Bank return on equity (%, after tax) in United States
United States: Bank return on equity (%, after tax) was 12.5% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Bank return on equity in United States, 2000–2021
Source: Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD). Measured in %, after tax.
Analysis
United States recorded 12.5% for bank return on equity in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 87.6% on the previous year and up 63.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, bank return on equity in United States peaked at 14.9% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2008.
That places United States 53rd out of 168 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Bank return on equity (%, after tax) in United States, year by year
| Year | %, after tax | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 13.7% | — |
| 2001 | 12.7% | -7.3% |
| 2002 | 13.8% | +9.1% |
| 2003 | 14.9% | +7.6% |
| 2004 | 13.3% | -10.6% |
| 2005 | 12.7% | -4.3% |
| 2006 | 12.5% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 8.6% | -31.3% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | -83.1% |
| 2009 | 1.6% | +13.4% |
| 2010 | 5.9% | +260.3% |
| 2011 | 7.7% | +28.8% |
| 2012 | 8.8% | +14.9% |
| 2013 | 9.4% | +6.6% |
| 2014 | 9.1% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 9.6% | +5.1% |
| 2016 | 9.5% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 8.7% | -8.4% |
| 2018 | 12.4% | +42.2% |
| 2019 | 11.9% | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 6.7% | -43.9% |
| 2021 | 12.5% | +87.6% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 12.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 8.7%, 1.4× the median. (63 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Bank return on equity (%, after tax) in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +260.3% | 1.6% | 5.9% |
| 2021 | +87.6% | 6.7% | 12.5% |
| 2008 | -83.1% | 8.6% | 1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.5% | 1.5% | 14.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.3% | 5.9% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.6% | 6.7% | 12.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 50 Guyana 13.0% compare
- 51 Tajikistan 12.6% compare
- 52 Azerbaijan 12.6% compare
- 54 New Zealand 12.5% compare
- 55 Romania 12.5% compare
- 56 Gabon 12.4% compare
More financial sector data for United States
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 17.82 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 89.64 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 12.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0007 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 65.46 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 17.82 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 89.64 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 12.2 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is bank return on equity in United States?
- Bank return on equity in United States was 12.5% in 2021, according to Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD).
- What is the highest bank return on equity recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 14.9% in 2003.
- What is the lowest bank return on equity recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2008.
- How does United States rank for bank return on equity?
- United States ranks 53rd out of 168 countries with data for 2021.
- Is bank return on equity rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 63.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD), published as part of Bank return on equity (%, after tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Raw data are from Bankscope. Data2115[t] / ((data2055[t] + data2055[t-1])/2). Numerator and denominator are first aggregated on the country level before division. Note that banks used in the calculation might differ between indicators. Calculated from underlying bank-by-bank unconsolidated data from Bankscope.