Interest payments in South Korea
South Korea: Interest payments was 35.54 trillion current LCU in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
35.54 trillion current LCU
Change on year
up 17.7%
World rank
3rd
of 155 countries
All-time high
35.54 trillion current LCU
in 2024
All-time low
17.00 billion current LCU
in 1972
Years of data
53
1972–2024
Interest payments in South Korea, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
The most recent figure for interest payments in South Korea is 35.54 trillion current LCU, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.
The figure is up 17.7% on the previous year and up 69.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest payments in South Korea peaked at 35.54 trillion current LCU in 2024 and was at its lowest, 17.00 billion current LCU, in 1972.
South Korea ranks 3rd of 155 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Interest payments in South Korea, year by year
| Year | current LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 17.00 billion current LCU | — |
| 1973 | 21.00 billion current LCU | +23.5% |
| 1974 | 31.00 billion current LCU | +47.6% |
| 1975 | 49.00 billion current LCU | +58.1% |
| 1976 | 94.00 billion current LCU | +91.8% |
| 1977 | 132.00 billion current LCU | +40.4% |
| 1978 | 190.00 billion current LCU | +43.9% |
| 1979 | 285.00 billion current LCU | +50.0% |
| 1980 | 434.00 billion current LCU | +52.3% |
| 1981 | 567.00 billion current LCU | +30.6% |
| 1982 | 652.00 billion current LCU | +15.0% |
| 1983 | 687.00 billion current LCU | +5.4% |
| 1984 | 857.00 billion current LCU | +24.7% |
| 1985 | 993.00 billion current LCU | +15.9% |
| 1986 | 1.13 trillion current LCU | +14.2% |
| 1987 | 1.13 trillion current LCU | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.16 trillion current LCU | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 814.00 billion current LCU | -29.7% |
| 1990 | 1.26 trillion current LCU | +55.0% |
| 1991 | 1.25 trillion current LCU | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 1.50 trillion current LCU | +20.1% |
| 1993 | 1.20 trillion current LCU | -19.5% |
| 1994 | 1.83 trillion current LCU | +52.0% |
| 1995 | 1.94 trillion current LCU | +6.2% |
| 1996 | 1.96 trillion current LCU | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 2.26 trillion current LCU | +15.0% |
| 1998 | 3.40 trillion current LCU | +50.5% |
| 1999 | 5.88 trillion current LCU | +73.1% |
| 2000 | 6.89 trillion current LCU | +17.1% |
| 2001 | 7.20 trillion current LCU | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 6.85 trillion current LCU | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 6.60 trillion current LCU | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 8.71 trillion current LCU | +32.0% |
| 2005 | 10.09 trillion current LCU | +15.9% |
| 2006 | 12.15 trillion current LCU | +20.4% |
| 2007 | 13.44 trillion current LCU | +10.6% |
| 2008 | 14.36 trillion current LCU | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 11.52 trillion current LCU | -19.8% |
| 2010 | 13.39 trillion current LCU | +16.2% |
| 2011 | 14.57 trillion current LCU | +8.8% |
| 2012 | 20.16 trillion current LCU | +38.4% |
| 2013 | 20.29 trillion current LCU | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 20.94 trillion current LCU | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 20.76 trillion current LCU | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 19.64 trillion current LCU | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 19.41 trillion current LCU | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 19.22 trillion current LCU | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 19.92 trillion current LCU | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 21.09 trillion current LCU | +5.9% |
| 2021 | 20.95 trillion current LCU | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 25.20 trillion current LCU | +20.3% |
| 2023 | 30.20 trillion current LCU | +19.9% |
| 2024 | 35.54 trillion current LCU | +17.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 35.54 trillion current LCU is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.90 billion current LCU, 5148.9× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 35.54 trillion current LCU is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.93 billion current LCU, 7212.3× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 102.38 billion current LCU | 17.00 billion current LCU | 285.00 billion current LCU | 8 |
| 1980s | 843.00 billion current LCU | 434.00 billion current LCU | 1.16 trillion current LCU | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.25 trillion current LCU | 1.20 trillion current LCU | 5.88 trillion current LCU | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.78 trillion current LCU | 6.60 trillion current LCU | 14.36 trillion current LCU | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.83 trillion current LCU | 13.39 trillion current LCU | 20.94 trillion current LCU | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.59 trillion current LCU | 20.95 trillion current LCU | 35.54 trillion current LCU | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More public sector data for South Korea
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is interest payments in South Korea?
- Interest payments in South Korea was 35.54 trillion current LCU in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest payments recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 35.54 trillion current LCU in 2024.
- What is the lowest interest payments recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.00 billion current LCU in 1972.
- How does South Korea rank for interest payments?
- South Korea ranks 3rd out of 155 countries with data for 2024.
- Is interest payments rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 69.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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 in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.