Interest payments in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Interest payments was 3.4% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
3.4%
Change on year
up 15.0%
World rank
104th
of 152 countries
All-time high
3.4%
in 2023
All-time low
0.3%
in 2015
Years of data
14
2010–2023

Interest payments in Saudi Arabia, 2010–2023

01232010201620232010: 2.3 % of expense2011: 1.3 % of expense2012: 0.856 % of expense2013: 0.629 % of expense2014: 0.43 % of expense2015: 0.33 % of expense2016: 0.71 % of expense2017: 1.3 % of expense2018: 1.7 % of expense2019: 2.4 % of expense2020: 2.7 % of expense2021: 3 % of expense2022: 3 % of expense2023: 3.4 % of expense

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

Analysis

Saudi Arabia recorded 3.4% for interest payments in 2023. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.

That represents a change of up 15.0% on the previous year and up 442.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, interest payments in Saudi Arabia peaked at 3.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2015.

Saudi Arabia ranks 104th of 152 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Interest payments in Saudi Arabia, year by year

Annual values for Interest payments (% of expense) in Saudi Arabia, 2010 to 2023.
Year % of expense Change
2010 2.3%
2011 1.3% -40.4%
2012 0.9% -36.4%
2013 0.6% -26.5%
2014 0.4% -31.7%
2015 0.3% -23.3%
2016 0.7% +115.5%
2017 1.3% +76.0%
2018 1.7% +34.7%
2019 2.4% +41.0%
2020 2.7% +11.9%
2021 3.0% +11.8%
2022 3.0% -0.0%
2023 3.4% +15.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 1.2% 0.3% 2.4% 10
2020s 3.0% 2.7% 3.4% 4

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 101 Serbia 4.0% compare
  2. 102 Lesotho 4.0% compare
  3. 103 Romania 3.9% compare
  4. 105 France 3.4% compare
  5. 106 Burundi 3.3% compare
  6. 107 Ireland 3.3% compare

See the full ranking of 193 places →

More public sector data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is interest payments in Saudi Arabia?
Interest payments in Saudi Arabia was 3.4% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest interest payments recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 3.4% in 2023.
What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2015.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for interest payments?
Saudi Arabia ranks 104th out of 152 countries with data for 2023.
Is interest payments rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is up 442.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/interest-payments-percent-of-expense/saudi-arabia/

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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.