Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Pakistan
Pakistan: Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality was 12.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Pakistan, 1980–2023
Source: UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Pakistan is 12.4%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.0% on the previous year and up 23.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Pakistan peaked at 12.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 2005.
Pakistan ranks 143rd of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 8.2% | — |
| 1981 | 8.3% | +1.8% |
| 1982 | 7.8% | -6.3% |
| 1983 | 7.9% | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 8.2% | +3.8% |
| 1985 | 7.6% | -7.1% |
| 1986 | 8.3% | +9.3% |
| 1987 | 8.9% | +7.5% |
| 1988 | 8.1% | -9.0% |
| 1989 | 8.4% | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 8.1% | -3.5% |
| 1991 | 7.5% | -8.2% |
| 1992 | 7.9% | +6.3% |
| 1993 | 7.8% | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 7.8% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 8.1% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 8.4% | +4.3% |
| 1997 | 7.8% | -7.8% |
| 1998 | 7.8% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 8.0% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 7.5% | -6.8% |
| 2001 | 7.5% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 7.6% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 8.0% | +4.9% |
| 2004 | 7.6% | -4.6% |
| 2005 | 7.2% | -5.0% |
| 2006 | 7.4% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 7.6% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 8.0% | +4.5% |
| 2009 | 8.0% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 9.0% | +11.9% |
| 2011 | 8.5% | -5.3% |
| 2012 | 9.1% | +6.5% |
| 2013 | 10.0% | +10.3% |
| 2014 | 9.0% | -10.0% |
| 2015 | 11.1% | +23.5% |
| 2016 | 11.2% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 11.5% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 10.4% | -9.2% |
| 2019 | 9.9% | -5.1% |
| 2020 | 11.0% | +11.5% |
| 2021 | 11.3% | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 11.7% | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 12.4% | +6.0% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 12.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.9%, 83% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 12.4% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 8.0%, 1.5× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.2% | 7.6% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.9% | 7.5% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.7% | 7.2% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.0% | 8.5% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.6% | 11.0% | 12.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More poverty & inequality data for Pakistan
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 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 3.6 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,634 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 4.94 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 12.36 (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 5.98 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Pakistan?
- Tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Pakistan was 12.4% 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 Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 12.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 2005.
- How does Pakistan rank for tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality?
- Pakistan ranks 143rd out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Pakistan 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.
Download this data
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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.