Interest payments in Ireland
Ireland: Interest payments was 2.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Interest payments in Ireland, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of revenue.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 2.3% for interest payments in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 19.2% on the previous year and down 80.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest payments in Ireland peaked at 23.5% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 2024.
Ireland ranks 128th of 155 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 Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 11.2% | — |
| 1973 | 11.4% | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 11.7% | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 13.5% | +15.1% |
| 1976 | 14.2% | +5.2% |
| 1977 | 15.3% | +8.0% |
| 1978 | 16.9% | +10.6% |
| 1979 | 17.4% | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 16.9% | -2.6% |
| 1981 | 18.7% | +10.3% |
| 1982 | 21.1% | +12.9% |
| 1983 | 20.7% | -1.9% |
| 1984 | 21.1% | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 23.5% | +11.3% |
| 1986 | 22.6% | -4.0% |
| 1987 | 21.9% | -2.7% |
| 1988 | 20.8% | -5.2% |
| 1989 | 20.8% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 22.2% | +6.5% |
| 1991 | 20.7% | -6.9% |
| 1992 | 19.1% | -7.7% |
| 1993 | 17.9% | -6.3% |
| 1994 | 16.4% | -8.4% |
| 1995 | 14.5% | -11.4% |
| 1996 | 12.4% | -14.5% |
| 1997 | 10.6% | -14.1% |
| 1998 | 9.9% | -7.0% |
| 1999 | 7.0% | -29.0% |
| 2000 | 5.8% | -17.5% |
| 2001 | 4.6% | -21.3% |
| 2002 | 4.3% | -5.6% |
| 2003 | 3.9% | -8.3% |
| 2004 | 3.4% | -12.8% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | -9.2% |
| 2006 | 2.9% | -6.6% |
| 2007 | 3.0% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 4.0% | +32.6% |
| 2009 | 6.5% | +62.5% |
| 2010 | 9.1% | +40.7% |
| 2011 | 10.5% | +15.0% |
| 2012 | 12.8% | +22.2% |
| 2013 | 13.2% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 11.9% | -9.7% |
| 2015 | 10.1% | -15.0% |
| 2016 | 8.8% | -12.8% |
| 2017 | 8.0% | -9.7% |
| 2018 | 6.6% | -16.9% |
| 2019 | 5.4% | -18.1% |
| 2020 | 4.7% | -12.9% |
| 2021 | 3.4% | -28.1% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | -13.0% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | -3.1% |
| 2024 | 2.3% | -19.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14.0% | 11.2% | 17.4% | 8 |
| 1980s | 20.8% | 16.9% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.1% | 7.0% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.2% | 2.9% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.7% | 5.4% | 13.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.3% | 2.3% | 4.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 125 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2.4% compare
- 126 Russian Federation 2.4% compare
- 127 Burundi 2.4% compare
- 129 Lithuania 1.9% compare
- 130 Cambodia 1.8% compare
- 131 Netherlands 1.7% compare
More public sector data for Ireland
- Arms imports 63.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 11.86 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -74.29 % change on previous year (2020)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 63.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 246.58 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0022 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 4.83 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 1.33 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 914.5 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is interest payments in Ireland?
- Interest payments in Ireland was 2.3% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest payments recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 23.5% in 1985.
- What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 2024.
- How does Ireland rank for interest payments?
- Ireland ranks 128th out of 155 countries with data for 2024.
- Is interest payments rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 80.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland 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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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 a percentage of revenue which includes all transactions that add to the amount of economic value of a unit or sector.