Interest payments in France

France: Interest payments was 3.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
3.4%
Change on year
down 9.7%
World rank
105th
of 152 countries
All-time high
6.6%
in 1996
All-time low
1.2%
in 1973
Years of data
52
1972–2023

Interest payments in France, 1972–2023

246197219972023

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

Analysis

In 2023, interest payments in France stood at 3.4%.

That represents a change of down 9.7% on the previous year and down 24.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, interest payments in France peaked at 6.6% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 1973.

France ranks 105th of 152 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.

Interest payments in France, year by year

Annual values for Interest payments (% of expense) in France, 1972 to 2023.
Year % of expense Change
1972 1.5%
1973 1.2% -16.7%
1974 1.4% +11.0%
1975 2.2% +56.1%
1976 1.9% -10.9%
1977 2.1% +6.8%
1978 2.2% +5.6%
1979 2.3% +7.9%
1980 2.2% -7.1%
1981 3.2% +46.0%
1982 3.2% +0.1%
1983 4.1% +30.0%
1984 4.2% +2.3%
1985 4.5% +7.5%
1986 4.6% +1.8%
1987 4.4% -4.5%
1988 4.3% -1.8%
1989 4.7% +7.8%
1990 5.2% +10.9%
1991 5.3% +2.4%
1992 5.8% +8.6%
1993 6.1% +5.0%
1994 6.4% +5.4%
1995 6.3% -1.6%
1996 6.6% +4.6%
1997 6.5% -1.0%
1998 6.6% +0.8%
1999 6.2% -5.7%
2000 6.2% -0.0%
2001 6.1% -0.8%
2002 6.0% -1.6%
2003 5.7% -4.9%
2004 5.7% -0.7%
2005 5.6% -1.2%
2006 5.4% -4.6%
2007 5.5% +1.9%
2008 5.7% +4.0%
2009 4.9% -14.4%
2010 4.9% +1.3%
2011 5.4% +9.1%
2012 5.2% -4.4%
2013 4.5% -12.2%
2014 4.3% -4.6%
2015 4.1% -6.0%
2016 3.8% -5.4%
2017 3.6% -6.6%
2018 3.6% +1.5%
2019 3.2% -13.1%
2020 2.4% -25.3%
2021 2.7% +13.3%
2022 3.8% +40.6%
2023 3.4% -9.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.8% 1.2% 2.3% 8
1980s 3.9% 2.2% 4.7% 10
1990s 6.1% 5.2% 6.6% 10
2000s 5.7% 4.9% 6.2% 10
2010s 4.3% 3.2% 5.4% 10
2020s 3.1% 2.4% 3.8% 4

Countries ranked near France

  1. 102 Lesotho 4.0% compare
  2. 103 Romania 3.9% compare
  3. 104 Saudi Arabia 3.4% compare
  4. 106 Burundi 3.3% compare
  5. 107 Ireland 3.3% compare
  6. 108 Belgium 3.2% compare

See the full ranking of 193 places →

More public sector data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is interest payments in France?
Interest payments in France was 3.4% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest interest payments recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 6.6% in 1996.
What is the lowest interest payments recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 1973.
How does France rank for interest payments?
France ranks 105th out of 152 countries with data for 2023.
Is interest payments rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is down 24.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this France 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 France. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/interest-payments-percent-of-expense/france/

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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.