Interest payments in Australia
Australia: Interest payments was 3.0% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Interest payments in Australia, 1972–2022
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
In 2022, interest payments in Australia stood at 3.0%.
The figure is up 15.7% on the previous year and down 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest payments in Australia peaked at 10.8% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2009.
That places Australia 113th out of 152 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Interest payments in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 7.6% | — |
| 1973 | 7.3% | -4.1% |
| 1974 | 6.5% | -11.4% |
| 1975 | 5.8% | -9.7% |
| 1976 | 4.9% | -16.1% |
| 1977 | 6.2% | +27.0% |
| 1978 | 6.4% | +3.5% |
| 1979 | 7.0% | +9.1% |
| 1980 | 7.1% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 7.2% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 7.0% | -1.6% |
| 1983 | 7.0% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 7.6% | +9.4% |
| 1985 | 9.1% | +19.2% |
| 1986 | 10.4% | +14.1% |
| 1987 | 10.8% | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 9.7% | -10.0% |
| 1989 | 9.1% | -6.2% |
| 1990 | 8.3% | -8.8% |
| 1991 | 6.4% | -22.8% |
| 1992 | 5.6% | -13.7% |
| 1993 | 4.9% | -12.2% |
| 1994 | 5.7% | +16.0% |
| 1995 | 6.5% | +14.5% |
| 1996 | 7.1% | +10.1% |
| 1997 | 7.3% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 6.8% | -6.2% |
| 1999 | 7.8% | +13.9% |
| 2000 | 6.6% | -15.3% |
| 2001 | 3.5% | -47.5% |
| 2002 | 2.9% | -17.2% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | -14.2% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | -20.0% |
| 2005 | 1.8% | -7.5% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | -7.3% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | -7.6% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 2.0% | +40.3% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | +34.8% |
| 2012 | 3.3% | +22.2% |
| 2013 | 3.3% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 3.3% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 3.5% | +8.3% |
| 2016 | 3.6% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 3.7% | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 3.5% | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 3.0% | -16.0% |
| 2021 | 2.6% | -13.2% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | +15.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 3.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.3%, 91% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Australia's 3.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.0%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.5% | 4.9% | 7.6% | 8 |
| 1980s | 8.5% | 7.0% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.6% | 4.9% | 8.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.5% | 1.4% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 2.0% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.8% | 2.6% | 3.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
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Frequently asked questions
- What is interest payments in Australia?
- Interest payments in Australia was 3.0% in 2022, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest payments recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.8% in 1987.
- What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2009.
- How does Australia rank for interest payments?
- Australia ranks 113th out of 152 countries with data for 2022.
- Is interest payments rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Interest payments (% of expense). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.