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 9.8% | +32.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.0% | 12.1% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.7% | 10.9% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.0% | 9.9% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.2% | 7.4% | 9.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 159 Madagascar 10.4% compare
- 160 Guyana 10.3% compare
- 161 Indonesia 10.3% compare
- 163 Gambia 9.5% compare
- 164 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 9.3% compare
- 165 Guinea-Bissau 9.2% compare
More economy & growth data for Sri Lanka
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP -8.07 Percent per annum (2022)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP -7.82 Percent per annum (2022)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 110.33 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0011 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 5.03 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 761.14 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 6.75 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0076 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 34.73 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 38.34 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue as share of gdp in Sri Lanka?
- Tax revenue as share of gdp in Sri Lanka was 9.8% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 15.6% in 1990.
- What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 2022.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for tax revenue as share of gdp?
- Sri Lanka ranks 162nd out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tax revenue as share of gdp rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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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CSV · JSON — 34 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.