Interest payments (% of expense) in Finland
Finland: Interest payments (% of expense) was 2.0% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Interest payments in Finland, 1972–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
Finland recorded 2.0% for interest payments in 2023.
The figure is up 54.0% on the previous year and down 36.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest payments in Finland peaked at 10.1% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1976.
Finland ranks 126th 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 (% of expense) in Finland, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 2.2% | — |
| 1973 | 2.0% | -8.5% |
| 1974 | 1.3% | -35.0% |
| 1975 | 1.0% | -25.3% |
| 1976 | 0.9% | -6.7% |
| 1977 | 1.2% | +35.7% |
| 1978 | 1.6% | +27.2% |
| 1979 | 2.2% | +36.3% |
| 1980 | 2.4% | +9.6% |
| 1981 | 2.7% | +13.5% |
| 1982 | 3.1% | +16.3% |
| 1983 | 3.8% | +22.7% |
| 1984 | 4.4% | +15.2% |
| 1985 | 4.7% | +7.1% |
| 1986 | 4.3% | -8.2% |
| 1987 | 4.1% | -4.9% |
| 1988 | 4.1% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 3.6% | -12.9% |
| 1990 | 3.1% | -13.3% |
| 1991 | 3.3% | +4.7% |
| 1992 | 4.2% | +30.2% |
| 1993 | 8.4% | +98.7% |
| 1994 | 10.1% | +20.6% |
| 1995 | 7.5% | -25.9% |
| 1996 | 8.8% | +16.6% |
| 1997 | 9.8% | +12.3% |
| 1998 | 8.9% | -9.7% |
| 1999 | 7.8% | -12.6% |
| 2000 | 7.7% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 7.4% | -4.5% |
| 2002 | 5.8% | -21.7% |
| 2003 | 5.1% | -11.2% |
| 2004 | 4.8% | -7.2% |
| 2005 | 4.4% | -8.4% |
| 2006 | 4.0% | -8.6% |
| 2007 | 3.8% | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 3.6% | -5.0% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | -11.0% |
| 2010 | 3.5% | +6.6% |
| 2011 | 3.6% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 3.2% | -12.2% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 2.9% | -6.6% |
| 2016 | 2.7% | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 2.6% | -6.3% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | -11.8% |
| 2020 | 1.5% | -29.2% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | -23.5% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | +13.5% |
| 2023 | 2.0% | +54.0% |
Finland compared with similar countries
- Finland's 2.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.3%, 62% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Finland's 2.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.3%, 61% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Interest payments (% of expense) in Finland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +98.7% | 4.2% | 8.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.6% | 0.9% | 2.2% | 8 |
| 1980s | 3.7% | 2.4% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.2% | 3.1% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.0% | 3.2% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 2.1% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.1% | 2.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Finland
More public sector data for Finland
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- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
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Frequently asked questions
- What is interest payments in Finland?
- Interest payments in Finland was 2.0% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest payments recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 10.1% in 1994.
- What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1976.
- How does Finland rank for interest payments?
- Finland ranks 126th out of 152 countries with data for 2023.
- Is interest payments rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Finland 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.