Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Syria

Syria: Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality was 10.5% in 2008. ▲ Rising

Latest (2008)
10.5%
Change on year
down 25.0%
World rank
156th
of 187 countries
All-time high
18.8%
in 2003
All-time low
10.0%
in 1981
Years of data
18
1981–2008

Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Syria, 1981–2008

051015201981199420081981: 10 % of GDP1982: 12.3 % of GDP1983: 12 % of GDP1987: 15.7 % of GDP1988: 15.4 % of GDP1989: 18 % of GDP1990: 17.3 % of GDP1998: 14.7 % of GDP1999: 16.4 % of GDP2000: 14.7 % of GDP2001: 18.5 % of GDP2002: 16.9 % of GDP2003: 18.8 % of GDP2004: 16.4 % of GDP2005: 13.8 % of GDP2006: 14.4 % of GDP2007: 14.1 % of GDP2008: 10.5 % of GDP

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 Syria is 10.5%, measured in 2008.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 25.0% on the previous year and down 28.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Syria peaked at 18.8% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 10.0%, in 1981.

That places Syria 156th out of 187 countries with data for 2008, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Syria, year by year

Annual values for Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in Syria, 1981 to 2008.
Year % of GDP Change
1981 10.0%
1982 12.3% +23.2%
1983 12.0% -3.1%
1987 15.7% +31.4%
1988 15.4% -2.2%
1989 18.0% +16.8%
1990 17.3% -3.6%
1998 14.7% -15.0%
1999 16.4% +11.1%
2000 14.7% -10.1%
2001 18.5% +25.8%
2002 16.9% -8.5%
2003 18.8% +11.2%
2004 16.4% -12.9%
2005 13.8% -15.7%
2006 14.4% +4.1%
2007 14.1% -2.4%
2008 10.5% -25.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 13.9% 10.0% 18.0% 6
1990s 16.1% 14.7% 17.3% 3
2000s 15.4% 10.5% 18.8% 9

Countries ranked near Syria

  1. 153 Djibouti 11.3% compare
  2. 154 Equatorial Guinea 11.3% compare
  3. 155 Lao People's Democratic Republic 10.6% compare
  4. 157 Madagascar 10.4% compare
  5. 158 Guyana 10.3% compare
  6. 159 Indonesia 10.3% compare

See the full ranking of 187 places →

More poverty & inequality data for Syria

All data for Syria →

Frequently asked questions

What is tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Syria?
Tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in Syria was 10.5% in 2008, 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 Syria?
The highest recorded value was 18.8% in 2003.
What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality recorded in Syria?
The lowest recorded value was 10.0% in 1981.
How does Syria rank for tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality?
Syria ranks 156th out of 187 countries with data for 2008.
Is tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality rising or falling in Syria?
Over the last ten years it is down 28.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Syria 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 Syria. Statizoid, drawing on UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/stat/tax-revenues-vs-income-inequality/syrian-arab-republic/

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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.