Interest payments in European Union

European Union: Interest payments was 2.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
2.8%
Change on year
down 11.3%
Rank
1st
of 2 groups
All-time high
9.8%
in 1997
All-time low
2.4%
in 1975
Years of data
48
1975–2023

Interest payments in European Union, 1975–2023

246810197519992023

Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.

Analysis

European Union recorded 2.8% for interest payments in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.3% on the previous year and down 48.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, interest payments in European Union peaked at 9.8% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1975.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 48 years of available data.

Interest payments in European Union, year by year

Annual values for Interest payments (% of expense) in European Union, 1975 to 2023.
Year % of expense Change
1975 2.4%
1976 3.1% +28.8%
1978 4.1% +29.9%
1979 4.8% +18.3%
1980 6.0% +23.6%
1981 4.9% -17.4%
1982 5.1% +2.5%
1983 6.2% +23.0%
1984 7.0% +11.9%
1985 7.9% +14.2%
1986 8.8% +10.4%
1987 8.6% -1.9%
1988 8.8% +2.0%
1989 9.1% +3.8%
1990 9.7% +6.6%
1991 9.4% -2.7%
1992 9.6% +1.4%
1993 8.9% -6.6%
1994 9.5% +5.9%
1995 8.5% -10.3%
1996 8.4% -1.5%
1997 9.8% +17.6%
1998 9.0% -8.8%
1999 7.9% -11.6%
2000 7.7% -2.9%
2001 7.4% -4.1%
2002 6.6% -11.2%
2003 5.7% -12.5%
2004 5.7% -0.7%
2005 4.9% -13.9%
2006 4.7% -3.5%
2007 4.5% -5.1%
2008 4.1% -8.8%
2009 4.5% +10.9%
2010 4.6% +1.0%
2011 5.4% +16.6%
2012 5.8% +7.6%
2013 5.4% -5.9%
2014 5.1% -6.6%
2015 4.8% -4.7%
2016 4.5% -6.8%
2017 4.1% -9.5%
2018 3.6% -10.5%
2019 3.3% -9.0%
2020 2.9% -11.4%
2021 2.6% -10.6%
2022 3.1% +20.0%
2023 2.8% -11.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 3.6% 2.4% 4.8% 4
1980s 7.2% 4.9% 9.1% 10
1990s 9.1% 7.9% 9.8% 10
2000s 5.6% 4.1% 7.7% 10
2010s 4.7% 3.3% 5.8% 10
2020s 2.9% 2.6% 3.1% 4

Countries ranked near European Union

  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 European Union

All data for European Union →

Frequently asked questions

What is interest payments in European Union?
Interest payments in European Union 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 European Union?
The highest recorded value was 9.8% in 1997.
What is the lowest interest payments recorded in European Union?
The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1975.
How does European Union rank for interest payments?
European Union ranks 1st out of 2 groups with data for 2023.
Is interest payments rising or falling in European Union?
Over the last ten years it is down 48.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this European Union 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 European Union. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/interest-payments-percent-of-expense/european-union/

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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.