Ranked: Tax Revenue as a Share of GDP by Country
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Key Takeaways
- Nineteen of the top 20 OECD countries by tax revenue as a share of GDP are in Europe.
- Denmark collects the most tax revenue relative to the size of its economy at 45.2% of GDP.
- The U.S. ranks near the bottom of the OECD, collecting 25.6% of GDP in tax revenue.
How much of a country’s economy ends up in government coffers? Across the OECD, the answer ranges from less than one-fifth of GDP to nearly half.
The visualization above ranks all 38 OECD member countries by tax revenue as a share of GDP using the latest available OECD data. The figures include personal income, corporate, property, value-added (VAT), social security, consumption, and other taxes.
On average, OECD members collect 34.1% of GDP in tax revenue.
Europe: High Taxes, High Support
Of the top 20 countries by tax revenue as a percentage of GDP, the first 19 are European. Denmark leads the way with 45.2%, followed by France at 43.5% and Austria at 43.4%.
While a majority of OECD countries are in Europe, their concentration at the top reflects a postwar social-economic model that uses higher taxes to help fund public education, healthcare, pensions, and labor systems.
This data table lists OECD countries by tax revenue as a percentage of GDP.
| Rank | Country | 2024 Tax Revenue (% of GDP) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Denmark |
45.2% |
| 2 |  France |
43.5% |
| 3 |  Austria |
43.4% |
| 4 |  Italy |
42.8% |
| 5 |  Belgium |
42.6% |
| 6 |  Finland |
42.2% |
| 7 |  Luxembourg |
41.5% |
| 8 |  Sweden |
41.4% |
| 9 |  Norway |
40.2% |
| 10 |  Greece |
39.8% |
| 11 |  Netherlands |
38.5% |
| 12 |  Slovenia |
38.3% |
| 13 |  Germany |
38.0% |
| 14 |  Iceland |
36.9% |
| 15 |  Spain |
36.7% |
| 16 |  Poland |
36.6% |
| 17 |  Slovak Republic |
35.6% |
| 18 |  Estonia |
35.2% |
| 19 |  Portugal |
35.1% |
| 20 |  Canada |
34.9% |
| 21 |  Latvia |
34.9% |
| 22 |  United Kingdom |
34.4% |
| 23 |  Hungary |
34.4% |
| 24 |  Czechia |
34.0% |
| 25 |  Japan |
33.7% |
| 26 |  Lithuania |
33.1% |
| 27 |  New Zealand |
32.9% |
| 28 |  Israel |
30.9% |
| 29 |  Australia |
29.9% |
| 30 |  Switzerland |
27.2% |
| 31 |  United States |
25.6% |
| 32 |  Korea |
25.3% |
| 33 |  Costa Rica |
24.8% |
| 34 |  Türkiye |
24.0% |
| 35 |  Ireland |
21.7% |
| 36 |  Chile |
20.5% |
| 37 |  Colombia |
19.9% |
| 38 |  Mexico |
18.3% |
| — |  OECD Avg |
34.1% |
Most European countries fall within this general social market system, including the major economies of Germany (38%), Italy (42.8%), Spain (36.7%), and the United Kingdom (34.4%).
However, the specific taxes levied can vary widely between countries. Denmark, for example, has high taxes on personal income but relatively low taxation on corporations and consumption.
The European Outliers
Only a few European countries bring in less tax revenue than the OECD average of 34.1%. These include Czechia (34%), Lithuania (33.1%), Switzerland (27.2%), and Ireland (21.7%).
Ireland and Switzerland in particular serve as regional outliers, and they have used this to their advantage. Ireland has become a popular destination for multinational corporations seeking a European headquarters.
Switzerland, meanwhile, has long maintained a reputation as a financial center, owing in part to its tax system and banking privacy laws.
The U.S. and the Americas
Compared with European and Asian OECD members, the U.S. obtained 25.6% of its GDP in tax revenue in 2024, trailing the OECD average and ranking above only seven OECD members out of 38.
The U.S. has long been attractive to foreigners because of its lower tax burden, although the country is known for offering fewer public-spending benefits than peers like Canada (34.9%), Japan (33.7%), or New Zealand (32.9%).
Notably, most countries drawing less relative tax revenue than the U.S. are also in the Americas. The four Latin American OECD members (Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Mexico) all obtain under 25% of GDP in revenue, with Mexico at 18.3%.
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