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 34.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
34.9%
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
24th
of 192 countries
All-time high
35.1%
in 2022
All-time low
27.5%
in 1993
Years of data
44
1980–2023
Tax revenue as share of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1980–2023
Source: UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 34.9% for tax revenue as share of gdp in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and up 9.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 35.1% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 27.5%, in 1993.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 24th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Tax revenue as share of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 31.2% | — |
| 1981 | 32.0% | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 33.9% | +5.8% |
| 1983 | 32.3% | -4.8% |
| 1984 | 32.3% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 32.2% | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 32.6% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 31.2% | -4.4% |
| 1988 | 31.1% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 30.4% | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 30.2% | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 29.1% | -3.6% |
| 1992 | 28.4% | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 27.5% | -3.3% |
| 1994 | 28.1% | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 29.3% | +4.2% |
| 1996 | 29.1% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 29.8% | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 31.3% | +4.8% |
| 1999 | 31.9% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 32.7% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 32.2% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 31.4% | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 31.2% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 32.1% | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 32.5% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 32.8% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 33.0% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 32.1% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 31.1% | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 32.0% | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 32.9% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 32.1% | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 32.0% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 31.7% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 31.9% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 32.5% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 32.7% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 32.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 32.5% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 32.8% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 34.2% | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 35.1% | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 34.9% | -0.6% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 34.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 29.8%, 1.2× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 34.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 33.9%, 1.0× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 31.9% | 30.4% | 33.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.5% | 27.5% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.1% | 31.1% | 33.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.3% | 31.7% | 32.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.3% | 32.8% | 35.1% | 4 |
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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 86.93 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0217 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,251 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 76.63 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 691.49 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0191 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,103 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 22.77 % change on previous year (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 34.9% 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 35.1% in 2022.
- 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 27.5% in 1993.
- 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 24th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- 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 9.1%. 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 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
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About this data
Direct and indirect taxes as well as social contributions included.