Interest payments in South Korea

South Korea: Interest payments was 4.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
4.4%
Change on year
up 27.8%
World rank
95th
of 152 countries
All-time high
8.3%
in 1986
All-time low
2.6%
in 1972
Years of data
52
1972–2023

Interest payments in South Korea, 1972–2023

2468197219972023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for interest payments in South Korea is 4.4%, measured in 2023.

The figure is up 27.8% on the previous year and down 21.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, interest payments in South Korea peaked at 8.3% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 1972.

South Korea ranks 95th of 152 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 4.2% 2.6% 6.0% 8
1980s 7.1% 3.7% 8.3% 10
1990s 4.0% 2.9% 6.7% 10
2000s 6.0% 4.6% 6.9% 10
2010s 5.1% 3.8% 5.8% 10
2020s 3.7% 3.3% 4.4% 4

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 92 Poland 4.8% compare
  2. 93 Sudan 4.8% compare
  3. 94 Ecuador 4.7% compare
  4. 96 Chile 4.3% compare
  5. 97 North Macedonia 4.3% compare
  6. 98 Croatia 4.2% compare

See the full ranking of 193 places →

More public sector data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is interest payments in South Korea?
Interest payments in South Korea was 4.4% in 2023, 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 8.3% in 1986.
What is the lowest interest payments recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 1972.
How does South Korea rank for interest payments?
South Korea ranks 95th out of 152 countries with data for 2023.
Is interest payments rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 expense). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Interest payments (% of expense)
Unit
% of expense
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
193 places, 5,277 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 percentage of total expenses which is any decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction.