Interest payments (% of expense) in Singapore
Singapore: Interest payments (% of expense) was 0.4% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Interest payments in Singapore, 1972–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
Singapore recorded 0.4% for interest payments in 2023.
The figure is down 3.0% on the previous year and up 7,960.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest payments in Singapore peaked at 30.9% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2018.
That places Singapore 148th out of 152 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Interest payments (% of expense) in Singapore, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 8.0% | — |
| 1973 | 10.4% | +29.8% |
| 1974 | 10.5% | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 10.5% | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 13.5% | +28.8% |
| 1977 | 16.1% | +19.5% |
| 1978 | 19.0% | +17.8% |
| 1979 | 19.5% | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 18.7% | -4.3% |
| 1981 | 14.2% | -23.9% |
| 1982 | 17.1% | +20.6% |
| 1983 | 25.6% | +49.3% |
| 1984 | 24.2% | -5.6% |
| 1985 | 16.3% | -32.4% |
| 1986 | 12.8% | -21.3% |
| 1987 | 30.9% | +140.3% |
| 1988 | 14.0% | -54.7% |
| 1989 | 14.8% | +5.5% |
| 1990 | 16.8% | +13.8% |
| 1991 | 18.7% | +11.4% |
| 1992 | 14.1% | -24.7% |
| 1993 | 8.6% | -38.8% |
| 1994 | 9.2% | +7.2% |
| 1995 | 8.2% | -10.8% |
| 1996 | 5.1% | -38.4% |
| 1997 | 4.9% | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 4.4% | -10.3% |
| 1999 | 3.9% | -11.6% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | -47.4% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | -16.3% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | -16.1% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | -25.8% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | -27.1% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | -39.7% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | -63.7% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -50.0% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 0.0% | -84.0% |
| 2011 | 0.0% | -28.0% |
| 2012 | 0.0% | -26.9% |
| 2013 | 0.0% | -22.1% |
| 2014 | 0.0% | -68.6% |
| 2015 | 0.0% | +107.5% |
| 2016 | 0.0% | +23.1% |
| 2017 | 0.0% | -76.4% |
| 2018 | 0.0% | -23.3% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | +77835.0% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | -43.4% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 0.5% | +23.9% |
| 2023 | 0.4% | -3.0% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 0.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.3%, 14% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 0.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.0%, 15% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Interest payments (% of expense) in Singapore 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +77835.0% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13.4% | 8.0% | 19.5% | 8 |
| 1980s | 18.9% | 12.8% | 30.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.4% | 3.9% | 18.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.1% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
- 145 Micronesia (country) 0.6% compare
- 146 Palau 0.5% compare
- 147 Marshall Islands 0.5% compare
- 149 Afghanistan 0.1% compare
- 150 East Timor 0.1% compare
- 151 Kuwait 0.1% compare
More public sector data for Singapore
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 57.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 57.65 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0006 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -27.95 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is interest payments in Singapore?
- Interest payments in Singapore was 0.4% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest payments recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 30.9% in 1987.
- What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2018.
- How does Singapore rank for interest payments?
- Singapore ranks 148th out of 152 countries with data for 2023.
- Is interest payments rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7,960.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Singapore 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.