European Union vs United States: Interest payments (% of expense)
European Union
2.8%
in 2023
United States
12.9%
in 2023
European Union rank
38th
United States rank
38th
Interest payments (% of expense) over time
- European Union
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 12.9% against 2.8% in European Union, a difference of 10.1%.
That makes United States's figure about 4.6 times European Union's.
Across all 48 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
European Union ranks 38th and United States ranks 38th of 41 groups.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | European Union | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.6% | 8.1% | 4.5% | United States |
| 1980s | 7.2% | 13.9% | 6.7% | United States |
| 1990s | 9.1% | 14.9% | 5.8% | United States |
| 2000s | 5.6% | 9.9% | 4.3% | United States |
| 2010s | 4.7% | 8.3% | 3.6% | United States |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 9.2% | 6.3% | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher interest payments, European Union or United States?
- United States, at 12.9% against 2.8% in European Union as of 2023.
- What is the difference in interest payments between European Union and United States?
- 10.1%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for European Union and United States?
- 48 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2023.
- How do European Union and United States rank globally for interest payments?
- European Union ranks 38th and United States ranks 38th of 41 groups.
- Where does this data come from?
- Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Interest payments (% of expense). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Interest payments include interest payments on government debt (including long-term bonds, long-term loans, and other debt instruments) to domestic and foreign residents. This indicator is expressed as percentage of total expenses which is any decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction.