Interest payments in Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea: Interest payments was 5.3% in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
5.3%
Change on year
up 16.7%
World rank
88th
of 155 countries
All-time high
7.2%
in 1985
All-time low
2.4%
in 1996
Years of data
53
1972–2024

Interest payments in Republic of Korea, 1972–2024

234567197219982024

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

Analysis

Republic of Korea recorded 5.3% for interest payments in 2024.

The figure is up 16.7% on the previous year and down 0.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, interest payments in Republic of Korea peaked at 7.2% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1996.

Republic of Korea ranks 88th of 155 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Interest payments in Republic of Korea, year by year

Annual values for Interest payments (% of revenue) in Republic of Korea, 1972 to 2024.
Year % of revenue Change
1972 2.9%
1973 3.1% +5.6%
1974 3.0% -2.9%
1975 3.2% +4.5%
1976 4.1% +28.7%
1977 4.5% +10.6%
1978 4.7% +3.5%
1979 5.3% +14.0%
1980 6.4% +21.5%
1981 6.6% +3.2%
1982 6.6% -0.6%
1983 6.0% -8.9%
1984 6.8% +13.8%
1985 7.2% +5.5%
1986 7.2% -0.2%
1987 6.1% -15.1%
1988 5.1% -16.2%
1989 3.2% -37.8%
1990 4.0% +26.2%
1991 3.5% -14.0%
1992 3.5% +0.7%
1993 2.4% -30.7%
1994 3.1% +26.8%
1995 2.7% -10.5%
1996 2.4% -13.7%
1997 2.5% +5.1%
1998 3.6% +43.2%
1999 5.6% +55.7%
2000 5.1% -7.8%
2001 5.1% -0.8%
2002 4.4% -13.2%
2003 3.9% -10.9%
2004 5.0% +26.7%
2005 5.4% +7.7%
2006 5.9% +10.1%
2007 5.7% -3.4%
2008 5.8% +2.2%
2009 4.7% -19.4%
2010 5.0% +7.3%
2011 5.1% +0.6%
2012 5.2% +3.3%
2013 5.2% -1.2%
2014 5.3% +1.8%
2015 5.0% -5.1%
2016 4.3% -13.2%
2017 4.0% -7.6%
2018 3.6% -8.9%
2019 3.7% +0.6%
2020 3.8% +4.8%
2021 3.3% -13.5%
2022 3.6% +8.2%
2023 4.5% +25.3%
2024 5.3% +16.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 3.8% 2.9% 5.3% 8
1980s 6.1% 3.2% 7.2% 10
1990s 3.3% 2.4% 5.6% 10
2000s 5.1% 3.9% 5.9% 10
2010s 4.6% 3.6% 5.3% 10
2020s 4.1% 3.3% 5.3% 5

Countries ranked near Republic of Korea

  1. 85 Georgia 5.5% compare
  2. 86 Lebanon 5.4% compare
  3. 87 Portugal 5.4% compare
  4. 89 Chile 5.2% compare
  5. 90 Poland 5.2% compare
  6. 91 Sudan 5.1% compare

See the full ranking of 196 places →

More public sector data for Republic of Korea

All data for Republic of Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is interest payments in Republic of Korea?
Interest payments in Republic of Korea was 5.3% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest interest payments recorded in Republic of Korea?
The highest recorded value was 7.2% in 1985.
What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Republic of Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1996.
How does Republic of Korea rank for interest payments?
Republic of Korea ranks 88th out of 155 countries with data for 2024.
Is interest payments rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Republic of Korea 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 Republic of Korea. 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/korea-rep/

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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.