Interest payments in Denmark
Denmark: Interest payments was 1.4% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Interest payments in Denmark, 1972–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
The most recent figure for interest payments in Denmark is 1.4%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 22.7% on the previous year and down 59.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest payments in Denmark peaked at 19.2% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2021.
Denmark ranks 134th of 152 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Interest payments in Denmark, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 1.4% | — |
| 1973 | 1.6% | +13.0% |
| 1974 | 1.5% | -7.3% |
| 1975 | 1.6% | +9.0% |
| 1976 | 2.1% | +30.0% |
| 1977 | 3.4% | +61.7% |
| 1978 | 3.8% | +10.7% |
| 1979 | 6.6% | +73.6% |
| 1980 | 7.0% | +5.9% |
| 1981 | 9.3% | +33.2% |
| 1982 | 10.9% | +17.5% |
| 1983 | 13.3% | +21.4% |
| 1984 | 17.3% | +30.7% |
| 1985 | 19.2% | +11.0% |
| 1986 | 18.5% | -3.8% |
| 1987 | 17.8% | -3.9% |
| 1988 | 16.3% | -8.2% |
| 1989 | 15.4% | -5.5% |
| 1990 | 15.6% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 15.2% | -2.5% |
| 1992 | 13.3% | -12.2% |
| 1993 | 14.1% | +6.0% |
| 1994 | 13.5% | -4.1% |
| 1995 | 13.3% | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 13.2% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 12.4% | -6.5% |
| 1998 | 11.2% | -9.3% |
| 1999 | 10.4% | -7.2% |
| 2000 | 9.8% | -5.9% |
| 2001 | 8.4% | -14.7% |
| 2002 | 7.6% | -8.8% |
| 2003 | 6.8% | -10.8% |
| 2004 | 6.0% | -11.0% |
| 2005 | 4.9% | -18.9% |
| 2006 | 4.3% | -13.1% |
| 2007 | 3.5% | -18.7% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | -17.1% |
| 2009 | 3.6% | +26.1% |
| 2010 | 3.7% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 3.7% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 3.3% | -11.4% |
| 2013 | 3.4% | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 3.0% | -12.6% |
| 2015 | 2.9% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 2.6% | -11.1% |
| 2017 | 1.9% | -27.0% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | +5.1% |
| 2019 | 1.9% | -7.3% |
| 2020 | 1.1% | -39.0% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | +61.2% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | -22.7% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 1.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.3%, 43% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 1.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.3%, 42% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Interest payments in Denmark 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | +73.6% | 3.8% | 6.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.8% | 1.4% | 6.6% | 8 |
| 1980s | 14.5% | 7.0% | 19.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.2% | 10.4% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.8% | 2.9% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.8% | 1.9% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More public sector data for Denmark
- 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 Denmark?
- Interest payments in Denmark was 1.4% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest payments recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 19.2% in 1985.
- What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2021.
- How does Denmark rank for interest payments?
- Denmark ranks 134th out of 152 countries with data for 2023.
- Is interest payments rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 59.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Denmark 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.
Download this data
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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.