Tax as a percentage of GDP

Last updated: 2024-09-18

In 2022 Sweden had the eighth highest tax-to-GDP ratio of the OECD countris. The tax as percentage to GDP exceeded 41 percent which can be compared to the OECD average around 34 percent.

Starting in the 1960s and 1970s, Sweden experienced a sharp increase in tax levels, peaking in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Throughout the first decade of the 2000s, the tax-to-GDP ratio generally declined, largely due to tax cuts on earned income. However, in recent years, this trend has reversed slightly. Following the 2008 financial crisis in Europe and the subsequent pandemic, many OECD countries increased their tax-to-GDP ratios to address the resulting challenges, surpassing Sweden in the rankings.

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