Taxes are the backbone of every society because they fuel infrastructure and public services. However, each country takes a unique approach to tax collection to fund its projects and obligations.
So, how do these systems compare?
In this post, we’ll show you the most notable tax statistics from all across the globe. Let’s investigate how nations strike a balance between revenue generation, equity, and sustainability.
Global tax statistics
Before we start digging deeper into the specifics, let’s explore the current tax landscape on a global level.
1. The global tax revenue is estimated at approximately $14.8 trillion (Wikipedia)
Total tax revenues correspond to an average tax-to-GDP ratio of 14.68% across all countries.
2. Tax-to-GDP ratios have increased in over two-thirds of the global economies since 2010 (OECD)Â
The increase is driven mainly by bigger spending on infrastructure and responses to economic challenges like climate change and health crises.
3. Norway and Kuwait generate more than 60% of their GDP from taxes (IMF)Â
On the other hand, countries like Iran, Bangladesh, Lebanon, and Venezuela go well below 10% when it comes to their tax-to-GDP ratios.
Map source: Our World In Data
4. The countries with the highest corporate tax rates in the world are Comoros (50%), Puerto Rico (37.5%), and Suriname (36%) (Tax Foundation Corporate Taxes)
The lowest corporate tax rates can be found in Barbados (5.5%), Turkmenistan (8%), and Hungary (9%). Interestingly, 15 jurisdictions do not impose a corporate tax at all.
5. In 2023, six countries increased their top corporate rates, while seven countries across four continents reduced them (Tax Foundation Corporate Taxes)Â
This shows that nations are continuously adjusting their policies to take care of changing economic priorities.
Regional and country-specific tax stats
In this section, we’ll take a closer look at certain regions and countries to learn how they collect taxes.
6. According to the latest report, US taxpayers filed 153 million tax returns in 2022, reported earning nearly $14.8 trillion in adjusted gross income, and paid $2.1 trillion in individual income taxes (Tax Foundation)
The top 50% of all taxpayers paid 97% of all federal individual income taxes, while the bottom half paid the remaining 3%.
7. Revenue from corporate income tax in the US amounted to $420 billion in 2023 (Statista)Â
The forecast predicts an increase in corporate income tax revenue up to $551 billion in 2034.
8. The overall taxation revenue in Australia across all levels of government was $755.8 billion in the year 2022-23 (ABS).Â
This makes for 29.5% of the country’s GDP. The Australian Bureau of Statistics stated that the 2022-23 taxation revenue was 10.6% (or $72.7 billion) higher than the previous fiscal year.
9. The UK government raised around £1.1 trillion in receipts – income from taxes and other sources – in 2023-24 (UK Parliament)Â
This is equivalent to around 40% of the size of the UK economy, as measured by GDP, which is the highest level since the early 1980s.
10. The European Union collected €6,883 billion worth of taxes in 2023 (European Commission).Â
The European Commission noted that revenue from taxes and social contributions increased by €308 billion compared with 2022.
Personal income tax: Burden on labor
The tax burden on labor measures how much of a worker's earnings are consumed by taxes, including taxable income and social security contributions. In this section, we’ll run through tax burdens across countries.
11. The overall tax burden on an average single worker in the US with $70,170 in pre-tax income was $21,380 (Tax Foundation)Â
This amounts to a 30.5% tax wedge, which is 4 percentage points lower than the average tax rates on labor for single workers among OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries.
12. The tax wedge for the average single worker in Australia was 29.2% in 2023 (OECD)
It’s a 2.2 percentage point increase from 27.0% in 2022.
13. In Europe, Belgium has the highest tax burden on labor at 52.7%, followed by Germany and Austria — 47.9% and 47.2%, respectively (Tax Foundation)
On the other hand, Switzerland has the lowest tax burden in Europe at 23.5%.
Map source: Tax Foundation
14. The tax wedge for the average single worker in the UK currently stands at 31.3% (OECD)Â
It’s a 0.4 percentage point decrease from 31.7% in 2022.
15. The tax wedge for a single worker is similar in Canada as it currently stands at 31.9% (Tax Foundation)
This includes such things as income taxes, payroll taxes, and contributions to social security programs.
Tax evasion statistics
Tax evasion remains a big challenge for governments worldwide as it leads to billions in lost revenue each year. In this section, we’ll show you only a handful of stats to help you grasp the sheer scale of this problem.
16. The tax gap in the US is $496 billion. Underreporting is the most common type of tax evasion — it accounts for 80% of the gross tax gap (FinMasters)
As the world’s largest economy, the US also loses more tax revenue to tax evasion than any other country.
17. Millionaires and billionaires in the US are evading more than $150 billion a year in taxes, according to the Internal Revenue Service representatives (CNBC)Â
It’s a truly staggering figure that underscores the disproportionate role of the wealthiest individuals in tax evasion. However, it also highlights systemic loopholes and enforcement challenges.
18. Offshore wealth held by EU residents is estimated at €1.5 trillion (Tax Observatory)
Malta has the highest tax evasion percentage in the EU (2.39%) compared to the country’s GDP.
19. The tax avoidance gap is estimated to be £1.8 billion in the UK in the 2022-23 tax year (UK Government)
Almost 60% of this sum (approximately £1 billion) comes from large corporations.
20. Nearly a third of large companies in Australia aren’t paying any taxes (Queensland University of Technology)
On the other hand, the ATO received $97.9 billion from large corporations that do pay taxes, up 16.7% from the previous year.
Funny tax-related statistics
Who says taxes have to be so dull? We found some interesting tax-related stats to finish off this post on a lighter note.
21. Roman emperor Vespasian placed a tax on urine in the 1st century A.D. (MolenTax)Â
Back then, urine was collected and used as a source of ammonia for tanning hides and laundering garments.
22. Bottled water is taxable in Washington (Avalara)Â
However, you can request a refund of the sales tax if the water is prescribed to you by a doctor.
23. Bribery was legal in Germany up until 2002, at least under specific circumstances (CNBC)
The strangest part is that bribes were also tax-deductible.
24. If you’re over 75 and not in receipt of pension credit in the UK, you have to pay for a TV licence (TV Licensing)
But if you’re over 75 and receiving pension credit, the BBC will grant you a free TV Licence.
25. General Electric earned $14.2 billion in profits in 2010, but it didn’t pay a cent in taxes because the bulk of those profits, some $9 billion, were offshore (ABC News)
To make things even worse, General Electric got a $3.2 billion tax benefit.
Taxes are as colorful as the world we live in
Taxation systems across the globe are as varied as the economies and cultures they reflect. Taxes obviously do much more than generate revenue — they shape entire societies to reflect local values and influence behaviors. That’s why there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and that’s also why international tax statistics are so colorful.
