Belgium vs Ireland: Share of government spending going to interest payments
Belgium
3.2%
in 2022
Ireland
3.3%
in 2022
Belgium rank
108th
Ireland rank
107th
Share of government spending going to interest payments over time
- Belgium
- Ireland
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 3.3% against 3.2% in Belgium, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 28 shared years of data; in 1995 it was Belgium ahead.
Belgium ranks 108th and Ireland ranks 107th of 152 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 3 and Ireland in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.2% | 11.1% | 5.0% | Belgium |
| 2000s | 10.7% | 4.1% | 6.5% | Belgium |
| 2010s | 6.2% | 8.4% | 2.1% | Ireland |
| 2020s | 3.6% | 3.5% | 0.1% | Belgium |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of government spending going to interest payments, Belgium or Ireland?
- Ireland, at 3.3% against 3.2% in Belgium as of 2022.
- What is the difference in share of government spending going to interest payments between Belgium and Ireland?
- 0.1%, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Ireland?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2022.
- How do Belgium and Ireland rank globally for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- Belgium ranks 108th and Ireland ranks 107th of 152 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of government spending going to interest payments. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Interest expenditures on government debt, as share of total central government expenditures. Interest expenditures on government debt include payments on long-term bonds, long-term loans, and other debt instruments.