Tax revenues increased as a share of GDP across the Asia-Pacific region in 2024, driven by higher revenues from income taxes, as strong exports, investment and tourism supported economic growth and revenue mobilisation, according to a new OECD report.
Revenue Statistics in Asia and the Pacific 2026 shows that the average tax-to-GDP ratio in the Asia-Pacific region was 19.7% in 2024, up 0.3 percentage points (p.p.) from 2023 and marking a fourth consecutive annual increase. Covering 38 economies in the region, including Tonga for the first time, the report shows that the regional average in 2024 remained below the level in Latin America and the Caribbean (21.7%) and the OECD (34.1%) but was above the average tax-to-GDP ratio in Africa (16.1% in 2023).
In 2024, tax-to-GDP ratios across the Asia-Pacific region continued to vary widely, ranging from 6.7% in Bangladesh to 33.7% in Japan (2023 figure).
Among the 36 economies for which 2024 data is available, tax revenues rose in nominal terms from the previous year in 32, although in many cases this increase was outpaced by GDP growth. As a result, tax-to-GDP ratios increased from the previous year in 16 economies and declined in 20.
The largest increases were observed in the Cook Islands (5.9 p.p.), Mongolia (4.8 p.p.) and the Marshall Islands (4.7 p.p.), driven by higher income tax revenues, while the largest falls occurred in Niue (-3.5 p.p.), Nauru (-3.0 p.p.) and Kazakhstan (-2.1 p.p.).
The average tax-to-GDP ratio for the Asia-Pacific region in 2024 was 0.4 p.p. above its level in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking further back, tax levels increased in 23 Asia-Pacific economies and declined in 15 in the decade between 2014 and 2024. The largest increases over this period occurred in the Cook Islands, Kiribati and Mongolia, while Kazakhstan and Timor-Leste experienced the biggest declines. Tax revenue per capita increased in all economies except Timor-Leste during this time.
The report also presents data on non-tax revenues for 24 Asia-Pacific economies. In 2024, non-tax revenues as a share of GDP ranged from 1.1% in Sri Lanka to 171.9% in Tokelau, where grants and property income exceeded GDP. Between 2023 and 2024, non-tax revenues increased in 11 economies and declined in 13.
Revenue Statistics in Asia and the Pacific 2026 was released today during the Revenue Statistics in Asia and the Pacific Technical Workshop 2026, hosted by the Asian Development Bank in Manila, Philippines. This 13th edition of the series includes a special feature on informal and hard-to-tax sectors. The report is jointly produced by the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration and the OECD Development Centre with the co-operation of the Asian Development Bank, the Pacific Islands Tax Administrators Association, and the Pacific Community.
To access the report, data, key findings, and country notes, visit: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/revenue-statistics-in-asia-and-the-pacific-2026_065aa566-en.html
For further information, please contact the Communications Office in the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration.