Interest payments in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa: Interest payments was 13.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
13.6%
Change on year
up 25.5%
Rank
8th
of 41 groups
All-time high
13.6%
in 2023
All-time low
3.3%
in 2011
Years of data
15
2009–2023

Interest payments in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2009–2023

2.557.51012.52009201620232009: 4.5 % of revenue2010: 4.1 % of revenue2011: 3.3 % of revenue2012: 3.3 % of revenue2013: 4.2 % of revenue2014: 4 % of revenue2015: 5.7 % of revenue2016: 7.2 % of revenue2017: 7.5 % of revenue2018: 8.9 % of revenue2019: 8.2 % of revenue2020: 9 % of revenue2021: 9.4 % of revenue2022: 10.9 % of revenue2023: 13.6 % of revenue

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for interest payments in Sub-Saharan Africa is 13.6%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 25.5% on the previous year and up 222.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, interest payments in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 13.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 2011.

Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 8th of 41 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Interest payments in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year

Annual values for Interest payments (% of revenue) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2009 to 2023.
Year % of revenue Change
2009 4.5%
2010 4.1% -7.4%
2011 3.3% -20.7%
2012 3.3% +1.2%
2013 4.2% +27.4%
2014 4.0% -4.3%
2015 5.7% +40.6%
2016 7.2% +27.0%
2017 7.5% +4.3%
2018 8.9% +18.3%
2019 8.2% -7.5%
2020 9.0% +9.3%
2021 9.4% +4.0%
2022 10.9% +15.8%
2023 13.6% +25.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 4.5% 4.5% 4.5% 1
2010s 5.7% 3.3% 8.9% 10
2020s 10.7% 9.0% 13.6% 4

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa

  1. 5 Bahrain 31.9% compare
  2. 6 Brazil 30.1% compare
  3. 7 Panama 28.9% compare
  4. 8 Zambia 28.3% compare
  5. 9 Barbados 25.6% compare
  6. 10 Angola 25.2% compare
  7. 11 Kenya 24.3% compare

See the full ranking of 196 places →

More public sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is interest payments in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Interest payments in Sub-Saharan Africa was 13.6% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest interest payments recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 13.6% in 2023.
What is the lowest interest payments recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2011.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for interest payments?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 8th out of 41 groups with data for 2023.
Is interest payments rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 222.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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 Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/interest-payments-percent-of-revenue/sub-saharan-africa/

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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.