Bank return on equity (%, before tax) in United States
United States: Bank return on equity (%, before tax) was 15.8% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Bank return on equity in United States, 2000–2021
Source: Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD). Measured in %, before tax.
Analysis
United States recorded 15.8% for bank return on equity in 2021.
The figure is up 90.0% on the previous year and up 46.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, bank return on equity in United States peaked at 22.1% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 2008.
That places United States 56th 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 (%, before tax) in United States, year by year
| Year | %, before tax | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 21.0% | — |
| 2001 | 19.0% | -9.4% |
| 2002 | 20.6% | +8.3% |
| 2003 | 22.1% | +7.2% |
| 2004 | 19.5% | -11.8% |
| 2005 | 18.8% | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 18.2% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 12.5% | -31.7% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | -87.1% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | +37.3% |
| 2010 | 8.5% | +284.4% |
| 2011 | 10.8% | +27.1% |
| 2012 | 12.4% | +15.2% |
| 2013 | 13.6% | +9.3% |
| 2014 | 13.1% | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 13.8% | +5.7% |
| 2016 | 13.9% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 14.2% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 15.7% | +10.7% |
| 2019 | 15.1% | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 8.3% | -44.8% |
| 2021 | 15.8% | +90.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 15.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.1%, 1.6× the median. (63 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Bank return on equity (%, before 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 | +284.4% | 2.2% | 8.5% |
| 2008 | -87.1% | 12.5% | 1.6% |
| 2021 | +90.0% | 8.3% | 15.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.5% | 1.6% | 22.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.1% | 8.5% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.1% | 8.3% | 15.8% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States
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 15.8% 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 22.1% in 2003.
- What is the lowest bank return on equity recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 2008.
- How does United States rank for bank return on equity?
- United States ranks 56th 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 46.7%. 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 (%, before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Raw data are from Bankscope. Data10270[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.