Taxes on goods and services as share of GDP in Congo
Congo: Taxes on goods and services as share of GDP was 2.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Taxes on goods and services as share of GDP in Congo, 1987–2022
Source: UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Congo recorded 2.9% for taxes on goods and services as share of gdp in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.6% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, taxes on goods and services as share of gdp in Congo peaked at 5.2% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1992.
That places Congo 163rd out of 187 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Taxes on goods and services as share of GDP in Congo, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 2.7% | — |
| 1988 | 2.7% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 2.5% | -9.3% |
| 1990 | 2.4% | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 2.6% | +6.1% |
| 1992 | 0.5% | -81.5% |
| 1993 | 1.8% | +283.5% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | -37.0% |
| 1995 | 3.5% | +203.0% |
| 1996 | 3.0% | -12.4% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | -58.6% |
| 1998 | 3.6% | +186.0% |
| 1999 | 2.6% | -27.7% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | -31.0% |
| 2001 | 3.2% | +76.7% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | -11.3% |
| 2003 | 3.7% | +30.7% |
| 2004 | 3.3% | -10.4% |
| 2005 | 2.7% | -16.6% |
| 2006 | 2.5% | -10.1% |
| 2007 | 2.8% | +13.5% |
| 2008 | 2.5% | -10.0% |
| 2009 | 3.5% | +37.8% |
| 2010 | 3.1% | -12.0% |
| 2011 | 3.0% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | -9.6% |
| 2013 | 3.6% | +31.8% |
| 2014 | 4.1% | +14.4% |
| 2015 | 5.2% | +24.7% |
| 2016 | 5.0% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 4.2% | -16.3% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | -9.9% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | -3.4% |
| 2020 | 4.3% | +17.1% |
| 2021 | 3.3% | -22.9% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | -12.6% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 2.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.1%, 47% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Congo's 2.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.3%, 55% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Taxes on goods and services as share of GDP in Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +283.5% | 0.5% | 1.8% |
| 1995 | +203.0% | 1.1% | 3.5% |
| 1998 | +186.0% | 1.3% | 3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.7% | 3 |
| 1990s | 2.2% | 0.5% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 1.8% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 2.8% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 2.9% | 4.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More economy & growth data for Congo
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.79 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.01 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 25.39 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0016 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 4.01 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 603.62 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -3.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0384 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 95.31 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 6.03 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is taxes on goods and services as share of gdp in Congo?
- Taxes on goods and services as share of gdp in Congo was 2.9% in 2022, according to UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest taxes on goods and services as share of gdp recorded in Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 5.2% in 2015.
- What is the lowest taxes on goods and services as share of gdp recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1992.
- How does Congo rank for taxes on goods and services as share of gdp?
- Congo ranks 163rd out of 187 countries with data for 2022.
- Is taxes on goods and services as share of gdp rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Congo 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 Taxes on goods and services as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Tax revenue on goods and services (including sales taxes, value added taxes and excise duties) divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.