Lending interest rate in United States
United States: Lending interest rate was 3.2% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Lending interest rate in United States, 1960–2021
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for lending interest rate in United States is 3.2%, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 62 years on record.
The figure is down 8.3% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, lending interest rate in United States peaked at 18.9% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 2009.
That places United States 142nd out of 148 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.3% | 4.5% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 8.1% | 5.2% | 12.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.8% | 8.2% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.0% | 6.0% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.0% | 3.2% | 9.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.7% | 3.2% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.4% | 3.2% | 3.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States
More financial sector data for United States
- Net migration 1.23 million (2025)
- Total reserves in months of imports 2.84 (2025)
- Net domestic credit 32.37 trillion current LCU (2025)
- Domestic credit to private sector by banks 44.5% (2025)
- Net foreign assets 1.26 trillion current LCU (2025)
- Claims on central government, etc. 54.2% (2025)
- Monetary Sector credit to private sector 44.5% (2025)
- Domestic credit to private sector 201.3% (2025)
- Broad money 99.7% (2025)
- Official exchange rate 1 LCU per US$, period average (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lending interest rate in United States?
- Lending interest rate in United States was 3.2% in 2021, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest lending interest rate recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 18.9% in 1981.
- What is the lowest lending interest rate recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 2009.
- How does United States rank for lending interest rate?
- United States ranks 142nd out of 148 countries with data for 2021.
- Is lending interest rate rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Lending interest rate (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 62 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Lending rate is the bank rate that usually meets the short- and medium-term financing needs of the private sector. This rate is normally differentiated according to creditworthiness of borrowers and objectives of financing. The terms and conditions attached to these rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.