Which has higher interest payments, Italy or United Kingdom?

United Kingdom, at 7.8% against 7.6% in Italy as of 2023.

What is the difference in interest payments between Italy and United Kingdom?

0.2%, with United Kingdom ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and United Kingdom?

46 years are reported by both, from 1973 to 2023.

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.

Italy vs United Kingdom: Interest payments (% of expense)

Italy

7.6%

in 2023

United Kingdom

7.8%

in 2023

Italy rank

71st

United Kingdom rank

69th

Interest payments (% of expense) over time

Italy
United Kingdom

How they compare

United Kingdom currently reports 7.8% against 7.6% in Italy, a difference of 0.2%.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 46 shared years of data; in 1973 it was United Kingdom ahead.

Italy ranks 71st and United Kingdom ranks 69th of 152 countries.

Italy has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Italy	United Kingdom	Difference	Ahead
1970s	9.4%	9.4%	0.0%	Italy
1980s	15.7%	11.0%	4.7%	Italy
1990s	21.0%	8.0%	13.0%	Italy
2000s	12.3%	5.6%	6.7%	Italy
2010s	9.7%	6.9%	2.7%	Italy
2020s	7.5%	7.2%	0.3%	Italy

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher interest payments, Italy or United Kingdom?: United Kingdom, at 7.8% against 7.6% in Italy as of 2023.
What is the difference in interest payments between Italy and United Kingdom?: 0.2%, with United Kingdom ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and United Kingdom?: 46 years are reported by both, from 1973 to 2023.
How do Italy and United Kingdom rank globally for interest payments?: Italy ranks 71st and United Kingdom ranks 69th of 152 countries.
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.

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Italy vs United Kingdom: Interest payments. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/compare/interest-payments-percent-of-expense/italy/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator: Interest payments (% of expense)
Unit: % of expense
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 193 places, 5,277 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed: 29 October 2026

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.