The table compares the proportion of tax revenue—as a percentage of GDP—in five countries (Sweden, the USA, Korea, Japan and Turkey) at ten-year intervals between 1975 and 2005.
Overall, all five nations experienced a rise in tax-to-GDP ratios over the period, although Korea and Turkey showed a dip in the middle decade before recovering. Sweden consistently collected the highest share of GDP in tax, while the USA, Korea and Turkey converged on similar levels by 2005.
In 1975, Sweden’s tax revenue amounted to 46% of GDP, significantly outstripping Japan and Korea, each at roughly 15%. Over the next three decades, Sweden saw a marked increase, climbing to 70.1% by 2005. Japan also recorded substantial growth, nearly doubling its figure to 32.1%. Korea’s pattern was more volatile: its tax ratio surged from 15.1% in 1975 to 27% in 1985, then slipped back by one point in 1995, before recovering to 27.3% in 2005.
In contrast, the USA maintained a relatively stable tax share, edging up only slightly from 25.1% in 1975 to 27.4% in 2005. Turkey began at 16.4% in 1975, dipped to 15% by 1985, then rebounded steadily to reach 27.4% in 2005—matching the American level by the end of the period.