Interest payments in Cyprus
Cyprus: Interest payments was 3.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Interest payments in Cyprus, 1972–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
Cyprus recorded 3.1% for interest payments in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 52 years on record.
That represents a change of down 13.2% on the previous year and down 57.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest payments in Cyprus peaked at 17.0% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 2023.
That places Cyprus 112th out of 152 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Interest payments in Cyprus, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 4.8% | — |
| 1973 | 4.3% | -9.8% |
| 1974 | 3.3% | -23.4% |
| 1975 | 3.8% | +15.2% |
| 1976 | 4.8% | +24.9% |
| 1977 | 6.7% | +39.4% |
| 1978 | 6.3% | -5.0% |
| 1979 | 7.9% | +24.8% |
| 1980 | 7.9% | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 9.3% | +18.0% |
| 1982 | 10.8% | +15.9% |
| 1983 | 12.1% | +12.1% |
| 1984 | 14.7% | +21.8% |
| 1985 | 14.4% | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 15.5% | +7.4% |
| 1987 | 14.9% | -4.1% |
| 1988 | 15.1% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 15.8% | +4.5% |
| 1990 | 15.1% | -4.1% |
| 1991 | 15.9% | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 15.6% | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 16.9% | +8.7% |
| 1994 | 17.0% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 6.4% | -62.4% |
| 1996 | 7.4% | +15.0% |
| 1997 | 7.2% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 8.5% | +17.8% |
| 1999 | 8.5% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 9.3% | +9.7% |
| 2001 | 9.1% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 8.1% | -10.8% |
| 2003 | 7.9% | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 7.7% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 7.8% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 7.5% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 7.2% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 6.6% | -8.5% |
| 2009 | 5.3% | -20.2% |
| 2010 | 4.4% | -16.1% |
| 2011 | 4.8% | +7.5% |
| 2012 | 6.1% | +28.5% |
| 2013 | 7.1% | +16.2% |
| 2014 | 6.4% | -9.7% |
| 2015 | 7.4% | +14.9% |
| 2016 | 6.8% | -7.9% |
| 2017 | 6.6% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 5.7% | -13.3% |
| 2019 | 5.6% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 4.6% | -17.5% |
| 2021 | 4.1% | -11.1% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | -13.7% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | -13.2% |
Cyprus compared with similar countries
- Cyprus's 3.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.3%, 94% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Cyprus's 3.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.3%, 92% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.2% | 3.3% | 7.9% | 8 |
| 1980s | 13.0% | 7.9% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.9% | 6.4% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.7% | 5.3% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.1% | 4.4% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 3.1% | 4.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cyprus
More public sector data for Cyprus
- 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 Cyprus?
- Interest payments in Cyprus was 3.1% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest payments recorded in Cyprus?
- The highest recorded value was 17.0% in 1994.
- What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Cyprus?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 2023.
- How does Cyprus rank for interest payments?
- Cyprus ranks 112th out of 152 countries with data for 2023.
- Is interest payments rising or falling in Cyprus?
- Over the last ten years it is down 57.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cyprus 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.