Interest payments (% of revenue) in South Korea
South Korea: Interest payments (% of revenue) was 5.3% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Interest payments in South Korea, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of revenue.
Analysis
South 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 South Korea peaked at 7.2% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1996.
South Korea ranks 88th of 155 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Interest payments (% of revenue) in South Korea, year by year
| 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% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 5.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.9%, 1.4× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 5.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.3%, 1.6× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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 South Korea
More public sector data for South Korea
- 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 222.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 19.5 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0005 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 362.84 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is interest payments in South Korea?
- Interest payments in South 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 7.2% in 1985.
- What is the lowest interest payments recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1996.
- How does South Korea rank for interest payments?
- South Korea ranks 88th out of 155 countries with data for 2024.
- Is interest payments rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South 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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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.