ArmInfo.The shadow economy in Armenia is estimated to be around 22%, as stated by Eduard Hakobyan, the Chairman of the State Revenue Committee (SRC) of Armenia, at a press conference on May 22.
According to him, the Statistical Committee's most recent estimation of the <shadow's> size was 22% in 2022. <There are varying estimates of the <shadow> economy. For example, 5-7 years ago, the <shadow> economy was as high as 35-40%. Currently, according to various experts, it is believed to be 20%>, Hakobyan said.
At the same time, the chief tax official pointed out that from the perspective of the SRC, the tax gap is important. This refers to the difference between the amount of taxes that could have been collected and the amount actually collected. <In this regard, there have been 2-3% improvements, which translates to approximately 200-300 billion drams in absolute figures. Several years ago, this figure was 2-3 times higher>, he noted.
Hakobyan noted that from an industry standpoint, the main issues are observed in the trade and construction areas. <The most prominent shadow sphere is trade, followed by the construction industry, including the market for building materials>, the head of the Tax and Customs Committee stated. According to the State Revenue Committee, in January-April 2025, the volume of shadow turnover in Armenia increased by 84 billion drams compared to the same period in 2024, marking a 146% increase or nearly 2.5 times.
