Government revenue — all countries

Government revenue — Sub-Saharan Africa

Government revenue in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2020 — 20.04%. Since 2015, the indicator has risen by 0.07 pp.

2020 20.04% −0.01 pp vs 2019
World rank
Period maximum 20.05%2019
Period minimum 19.21%2016

Trend over time

2015–2020 · % of GDP

Government revenue — Sub-Saharan Africa, 2015–20201919.2519.519.752020.252015201620172018201920202015: 19.97%2016: 19.21%2017: 19.42%2018: 19.7%2019: 20.05%2020: 20.04%
Change over the period: +0.07 pp Annual average: 0.01 pp

Comparison, 2020

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa 20.04%
World 23.34%
Government revenue — Sub-Saharan Africa, by year Sub-Saharan Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2020 20.04 −0.01 pp
2019 20.05 +0.35 pp
2018 19.7 +0.28 pp
2017 19.42 +0.21 pp
2016 19.21 −0.76 pp
2015 19.97

About the indicator

Central government revenue excluding grants, as a percent of GDP. Beyond taxes it includes non-tax receipts: dividends of state-owned companies, revenue from the sale of extraction rights, duties and fees. That is why the difference between this indicator and tax revenue says something about the structure of a state: in commodity countries it is large, because a substantial part of the budget comes not from taxes but from rent.

Important: Grants are excluded deliberately: in the poorest countries foreign aid can make up a substantial part of the budget, and with it included the indicator would no longer measure the ability of a state to raise revenue.

Source: World Development Indicators (World Bank), license CC BY 4.0.