Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome and Principe: Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality was 11.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
11.5%
Change on year
up 8.1%
World rank
149th
of 187 countries
All-time high
19.0%
in 2013
All-time low
3.0%
in 1996
Years of data
44
1980–2023

Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Sao Tome and Principe, 1980–2023

51015201980200120231980: 15.1 % of GDP1981: 9.9 % of GDP1982: 15.1 % of GDP1983: 9.9 % of GDP1984: 11.8 % of GDP1985: 11.3 % of GDP1986: 8 % of GDP1987: 6.1 % of GDP1988: 8.1 % of GDP1989: 6.1 % of GDP1990: 4.5 % of GDP1991: 5.4 % of GDP1992: 6.3 % of GDP1993: 4.9 % of GDP1994: 3.8 % of GDP1995: 4.2 % of GDP1996: 3 % of GDP1997: 5.1 % of GDP1998: 7.3 % of GDP1999: 9.8 % of GDP2000: 9.7 % of GDP2001: 12.1 % of GDP2002: 12.9 % of GDP2003: 12.5 % of GDP2004: 13.8 % of GDP2005: 13.4 % of GDP2006: 15.3 % of GDP2007: 16 % of GDP2008: 14.9 % of GDP2009: 15.2 % of GDP2010: 17.7 % of GDP2011: 17.7 % of GDP2012: 16 % of GDP2013: 19 % of GDP2014: 13.6 % of GDP2015: 14.3 % of GDP2016: 12.3 % of GDP2017: 12.7 % of GDP2018: 13.7 % of GDP2019: 12.7 % of GDP2020: 13.2 % of GDP2021: 12.1 % of GDP2022: 10.6 % of GDP2023: 11.5 % of GDP

Source: UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Sao Tome and Principe recorded 11.5% for tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in 2023.

The figure is up 8.1% on the previous year and down 39.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 19.0% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 1996.

Sao Tome and Principe ranks 149th 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 Sao Tome and Principe, year by year

Annual values for Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Sao Tome and Principe, 1980 to 2023.
Year % of GDP Change
1980 15.1%
1981 9.9% -34.4%
1982 15.1% +51.9%
1983 9.9% -34.2%
1984 11.8% +18.7%
1985 11.3% -4.3%
1986 8.0% -29.0%
1987 6.1% -24.0%
1988 8.1% +33.8%
1989 6.1% -24.5%
1990 4.5% -26.9%
1991 5.4% +19.8%
1992 6.3% +17.8%
1993 4.9% -22.7%
1994 3.8% -22.1%
1995 4.2% +11.2%
1996 3.0% -30.1%
1997 5.1% +70.3%
1998 7.3% +44.9%
1999 9.8% +33.3%
2000 9.7% -0.6%
2001 12.1% +24.6%
2002 12.9% +6.4%
2003 12.5% -3.2%
2004 13.8% +10.8%
2005 13.4% -3.0%
2006 15.3% +14.3%
2007 16.0% +4.3%
2008 14.9% -6.7%
2009 15.2% +1.9%
2010 17.7% +16.8%
2011 17.7% -0.3%
2012 16.0% -9.4%
2013 19.0% +18.6%
2014 13.6% -28.1%
2015 14.3% +4.9%
2016 12.3% -13.8%
2017 12.7% +3.1%
2018 13.7% +7.8%
2019 12.7% -7.0%
2020 13.2% +3.5%
2021 12.1% -8.1%
2022 10.6% -12.3%
2023 11.5% +8.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 10.1% 6.1% 15.1% 10
1990s 5.4% 3.0% 9.8% 10
2000s 13.6% 9.7% 16.0% 10
2010s 15.0% 12.3% 19.0% 10
2020s 11.8% 10.6% 13.2% 4

Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe

  1. 146 Turkmenistan 11.9% compare
  2. 147 Guinea 11.9% compare
  3. 148 Benin 11.6% compare
  4. 150 Liberia 11.5% compare
  5. 151 Tanzania, United Republic of 11.5% compare
  6. 152 Paraguay 11.3% compare

See the full ranking of 187 places →

More poverty & inequality data for Sao Tome and Principe

All data for Sao Tome and Principe →

Frequently asked questions

What is tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Sao Tome and Principe?
Tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Sao Tome and Principe was 11.5% 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 Sao Tome and Principe?
The highest recorded value was 19.0% in 2013.
What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 1996.
How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality?
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 149th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
Is tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
Over the last ten years it is down 39.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sao Tome and Principe 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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Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Sao Tome and Principe. Statizoid, drawing on UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/stat/tax-revenues-vs-income-inequality/sao-tome-and-principe/

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About this data

Indicator
Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
187 places, 6,284 data points, 1980–2023
Last refreshed

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.