Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Canada
Canada: Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality was 34.8% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Canada, 1980–2023
Source: UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Canada recorded 34.8% for tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in 2023.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Canada peaked at 36.3% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 30.8%, in 2011.
Canada ranks 26th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Canada, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 31.3% | — |
| 1981 | 33.1% | +5.9% |
| 1982 | 32.8% | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 32.6% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 32.3% | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 32.1% | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 32.9% | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 34.2% | +4.0% |
| 1988 | 33.6% | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 34.6% | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 35.1% | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 35.7% | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 35.3% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 34.9% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 34.9% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 34.9% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 35.4% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 36.1% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 36.1% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 36.3% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 35.3% | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 34.1% | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 33.1% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 32.7% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 32.7% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 32.7% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 32.7% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 32.5% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 31.2% | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 32.3% | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 31.0% | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 30.8% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 31.2% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 31.1% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 31.3% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 32.8% | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 33.3% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 33.0% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 33.5% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 33.1% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 34.5% | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 34.8% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 33.8% | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 34.8% | +2.8% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 34.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 29.8%, 1.2× the median. (65 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 32.9% | 31.3% | 34.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.5% | 34.9% | 36.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.9% | 31.2% | 35.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.1% | 30.8% | 33.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.5% | 33.8% | 34.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More poverty & inequality data for Canada
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.35 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,695 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -9.41 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.78 (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, annual growth rate 2.8 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Canada?
- Tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Canada was 34.8% 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 vs. income inequality recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 36.3% in 1999.
- What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.8% in 2011.
- How does Canada rank for tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality?
- Canada ranks 26th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Canada 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 vs. income inequality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Taxes include direct and indirect taxes as well as social contributions. The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality.