Interest payments in Euro area

Euro area: Interest payments was 2.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
2.8%
Change on year
up 4.8%
Rank
1st
of 2 regions
All-time high
9.6%
in 1990
All-time low
2.4%
in 1974
Years of data
51
1973–2023

Interest payments in Euro area, 1973–2023

246810197319982023

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 Euro area is 2.8%, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of up 4.8% on the previous year and down 48.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, interest payments in Euro area peaked at 9.6% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1974.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.

Interest payments in Euro area, year by year

Annual values for Interest payments (% of expense) in Euro area, 1973 to 2023.
Year % of expense Change
1973 3.0%
1974 2.4% -22.2%
1975 2.4% +3.5%
1976 3.1% +28.8%
1977 3.1% -2.9%
1978 3.8% +23.9%
1979 4.0% +6.0%
1980 4.4% +9.8%
1981 4.6% +4.1%
1982 4.5% -1.2%
1983 5.9% +30.5%
1984 7.0% +17.7%
1985 8.4% +20.2%
1986 9.6% +14.6%
1987 8.9% -6.8%
1988 9.0% +1.3%
1989 9.1% +0.6%
1990 9.6% +5.4%
1991 9.4% -1.5%
1992 9.5% +0.8%
1993 9.3% -2.0%
1994 9.3% -0.6%
1995 7.8% -16.4%
1996 8.4% +7.9%
1997 9.3% +11.7%
1998 8.5% -9.1%
1999 7.8% -8.5%
2000 7.5% -3.1%
2001 7.3% -3.1%
2002 6.0% -17.2%
2003 5.7% -4.9%
2004 5.7% -0.7%
2005 5.1% -11.1%
2006 4.8% -6.1%
2007 4.5% -5.2%
2008 4.6% +3.0%
2009 4.5% -2.2%
2010 4.6% +1.0%
2011 5.4% +17.4%
2012 5.8% +6.9%
2013 5.4% -5.9%
2014 5.4% +0.0%
2015 5.2% -3.5%
2016 4.7% -9.6%
2017 4.2% -11.4%
2018 3.8% -10.0%
2019 3.4% -10.7%
2020 2.9% -12.9%
2021 2.6% -10.6%
2022 2.7% +1.5%
2023 2.8% +4.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 3.1% 2.4% 4.0% 7
1980s 7.1% 4.4% 9.6% 10
1990s 8.9% 7.8% 9.6% 10
2000s 5.6% 4.5% 7.5% 10
2010s 4.8% 3.4% 5.8% 10
2020s 2.8% 2.6% 2.9% 4

Countries ranked near Euro area

  1. 1 Sri Lanka 49.4% compare
  2. 2 Ghana 32.8% compare
  3. 3 Angola 31.9% compare
  4. 4 Zambia 26.5% compare

See the full ranking of 193 places →

More public sector data for Euro area

All data for Euro area →

Frequently asked questions

What is interest payments in Euro area?
Interest payments in Euro area was 2.8% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest interest payments recorded in Euro area?
The highest recorded value was 9.6% in 1990.
What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Euro area?
The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1974.
How does Euro area rank for interest payments?
Euro area ranks 1st out of 2 regions with data for 2023.
Is interest payments rising or falling in Euro area?
Over the last ten years it is down 48.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Euro area 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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Interest payments in Euro area. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/interest-payments-percent-of-expense/euro-area/

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About this data

Indicator
Interest payments (% of expense)
Unit
% of expense
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
193 places, 5,277 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 as percentage of total expenses which is any decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction.