Colombia vs United States of America: Share of government spending going to interest payments
Colombia
13.2%
in 2023
United States of America
12.9%
in 2023
Colombia rank
37th
United States of America rank
38th
Share of government spending going to interest payments over time
- Colombia
- United States of America
How they compare
Colombia currently reports 13.2% against 12.9% in United States of America, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 20 shared years of data; in 1998 it was Colombia ahead.
Colombia ranks 37th and United States of America ranks 38th of 152 countries.
Colombia has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Colombia | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.6% | 14.4% | 1.2% | Colombia |
| 2000s | 15.5% | 9.3% | 6.1% | Colombia |
| 2010s | 9.7% | 8.3% | 1.4% | Colombia |
| 2020s | 11.6% | 9.2% | 2.4% | Colombia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of government spending going to interest payments, Colombia or United States of America?
- Colombia, at 13.2% against 12.9% in United States of America as of 2023.
- What is the difference in share of government spending going to interest payments between Colombia and United States of America?
- 0.3%, with Colombia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Colombia and United States of America?
- 20 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2023.
- How do Colombia and United States of America rank globally for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- Colombia ranks 37th and United States of America ranks 38th 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.