Tax revenue as share of GDP in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Tax revenue as share of GDP was 15.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
15.8%
Change on year
up 7.0%
World rank
122nd
of 187 countries
All-time high
20.7%
in 2007
All-time low
10.6%
in 1983
Years of data
41
1983–2023
Tax revenue as share of GDP in Papua New Guinea, 1983–2023
Source: UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 15.8% for tax revenue as share of gdp in 2023.
That represents a change of up 7.0% on the previous year and down 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp in Papua New Guinea peaked at 20.7% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 10.6%, in 1983.
Papua New Guinea ranks 122nd of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Tax revenue as share of GDP in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 10.6% | — |
| 1984 | 13.2% | +23.7% |
| 1985 | 12.8% | -2.7% |
| 1986 | 12.9% | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 14.2% | +10.1% |
| 1988 | 12.2% | -14.1% |
| 1989 | 15.3% | +25.8% |
| 1990 | 13.0% | -15.1% |
| 1991 | 11.7% | -10.1% |
| 1992 | 12.2% | +4.4% |
| 1993 | 13.6% | +11.3% |
| 1994 | 13.8% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 13.2% | -4.1% |
| 1996 | 15.2% | +15.2% |
| 1997 | 16.0% | +5.3% |
| 1998 | 13.8% | -13.6% |
| 1999 | 14.7% | +6.5% |
| 2000 | 16.1% | +9.3% |
| 2001 | 14.9% | -7.2% |
| 2002 | 13.9% | -7.2% |
| 2003 | 13.7% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 15.9% | +16.2% |
| 2005 | 16.4% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 19.4% | +17.7% |
| 2007 | 20.7% | +6.8% |
| 2008 | 18.3% | -11.7% |
| 2009 | 15.3% | -16.5% |
| 2010 | 17.2% | +13.0% |
| 2011 | 19.1% | +10.8% |
| 2012 | 18.5% | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 18.6% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 17.9% | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 15.2% | -15.0% |
| 2016 | 12.9% | -15.0% |
| 2017 | 12.6% | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 13.1% | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 13.0% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 11.9% | -8.8% |
| 2021 | 12.1% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 14.8% | +21.8% |
| 2023 | 15.8% | +7.0% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 15.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.9%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 15.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 18.1%, 87% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.0% | 10.6% | 15.3% | 7 |
| 1990s | 13.7% | 11.7% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.5% | 13.7% | 20.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.8% | 12.6% | 19.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.7% | 11.9% | 15.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More economy & growth data for Papua New Guinea
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.47 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.11 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 769.57 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.025 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 72.76 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled -198.32 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -557.97 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0064 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -18.75 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate -4.93 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue as share of gdp in Papua New Guinea?
- Tax revenue as share of gdp in Papua New Guinea was 15.8% 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 20.7% in 2007.
- What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.6% in 1983.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for tax revenue as share of gdp?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 122nd out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tax revenue as share of gdp rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.