Interest payments in Iceland

Iceland: Interest payments was 206.57 billion current LCU in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
206.57 billion current LCU
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
44th
of 155 countries
All-time high
206.57 billion current LCU
in 2023
All-time low
5.60 million current LCU
in 1972
Years of data
52
1972–2023

Interest payments in Iceland, 1972–2023

050.0B100.0B150.0B200.0B197219972023

Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.

Analysis

Iceland recorded 206.57 billion current LCU for interest payments in 2023. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 33.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, interest payments in Iceland peaked at 206.57 billion current LCU in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5.60 million current LCU, in 1972.

Iceland ranks 44th of 155 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Interest payments in Iceland, year by year

Annual values for Interest payments (current LCU) in Iceland, 1972 to 2023.
Year current LCU Change
1972 5.60 million current LCU
1973 9.80 million current LCU +75.0%
1974 15.60 million current LCU +59.2%
1975 39.50 million current LCU +153.2%
1976 42.40 million current LCU +7.3%
1977 65.00 million current LCU +53.3%
1978 130.20 million current LCU +100.3%
1979 209.60 million current LCU +61.0%
1980 242.70 million current LCU +15.8%
1981 423.80 million current LCU +74.6%
1982 779.00 million current LCU +83.8%
1983 1.64 billion current LCU +110.3%
1984 2.43 billion current LCU +48.1%
1985 3.60 billion current LCU +48.3%
1986 4.52 billion current LCU +25.5%
1987 4.34 billion current LCU -3.9%
1988 7.13 billion current LCU +64.4%
1989 9.64 billion current LCU +35.2%
1990 11.37 billion current LCU +17.9%
1991 12.96 billion current LCU +14.0%
1992 12.88 billion current LCU -0.7%
1993 13.68 billion current LCU +6.2%
1994 14.79 billion current LCU +8.2%
1995 16.50 billion current LCU +11.5%
1996 15.81 billion current LCU -4.2%
1997 15.61 billion current LCU -1.3%
1998 18.83 billion current LCU +20.7%
1999 20.16 billion current LCU +7.0%
2000 19.67 billion current LCU -2.4%
2001 21.71 billion current LCU +10.4%
2002 19.97 billion current LCU -8.0%
2003 18.87 billion current LCU -5.5%
2004 18.51 billion current LCU -1.9%
2005 53.88 billion current LCU +191.2%
2006 70.01 billion current LCU +29.9%
2007 82.66 billion current LCU +18.1%
2008 177.87 billion current LCU +115.2%
2009 192.71 billion current LCU +8.3%
2010 131.76 billion current LCU -31.6%
2011 149.71 billion current LCU +13.6%
2012 159.21 billion current LCU +6.3%
2013 154.67 billion current LCU -2.9%
2014 136.61 billion current LCU -11.7%
2015 149.90 billion current LCU +9.7%
2016 142.74 billion current LCU -4.8%
2017 141.73 billion current LCU -0.7%
2018 130.96 billion current LCU -7.6%
2019 121.16 billion current LCU -7.5%
2020 105.43 billion current LCU -13.0%
2021 117.67 billion current LCU +11.6%
2022 199.02 billion current LCU +69.1%
2023 206.57 billion current LCU +3.8%

Iceland compared with similar countries

  • Iceland's 206.57 billion current LCU is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.90 billion current LCU, 29.9× the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Iceland's 206.57 billion current LCU is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 9.50 billion current LCU, 21.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Interest payments in Iceland 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.

YearChange FromTo
2005 +191.2% 18.51 billion current LCU 53.88 billion current LCU
1975 +153.2% 15.60 million current LCU 39.50 million current LCU

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 64.71 million current LCU 5.60 million current LCU 209.60 million current LCU 8
1980s 3.47 billion current LCU 242.70 million current LCU 9.64 billion current LCU 10
1990s 15.26 billion current LCU 11.37 billion current LCU 20.16 billion current LCU 10
2000s 67.59 billion current LCU 18.51 billion current LCU 192.71 billion current LCU 10
2010s 141.84 billion current LCU 121.16 billion current LCU 159.21 billion current LCU 10
2020s 157.17 billion current LCU 105.43 billion current LCU 206.57 billion current LCU 4

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 41 Dominican Republic 250.73 billion current LCU compare
  2. 42 Cameroon 241.62 billion current LCU compare
  3. 43 Thailand 217.85 billion current LCU compare
  4. 45 Egypt 179.03 billion current LCU compare
  5. 46 Somalia 163.76 billion current LCU
  6. 47 Togo 153.02 billion current LCU compare

See the full ranking of 155 places →

More public sector data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is interest payments in Iceland?
Interest payments in Iceland was 206.57 billion current LCU in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest interest payments recorded in Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 206.57 billion current LCU in 2023.
What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 5.60 million current LCU in 1972.
How does Iceland rank for interest payments?
Iceland ranks 44th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
Is interest payments rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is up 33.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iceland data come from?
The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Interest payments (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Interest payments in Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/interest-payments-current-lcu/iceland/

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About this data

Indicator
Interest payments (current LCU)
Unit
current LCU
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
155 places, 4,505 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

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 in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.