Tax revenue as share of GDP in Uganda
Uganda: Tax revenue as share of GDP was 12.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Tax revenue as share of GDP in Uganda, 1980–2023
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 Uganda stood at 12.5%. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.1% on the previous year and up 44.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp in Uganda peaked at 12.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1981.
That places Uganda 143rd out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Tax revenue as share of GDP in Uganda, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.6% | — |
| 1981 | 0.7% | -56.6% |
| 1982 | 4.0% | +463.7% |
| 1983 | 5.8% | +44.2% |
| 1984 | 5.1% | -12.1% |
| 1985 | 4.6% | -9.9% |
| 1986 | 3.8% | -17.6% |
| 1987 | 2.6% | -30.7% |
| 1988 | 3.1% | +17.0% |
| 1989 | 2.6% | -15.1% |
| 1990 | 3.6% | +39.3% |
| 1993 | 5.5% | +50.8% |
| 1994 | 6.3% | +15.7% |
| 1995 | 7.2% | +13.6% |
| 1996 | 7.9% | +9.8% |
| 1997 | 8.1% | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 7.9% | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 8.3% | +5.3% |
| 2000 | 7.8% | -5.6% |
| 2001 | 7.9% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 8.1% | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 8.3% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 8.5% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 8.7% | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 8.8% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 8.8% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 8.3% | -5.5% |
| 2009 | 7.6% | -8.1% |
| 2010 | 7.9% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 7.4% | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 8.1% | +8.9% |
| 2013 | 8.6% | +6.7% |
| 2014 | 8.9% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 10.0% | +12.0% |
| 2016 | 10.7% | +6.8% |
| 2017 | 10.9% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 11.1% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 11.5% | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 11.3% | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 12.0% | +6.1% |
| 2022 | 11.7% | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 12.5% | +6.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.4% | 0.7% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.9% | 3.6% | 8.3% | 8 |
| 2000s | 8.3% | 7.6% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.5% | 7.4% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.9% | 11.3% | 12.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More economy & growth data for Uganda
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 4.29 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 6.99 Percent per annum (2029)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current LCU) 10.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current LCU) 2,397 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (current LCU) 2.89 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 7.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 0.601 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Households and NPISHs Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015) 724.96 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 16.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.7688 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue as share of gdp in Uganda?
- Tax revenue as share of gdp in Uganda was 12.5% 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 Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 12.5% in 2023.
- What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1981.
- How does Uganda rank for tax revenue as share of gdp?
- Uganda ranks 143rd out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tax revenue as share of gdp rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uganda 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 — 42 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.