Central government debt — interest payments as a share of government revenue (2022, IMF GFS/World Economic Outlook)
Debt interest burden shows interest payments as a share of government revenue (2022), highlighting where debt service most constrains public budgets.
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Key Insights
- •Interest burdens vary dramatically: some countries spend ~1% (or less) of revenue on interest, while others exceed 20% or more.
- •Very high interest-to-revenue ratios often signal constrained fiscal space even before considering principal repayments/refinancing needs.
- •The metric highlights revenue capacity: countries with low revenue-to-GDP can face high stress at lower debt levels.
- •Rising global interest rates can worsen this ratio quickly for countries with short maturities or high shares of variable-rate/foreign-currency debt.
Country Rankings
Top 10 Countries
Bottom 10 Countries
Data Analysis
Value Distribution
How countries are distributed across the value range
Regional Comparison
Average values by world region (Global avg: 5.6%)
About This Statistic
This statistic measures how much of a government’s revenue is absorbed by interest payments on its debt. It is a practical “fiscal stress” indicator: even if a country’s debt-to-GDP ratio is moderate, high interest costs relative to revenue can rapidly squeeze spending on health, education, infrastructure, and social protection.
Cross-country comparisons are especially informative because revenue capacity differs widely. Two countries with similar debt stocks can face very different budget pressure depending on interest rates, inflation dynamics, maturity structures, currency composition, and the size/stability of the tax base. Higher values generally indicate less room to respond to shocks without raising taxes, cutting spending, or borrowing more.
Full Data
| Rank ↑ | Country ↕ | Value ↕ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sri Lanka | 60.0% |
| 2 | Ghana | 34.0% |
| 3 | India | 21.0% |
| 4 | Jamaica | 19.5% |
| 5 | Pakistan | 19.0% |
| 6 | Cayman Islands | 15.6% |
| 7 | Ecuador | 13.9% |
| 8 | United States of America | 12.9% |
| 9 | South Africa | 12.8% |
| 10 | Bahamas | 12.7% |
| 11 | Mexico | 12.6% |
| 12 | Brazil | 12.3% |
| 13 | Colombia | 12.1% |
| 14 | Dominican Republic | 11.8% |
| 15 | Nicaragua | 10.7% |
| 16 | Botswana | 9.9% |
| 17 | Guatemala | 9.8% |
| 18 | Indonesia | 9.7% |
| 19 | Tunisia | 9.6% |
| 20 | Algeria | 9.5% |
| 21 | Panama | 9.4% |
| 22 | Egypt | 9.3% |
| 23 | Peru | 9.2% |
| 24 | Canada | 9.1% |
| 25 | Honduras | 9.0% |
| 26 | Zimbabwe | 9.0% |
| 27 | Japan | 8.9% |
| 28 | Angola | 8.7% |
| 29 | Philippines | 8.5% |
| 30 | Lebanon | 8.3% |
| 31 | Türkiye | 8.2% |
| 32 | Austria | 8.1% |
| 33 | Malaysia | 8.0% |
| 34 | Trinidad and Tobago | 7.9% |
| 35 | Bulgaria | 7.8% |
| 36 | Morocco | 7.7% |
| 37 | Kenya | 7.6% |
| 38 | Bermuda | 7.4% |
| 39 | Paraguay | 7.3% |
| 40 | Costa Rica | 7.2% |
| 41 | Burkina Faso | 7.2% |
| 42 | Islamic Republic of Iran | 7.1% |
| 43 | Eswatini | 7.1% |
| 44 | Nigeria | 7.0% |
| 45 | Uruguay | 7.0% |
| 46 | Haiti | 6.9% |
| 47 | Mauritania | 6.9% |
| 48 | Jordan | 6.8% |
| 49 | Armenia | 6.8% |
| 50 | Hungary | 6.7% |
| 51 | Zambia | 6.7% |
| 52 | Myanmar | 6.6% |
| 53 | Italy | 6.4% |
| 54 | Malawi | 6.4% |
| 55 | Ukraine | 6.4% |
| 56 | Lesotho | 6.2% |
| 57 | Bhutan | 6.2% |
| 58 | El Salvador | 6.1% |
| 59 | Senegal | 6.1% |
| 60 | Central African Republic | 6.0% |
| 61 | Madagascar | 6.0% |
| 62 | Somalia | 6.0% |
| 63 | Chile | 5.8% |
| 64 | Sudan | 5.8% |
| 65 | Cote d'Ivoire | 5.7% |
| 66 | New Zealand | 5.6% |
| 67 | Thailand | 5.6% |
| 68 | Chad | 5.5% |
| 69 | Greece | 5.4% |
| 70 | Republic of The Gambia | 5.2% |
| 71 | Antigua and Barbuda | 5.2% |
| 72 | Guinea-Bissau | 5.1% |
| 73 | Iraq | 5.0% |
| 74 | Namibia | 5.0% |
| 75 | Cuba | 4.9% |
| 76 | Barbados | 4.9% |
| 77 | Moldova, Republic of | 4.8% |
| 78 | Solomon Islands | 4.8% |
| 79 | Benin | 4.7% |
| 80 | Guyana | 4.7% |
| 81 | Vietnam | 4.7% |
| 82 | Australia | 4.6% |
| 83 | Mali | 4.5% |
| 84 | Syrian Arab Republic | 4.4% |
| 85 | Bolivia | 4.4% |
| 86 | Malta | 4.3% |
| 87 | Romania | 4.3% |
| 88 | Nepal | 4.2% |
| 89 | Serbia | 4.2% |
| 90 | Uganda | 4.2% |
| 91 | Iceland | 4.1% |
| 92 | Libya | 4.1% |
| 93 | Bangladesh | 4.1% |
| 94 | Cameroon | 4.0% |
| 95 | Portugal | 4.0% |
| 96 | South Sudan | 4.0% |
| 97 | Togo | 4.0% |
| 98 | Belarus | 3.9% |
| 99 | South Korea | 3.9% |
| 100 | Sierra Leone | 3.9% |
| 101 | Liberia | 3.8% |
| 102 | Suriname | 3.8% |
| 103 | United Kingdom | 3.8% |
| 104 | Afghanistan | 3.8% |
| 105 | Niger | 3.7% |
| 106 | France | 3.6% |
| 107 | Kyrgyzstan | 3.6% |
| 108 | Belize | 3.5% |
| 109 | Papua New Guinea | 3.4% |
| 110 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 3.3% |
| 111 | Mozambique | 3.3% |
| 112 | United Republic of Tanzania | 3.3% |
| 113 | Equatorial Guinea | 3.2% |
| 114 | Russian Federation | 3.2% |
| 115 | Belgium | 3.1% |
| 116 | Cyprus | 3.0% |
| 117 | North Korea | 3.0% |
| 118 | Guinea | 2.8% |
| 119 | Seychelles | 2.8% |
| 120 | Cape Verde | 2.7% |
| 121 | Georgia | 2.7% |
| 122 | People's Republic of China | 2.6% |
| 123 | Croatia | 2.6% |
| 124 | Ireland | 2.6% |
| 125 | Yemen | 2.6% |
| 126 | Kazakhstan | 2.5% |
| 127 | Spain | 2.5% |
| 128 | Venezuela | 2.5% |
| 129 | Czech Republic | 2.4% |
| 130 | Gabon | 2.4% |
| 131 | Mauritius | 2.4% |
| 132 | Uzbekistan | 2.4% |
| 133 | Argentina | 2.4% |
| 134 | Burundi | 2.3% |
| 135 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 2.3% |
| 136 | The Republic of North Macedonia | 2.3% |
| 137 | Maldives | 2.2% |
| 138 | Montenegro | 2.2% |
| 139 | Cambodia | 2.1% |
| 140 | Denmark | 2.1% |
| 141 | Faroe Islands | 2.1% |
| 142 | State of Palestine | 2.1% |
| 143 | Israel | 2.1% |
| 144 | Vanuatu | 2.1% |
| 145 | Saudi Arabia | 2.1% |
| 146 | Slovenia | 2.1% |
| 147 | Republic of the Congo | 2.0% |
| 148 | Estonia | 2.0% |
| 149 | Fiji | 2.0% |
| 150 | Oman | 2.0% |
| 151 | Timor-Leste | 2.0% |
| 152 | Slovakia | 2.0% |
| 153 | Brunei Darussalam | 2.0% |
| 154 | Latvia | 1.9% |
| 155 | Bahrain | 1.9% |
| 156 | Poland | 1.8% |
| 157 | Ethiopia | 1.7% |
| 158 | New Caledonia | 1.7% |
| 159 | Djibouti | 1.6% |
| 160 | Germany | 1.6% |
| 161 | Mongolia | 1.6% |
| 162 | Netherlands | 1.6% |
| 163 | Andorra | 1.6% |
| 164 | Lithuania | 1.5% |
| 165 | Singapore | 1.5% |
| 166 | Eritrea | 1.4% |
| 167 | Monaco | 1.4% |
| 168 | Virgin Islands, British | 1.4% |
| 169 | United Arab Emirates | 1.3% |
| 170 | Finland | 1.2% |
| 171 | Norway | 1.2% |
| 172 | Rwanda | 1.2% |
| 173 | Switzerland | 1.2% |
| 174 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.2% |
| 175 | Kuwait | 1.1% |
| 176 | Luxembourg | 1.1% |
| 177 | Sweden | 1.1% |
| 178 | Albania | 1.0% |
Topics
Data Source
This data comes from International Monetary Fund (IMF) (2022).
View Original Source