Interest payments in Portugal

Portugal: Interest payments was 5.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
5.7%
Change on year
up 16.7%
World rank
86th
of 152 countries
All-time high
20.6%
in 1986
All-time low
2.6%
in 1975
Years of data
48
1975–2023

Interest payments in Portugal, 1975–2023

5101520197519992023

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

Analysis

Portugal recorded 5.7% for interest payments in 2023.

The figure is up 16.7% on the previous year and down 45.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, interest payments in Portugal peaked at 20.6% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 1975.

Portugal ranks 86th of 152 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 48 years of available data.

Interest payments in Portugal, year by year

Annual values for Interest payments (% of expense) in Portugal, 1975 to 2023.
Year % of expense Change
1975 2.6%
1976 3.6% +42.3%
1978 8.0% +118.8%
1979 8.7% +9.1%
1980 8.5% -2.5%
1981 13.3% +56.4%
1982 14.3% +8.2%
1983 15.7% +9.5%
1984 18.6% +18.2%
1985 17.3% -6.7%
1986 20.6% +18.8%
1987 19.9% -3.4%
1988 19.2% -3.3%
1989 17.1% -11.1%
1990 19.0% +10.9%
1991 18.3% -3.2%
1992 19.3% +5.4%
1993 15.7% -19.0%
1994 13.2% -15.6%
1995 14.9% +12.8%
1996 13.1% -12.5%
1997 10.7% -17.7%
1998 8.5% -21.0%
1999 8.0% -5.9%
2000 8.0% +0.8%
2001 7.8% -3.3%
2002 7.3% -6.1%
2003 6.8% -6.4%
2004 6.5% -4.6%
2005 6.4% -2.5%
2006 7.1% +10.8%
2007 7.5% +5.9%
2008 7.6% +2.4%
2009 6.9% -9.5%
2010 6.9% -0.1%
2011 9.8% +42.3%
2012 11.0% +11.4%
2013 10.6% -3.7%
2014 10.2% -3.0%
2015 10.3% +1.0%
2016 10.0% -3.5%
2017 9.0% -9.6%
2018 8.5% -5.9%
2019 7.6% -10.4%
2020 6.4% -15.4%
2021 5.6% -12.5%
2022 4.9% -12.7%
2023 5.7% +16.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5.7% 2.6% 8.7% 4
1980s 16.4% 8.5% 20.6% 10
1990s 14.1% 8.0% 19.3% 10
2000s 7.2% 6.4% 8.0% 10
2010s 9.4% 6.9% 11.0% 10
2020s 5.7% 4.9% 6.4% 4

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 83 San Marino 5.9% compare
  2. 84 Georgia 5.9% compare
  3. 85 Ukraine 5.8% compare
  4. 87 Thailand 5.5% compare
  5. 88 Belarus 5.4% compare
  6. 89 Central African Republic 5.2% compare

See the full ranking of 193 places →

More public sector data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is interest payments in Portugal?
Interest payments in Portugal was 5.7% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest interest payments recorded in Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 20.6% in 1986.
What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 1975.
How does Portugal rank for interest payments?
Portugal ranks 86th out of 152 countries with data for 2023.
Is interest payments rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is down 45.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Portugal 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 Portugal. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/interest-payments-percent-of-expense/portugal/

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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.