Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality was 8.0% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Saudi Arabia, 1994–2023
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 Saudi Arabia stood at 8.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.8% on the previous year and up 584.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Saudi Arabia peaked at 8.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2011.
Saudi Arabia ranks 167th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 2.0% | — |
| 1995 | 1.7% | -12.4% |
| 1996 | 1.8% | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 1.8% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 2.2% | +23.0% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | -12.2% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | -13.9% |
| 2001 | 1.5% | -10.1% |
| 2002 | 1.4% | -9.4% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | -9.4% |
| 2004 | 1.4% | +10.9% |
| 2009 | 1.3% | -7.1% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -13.6% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | +15.7% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | +13.2% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | +23.5% |
| 2016 | 3.3% | +101.0% |
| 2017 | 3.2% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 4.4% | +35.9% |
| 2019 | 5.6% | +26.2% |
| 2020 | 6.9% | +23.3% |
| 2021 | 8.6% | +25.8% |
| 2022 | 7.2% | -16.4% |
| 2023 | 8.0% | +10.8% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 8.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 29.8%, 27% of the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 8.0% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 8.0%, 1.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 6 |
| 2000s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.7% | 6 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 1.1% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.7% | 6.9% | 8.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 164 East Timor 8.7% compare
- 165 Comoros 8.2% compare
- 166 Niger 8.1% compare
- 168 Congo 7.8% compare
- 169 Bangladesh 7.3% compare
- 170 Central African Republic 7.2% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Saudi Arabia
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 2.28 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 5,122 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 2.39 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 7.99 (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 10.76 % change on previous year (2023)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.228 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 24.0% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.0862 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Saudi Arabia?
- Tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Saudi Arabia was 8.0% 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2011.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 167th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 584.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.