Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Samoa
Samoa: Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality was 26.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Samoa, 1983–2023
Source: UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Samoa stood at 26.4%. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is up 3.2% on the previous year and up 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Samoa peaked at 26.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 16.9%, in 1998.
That places Samoa 57th out of 187 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Samoa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 19.5% | — |
| 1984 | 24.2% | +24.3% |
| 1985 | 25.1% | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 24.2% | -3.5% |
| 1987 | 26.2% | +8.3% |
| 1988 | 25.3% | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 25.4% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 21.8% | -14.0% |
| 1992 | 20.2% | -7.5% |
| 1993 | 20.9% | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 18.2% | -12.7% |
| 1996 | 19.3% | +5.9% |
| 1997 | 18.9% | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 16.9% | -10.5% |
| 1999 | 18.3% | +8.5% |
| 2000 | 18.6% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 18.7% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 18.2% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 19.1% | +4.8% |
| 2004 | 18.4% | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 18.3% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 19.2% | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 21.7% | +13.3% |
| 2008 | 19.0% | -12.6% |
| 2009 | 18.5% | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 20.5% | +11.1% |
| 2011 | 19.3% | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 20.3% | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 22.3% | +9.9% |
| 2014 | 23.3% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 22.1% | -4.9% |
| 2016 | 22.6% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 23.1% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 23.3% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 24.0% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 24.0% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 25.0% | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 25.6% | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 26.4% | +3.2% |
Samoa compared with similar countries
- Samoa's 26.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21.9%, 1.2× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Samoa's 26.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 18.1%, 1.5× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 24.3% | 19.5% | 26.2% | 7 |
| 1990s | 19.3% | 16.9% | 21.8% | 8 |
| 2000s | 19.0% | 18.2% | 21.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.1% | 19.3% | 24.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.3% | 24.0% | 26.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Samoa
- 54 Namibia 27.0% compare
- 55 South Korea 26.9% compare
- 56 Switzerland 26.8% compare
- 58 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 26.2% compare
- 59 Barbados 26.2% compare
- 60 Uruguay 25.9% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Samoa
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 0 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 3.83 live births per woman (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 26.42 (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 3.19 % change on previous year (2023)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via -100 % change on previous year (2023)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.416 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.1224 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Samoa?
- Tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Samoa was 26.4% 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 Samoa?
- The highest recorded value was 26.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality recorded in Samoa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.9% in 1998.
- How does Samoa rank for tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality?
- Samoa ranks 57th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality rising or falling in Samoa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Samoa 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.