Interest payments in Namibia
Namibia: Interest payments was 14.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Interest payments in Namibia, 1990–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of revenue.
Analysis
In 2024, interest payments in Namibia stood at 14.7%. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 256.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest payments in Namibia peaked at 14.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1992.
Namibia ranks 30th of 155 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Interest payments in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % of revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.3% | — |
| 1991 | 0.8% | -40.7% |
| 1992 | 0.7% | -6.9% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | +206.7% |
| 1994 | 3.2% | +42.4% |
| 1995 | 3.6% | +10.6% |
| 1996 | 5.4% | +50.9% |
| 1997 | 6.2% | +15.4% |
| 1998 | 8.0% | +28.5% |
| 1999 | 7.1% | -11.3% |
| 2000 | 6.2% | -12.1% |
| 2001 | 7.3% | +17.1% |
| 2002 | 7.9% | +8.0% |
| 2003 | 8.9% | +12.9% |
| 2004 | 8.8% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 8.9% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 7.2% | -19.1% |
| 2007 | 5.7% | -20.4% |
| 2008 | 4.7% | -17.5% |
| 2009 | 5.0% | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 4.1% | -17.1% |
| 2011 | 3.8% | -7.6% |
| 2012 | 4.5% | +18.5% |
| 2013 | 4.2% | -6.7% |
| 2014 | 4.1% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 5.0% | +21.8% |
| 2016 | 8.8% | +75.1% |
| 2017 | 9.7% | +9.9% |
| 2018 | 10.7% | +11.2% |
| 2019 | 11.8% | +9.3% |
| 2020 | 12.6% | +7.0% |
| 2021 | 14.3% | +13.6% |
| 2022 | 14.7% | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 14.5% | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 14.7% | +1.6% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 14.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 8.5%, 1.7× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 14.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.6%, 1.3× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Interest payments in Namibia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +206.7% | 0.7% | 2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.9% | 0.7% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.0% | 4.7% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.7% | 3.8% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.1% | 12.6% | 14.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
- 27 Malaysia 15.6% compare
- 28 Mozambique 15.1% compare
- 29 Iceland 14.9% compare
- 31 El Salvador 14.3% compare
- 32 Papua New Guinea 14.2% compare
- 33 Seychelles 14.1% compare
More public sector data for Namibia
- 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 Namibia?
- Interest payments in Namibia was 14.7% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest payments recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 14.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1992.
- How does Namibia rank for interest payments?
- Namibia ranks 30th out of 155 countries with data for 2024.
- Is interest payments rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 256.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Namibia 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.