Interest payments (% of expense) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Interest payments (% of expense) was 3.0% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Interest payments in New Zealand, 1972–2022
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 New Zealand is 3.0%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of up 9.3% on the previous year and down 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest payments in New Zealand peaked at 18.9% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 2008.
That places New Zealand 114th out of 152 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Interest payments (% of expense) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 9.1% | — |
| 1973 | 8.3% | -8.0% |
| 1974 | 7.9% | -5.3% |
| 1975 | 7.5% | -4.5% |
| 1976 | 9.2% | +22.2% |
| 1977 | 9.5% | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 9.8% | +3.3% |
| 1979 | 10.8% | +10.9% |
| 1980 | 10.6% | -2.1% |
| 1981 | 11.3% | +6.9% |
| 1982 | 11.9% | +5.4% |
| 1983 | 14.9% | +24.7% |
| 1984 | 16.3% | +9.4% |
| 1985 | 18.9% | +16.2% |
| 1986 | 18.7% | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 18.5% | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 16.3% | -11.6% |
| 2001 | 6.3% | -61.6% |
| 2002 | 5.3% | -15.7% |
| 2003 | 5.5% | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 5.4% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 5.3% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 4.5% | -13.6% |
| 2007 | 3.9% | -15.2% |
| 2008 | 2.2% | -43.9% |
| 2009 | 3.5% | +60.0% |
| 2010 | 3.6% | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 3.8% | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 4.8% | +25.3% |
| 2013 | 4.9% | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 4.5% | -8.0% |
| 2015 | 4.6% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 4.3% | -6.3% |
| 2017 | 4.1% | -4.8% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | -5.3% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | -6.5% |
| 2020 | 2.7% | -25.3% |
| 2021 | 2.7% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | +9.3% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 3.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.3%, 91% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 3.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.0%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Interest payments (% of expense) in New Zealand 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +60.0% | 2.2% | 3.5% |
| 2001 | -61.6% | 16.3% | 6.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.0% | 7.5% | 10.8% | 8 |
| 1980s | 15.3% | 10.6% | 18.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.6% | 2.2% | 6.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 4.2% | 3.6% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.8% | 2.7% | 3.0% | 3 |
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Frequently asked questions
- What is interest payments in New Zealand?
- Interest payments in New Zealand was 3.0% in 2022, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest payments recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 18.9% in 1985.
- What is the lowest interest payments recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 2008.
- How does New Zealand rank for interest payments?
- New Zealand ranks 114th out of 152 countries with data for 2022.
- Is interest payments rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this New Zealand 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.