Interest payments in Least developed countries

Least developed countries: Interest payments was 8.9% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
8.9%
Change on year
up 16.6%
Rank
22nd
of 39 groups
All-time high
9.2%
in 2018
All-time low
4.8%
in 2014
Years of data
10
2010–2021

Interest payments in Least developed countries, 2010–2021

02468102010201520212010: 5.3 % of expense2012: 5.2 % of expense2014: 4.8 % of expense2015: 5.9 % of expense2016: 7.4 % of expense2017: 6.7 % of expense2018: 9.2 % of expense2019: 7.4 % of expense2020: 7.6 % of expense2021: 8.9 % 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 Least developed countries is 8.9%, measured in 2021.

That represents a change of up 16.6% on the previous year and up 66.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, interest payments in Least developed countries peaked at 9.2% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 4.8%, in 2014.

Least developed countries ranks 22nd of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.

Interest payments in Least developed countries, year by year

Annual values for Interest payments (% of expense) in Least developed countries, 2010 to 2021.
Year % of expense Change
2010 5.3%
2012 5.2% -2.2%
2014 4.8% -8.5%
2015 5.9% +24.5%
2016 7.4% +24.7%
2017 6.7% -10.0%
2018 9.2% +37.9%
2019 7.4% -19.2%
2020 7.6% +2.4%
2021 8.9% +16.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 6.5% 4.8% 9.2% 8
2020s 8.2% 7.6% 8.9% 2

Countries ranked near Least developed countries

  1. 19 Costa Rica 16.7% compare
  2. 20 Jordan 16.5% compare
  3. 21 Kenya 16.4% compare
  4. 22 Togo 16.2% compare
  5. 23 Saint Lucia 16.1% compare
  6. 24 Mexico 15.8% compare
  7. 25 Philippines 15.3% compare

See the full ranking of 193 places →

More public sector data for Least developed countries

All data for Least developed countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is interest payments in Least developed countries?
Interest payments in Least developed countries was 8.9% in 2021, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest interest payments recorded in Least developed countries?
The highest recorded value was 9.2% in 2018.
What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Least developed countries?
The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 2014.
How does Least developed countries rank for interest payments?
Least developed countries ranks 22nd out of 39 groups with data for 2021.
Is interest payments rising or falling in Least developed countries?
Over the last ten years it is up 66.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Least developed countries 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Interest payments in Least developed countries. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/interest-payments-percent-of-expense/least-developed-countries-un-classification/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/interest-payments-percent-of-expense/least-developed-countries-un-classification/">Interest payments in Least developed countries</a> — Statizoid

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.