Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in United States
United States: Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality was 24.8% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in United States, 1980–2023
Source: UNU-WIDER Government Revenue Dataset (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
United States recorded 24.8% for tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.1% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in United States peaked at 28.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 22.9%, in 2009.
That places United States 65th out of 187 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality in United States, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 25.6% | — |
| 1981 | 26.0% | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 26.1% | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 24.0% | -7.8% |
| 1984 | 24.1% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 24.7% | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 24.6% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 25.7% | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 25.5% | -0.8% |
| 1989 | 25.7% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 26.0% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 25.9% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 25.7% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 26.0% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 26.3% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 26.5% | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 27.0% | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 27.5% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 27.9% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 27.9% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 28.3% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 27.3% | -3.7% |
| 2002 | 25.0% | -8.3% |
| 2003 | 24.5% | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 24.8% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 26.1% | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 26.8% | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 26.7% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 25.6% | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 22.9% | -10.7% |
| 2010 | 23.4% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 23.8% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 23.9% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 25.4% | +6.3% |
| 2014 | 25.8% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 26.1% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 25.7% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 26.5% | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 24.8% | -6.2% |
| 2019 | 25.0% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 25.5% | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 26.6% | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 27.3% | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 24.8% | -9.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 25.2% | 24.0% | 26.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.7% | 25.7% | 27.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.8% | 22.9% | 28.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.0% | 23.4% | 26.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.1% | 24.8% | 27.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More poverty & inequality data for United States
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 9 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 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 8,414 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 1 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 24.85 (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 -9.08 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in United States?
- Tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality in United States was 24.8% 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 28.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.9% in 2009.
- How does United States rank for tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality?
- United States ranks 65th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tax revenue as share of gdp vs. income inequality rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United States 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.