Interest payments in Latin America & Caribbean

Latin America & Caribbean: Interest payments was 12.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
12.6%
Change on year
up 7.6%
Rank
4th
of 41 groups
All-time high
14.3%
in 2003
All-time low
7.6%
in 2014
Years of data
26
1998–2023

Interest payments in Latin America & Caribbean, 1998–2023

0510151998201020231998: 12.6 % of expense1999: 10.7 % of expense2000: 12.7 % of expense2001: 11.5 % of expense2002: 12.6 % of expense2003: 14.3 % of expense2004: 12.4 % of expense2005: 10.8 % of expense2006: 10.5 % of expense2007: 9.5 % of expense2008: 9.8 % of expense2009: 9.1 % of expense2010: 8.1 % of expense2011: 8.3 % of expense2012: 7.8 % of expense2013: 8.1 % of expense2014: 7.6 % of expense2015: 8.5 % of expense2016: 10.6 % of expense2017: 10.1 % of expense2018: 11.4 % of expense2019: 11.5 % of expense2020: 9.4 % of expense2021: 10.3 % of expense2022: 11.7 % of expense2023: 12.6 % of expense

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 Latin America & Caribbean is 12.6%, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of up 7.6% on the previous year and up 54.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, interest payments in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 14.3% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 7.6%, in 2014.

Latin America & Caribbean ranks 4th of 41 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.

Interest payments in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year

Annual values for Interest payments (% of expense) in Latin America & Caribbean, 1998 to 2023.
Year % of expense Change
1998 12.6%
1999 10.7% -14.7%
2000 12.7% +18.2%
2001 11.5% -9.2%
2002 12.6% +9.3%
2003 14.3% +13.7%
2004 12.4% -13.3%
2005 10.8% -13.4%
2006 10.5% -2.8%
2007 9.5% -8.8%
2008 9.8% +2.3%
2009 9.1% -7.2%
2010 8.1% -10.7%
2011 8.3% +3.1%
2012 7.8% -6.9%
2013 8.1% +4.8%
2014 7.6% -5.9%
2015 8.5% +10.8%
2016 10.6% +25.2%
2017 10.1% -4.6%
2018 11.4% +12.2%
2019 11.5% +1.1%
2020 9.4% -17.9%
2021 10.3% +9.3%
2022 11.7% +13.5%
2023 12.6% +7.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 11.7% 10.7% 12.6% 2
2000s 11.3% 9.1% 14.3% 10
2010s 9.2% 7.6% 11.5% 10
2020s 11.0% 9.4% 12.6% 4

Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean

  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
  5. 5 Malawi 26.3% compare
  6. 6 Egypt 24.2% compare
  7. 7 Brazil 24.1% compare

See the full ranking of 193 places →

More public sector data for Latin America & Caribbean

All data for Latin America & Caribbean →

Frequently asked questions

What is interest payments in Latin America & Caribbean?
Interest payments in Latin America & Caribbean was 12.6% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest interest payments recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
The highest recorded value was 14.3% in 2003.
What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
The lowest recorded value was 7.6% in 2014.
How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for interest payments?
Latin America & Caribbean ranks 4th out of 41 groups with data for 2023.
Is interest payments rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
Over the last ten years it is up 54.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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 Latin America & Caribbean. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/interest-payments-percent-of-expense/latin-america-and-caribbean/

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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.