Interest payments in Malaysia

Malaysia: Interest payments was 14.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
14.9%
Change on year
up 16.2%
World rank
27th
of 152 countries
All-time high
15.4%
in 2000
All-time low
8.5%
in 2008
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Interest payments in Malaysia, 1996–2023

0510151996200920231996: 14.3 % of expense1997: 13.4 % of expense1998: 14.5 % of expense1999: 14.2 % of expense2000: 15.4 % of expense2001: 14.6 % of expense2002: 14.3 % of expense2003: 14.3 % of expense2004: 12.2 % of expense2005: 12.1 % of expense2006: 11.8 % of expense2007: 10.7 % of expense2008: 8.5 % of expense2009: 9.2 % of expense2010: 10.4 % of expense2011: 9.8 % of expense2012: 9.6 % of expense2013: 9.9 % of expense2014: 10.4 % of expense2015: 11.3 % of expense2016: 12.6 % of expense2017: 12.8 % of expense2018: 13.3 % of expense2019: 12.5 % of expense2020: 13.2 % of expense2021: 14.2 % of expense2022: 12.8 % of expense2023: 14.9 % of expense

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

Analysis

Malaysia recorded 14.9% for interest payments in 2023.

That represents a change of up 16.2% on the previous year and up 50.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, interest payments in Malaysia peaked at 15.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 8.5%, in 2008.

Malaysia ranks 27th of 152 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.

Interest payments in Malaysia, year by year

Annual values for Interest payments (% of expense) in Malaysia, 1996 to 2023.
Year % of expense Change
1996 14.3%
1997 13.4% -6.3%
1998 14.5% +8.4%
1999 14.2% -2.3%
2000 15.4% +8.3%
2001 14.6% -5.3%
2002 14.3% -2.1%
2003 14.3% +0.1%
2004 12.2% -14.6%
2005 12.1% -1.0%
2006 11.8% -2.1%
2007 10.7% -9.4%
2008 8.5% -20.7%
2009 9.2% +8.4%
2010 10.4% +13.3%
2011 9.8% -5.6%
2012 9.6% -2.6%
2013 9.9% +3.3%
2014 10.4% +4.8%
2015 11.3% +8.8%
2016 12.6% +12.1%
2017 12.8% +1.5%
2018 13.3% +3.3%
2019 12.5% -5.4%
2020 13.2% +5.0%
2021 14.2% +8.2%
2022 12.8% -9.8%
2023 14.9% +16.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 14.1% 13.4% 14.5% 4
2000s 12.3% 8.5% 15.4% 10
2010s 11.3% 9.6% 13.3% 10
2020s 13.8% 12.8% 14.9% 4

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 24 Mexico 15.8% compare
  2. 25 Philippines 15.3% compare
  3. 26 Lebanon 15.2% compare
  4. 28 Guinea-Bissau 14.9% compare
  5. 29 Iceland 14.7% compare
  6. 30 Fiji 14.6% compare

See the full ranking of 193 places →

More public sector data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is interest payments in Malaysia?
Interest payments in Malaysia was 14.9% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest interest payments recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 15.4% in 2000.
What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 8.5% in 2008.
How does Malaysia rank for interest payments?
Malaysia ranks 27th out of 152 countries with data for 2023.
Is interest payments rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is up 50.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malaysia 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 Malaysia. 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/malaysia/

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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.