Interest payments in Sweden
Sweden: Interest payments was 1.4% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Interest payments in Sweden, 1972–2022
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
In 2022, interest payments in Sweden stood at 1.4%.
That represents a change of up 125.2% on the previous year and down 39.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest payments in Sweden peaked at 19.7% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2021.
Sweden ranks 135th of 152 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Interest payments in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 3.7% | — |
| 1973 | 3.8% | +3.7% |
| 1974 | 3.8% | -0.9% |
| 1975 | 4.4% | +16.2% |
| 1976 | 4.0% | -10.1% |
| 1977 | 4.3% | +8.2% |
| 1978 | 4.6% | +6.7% |
| 1979 | 5.0% | +8.0% |
| 1980 | 7.2% | +44.2% |
| 1981 | 9.9% | +38.5% |
| 1982 | 10.4% | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 15.4% | +48.0% |
| 1984 | 17.7% | +15.3% |
| 1985 | 19.7% | +11.3% |
| 1986 | 16.6% | -15.8% |
| 1987 | 15.4% | -7.4% |
| 1988 | 12.2% | -20.7% |
| 1989 | 11.1% | -8.7% |
| 1990 | 11.7% | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 10.0% | -14.0% |
| 1992 | 9.1% | -9.1% |
| 1993 | 10.0% | +9.2% |
| 1994 | 12.8% | +28.1% |
| 1995 | 10.7% | -16.4% |
| 1996 | 11.7% | +9.5% |
| 1997 | 12.1% | +3.7% |
| 1998 | 10.6% | -12.6% |
| 1999 | 9.8% | -7.6% |
| 2000 | 8.8% | -10.6% |
| 2001 | 7.1% | -19.1% |
| 2002 | 7.7% | +8.0% |
| 2003 | 5.3% | -30.4% |
| 2004 | 5.0% | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 4.8% | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 4.7% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 4.5% | -5.1% |
| 2008 | 4.0% | -10.5% |
| 2009 | 3.3% | -18.0% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | -16.1% |
| 2011 | 3.0% | +9.5% |
| 2012 | 2.3% | -25.0% |
| 2013 | 2.0% | -10.9% |
| 2014 | 1.6% | -20.9% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | -4.9% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | -13.0% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | -11.3% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | +6.6% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | -15.5% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | -36.5% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | -9.8% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | +125.2% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 1.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.3%, 42% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 1.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.3%, 41% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Interest payments in Sweden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +125.2% | 0.6% | 1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.2% | 3.7% | 5.0% | 8 |
| 1980s | 13.6% | 7.2% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.9% | 9.1% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.5% | 3.3% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.1% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More public sector data for Sweden
- Democracy, 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)
- Elected parliament, 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)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is interest payments in Sweden?
- Interest payments in Sweden was 1.4% in 2022, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest payments recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 19.7% in 1985.
- What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2021.
- How does Sweden rank for interest payments?
- Sweden ranks 135th out of 152 countries with data for 2022.
- Is interest payments rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sweden 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.