Interest payments in China

China: Interest payments was 3.4% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
3.4%
Change on year
down 12.1%
World rank
110th
of 155 countries
All-time high
4.4%
in 2006
All-time low
2.2%
in 2007
Years of data
17
2005–2021

Interest payments in China, 2005–2021

012342005201320212005: 4.3 % of revenue2006: 4.4 % of revenue2007: 2.2 % of revenue2008: 3.4 % of revenue2009: 3.2 % of revenue2010: 3.3 % of revenue2011: 3.3 % of revenue2012: 3.4 % of revenue2013: 3.6 % of revenue2014: 2.6 % of revenue2015: 3.2 % of revenue2016: 2.9 % of revenue2017: 3.4 % of revenue2018: 2.8 % of revenue2019: 2.9 % of revenue2020: 3.9 % of revenue2021: 3.4 % of revenue

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

Analysis

In 2021, interest payments in China stood at 3.4%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.1% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, interest payments in China peaked at 4.4% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 2007.

China ranks 110th of 155 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.

Interest payments in China, year by year

Annual values for Interest payments (% of revenue) in China, 2005 to 2021.
Year % of revenue Change
2005 4.3%
2006 4.4% +0.0%
2007 2.2% -49.5%
2008 3.4% +56.1%
2009 3.2% -5.3%
2010 3.3% +0.3%
2011 3.3% +1.8%
2012 3.4% +3.5%
2013 3.6% +3.8%
2014 2.6% -28.2%
2015 3.2% +26.6%
2016 2.9% -9.8%
2017 3.4% +16.5%
2018 2.8% -18.8%
2019 2.9% +5.1%
2020 3.9% +34.9%
2021 3.4% -12.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3.5% 2.2% 4.4% 5
2010s 3.1% 2.6% 3.6% 10
2020s 3.7% 3.4% 3.9% 2

Countries ranked near China

  1. 107 Lesotho 3.5% compare
  2. 108 Malta 3.5% compare
  3. 109 Czechia 3.5% compare
  4. 111 Botswana 3.4% compare
  5. 112 Uzbekistan 3.3% compare
  6. 113 Austria 3.1% compare

See the full ranking of 196 places →

More public sector data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is interest payments in China?
Interest payments in China was 3.4% in 2021, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest interest payments recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 4.4% in 2006.
What is the lowest interest payments recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 2007.
How does China rank for interest payments?
China ranks 110th out of 155 countries with data for 2021.
Is interest payments rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this China 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 revenue). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Interest payments in China. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/interest-payments-percent-of-revenue/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Interest payments (% of revenue)
Unit
% of revenue
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
196 places, 5,564 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 a percentage of revenue which includes all transactions that add to the amount of economic value of a unit or sector.