El Salvador vs South Africa: Share of government spending going to interest payments
El Salvador
14.1%
in 2023
South Africa
14.3%
in 2022
El Salvador rank
34th
South Africa rank
31st
Share of government spending going to interest payments over time
- El Salvador
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 14.3% against 14.1% in El Salvador, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 25 shared years of data; in 1998 it was South Africa ahead.
El Salvador ranks 34th and South Africa ranks 31st of 152 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, El Salvador averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | El Salvador | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.4% | 19.3% | 9.9% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 11.1% | 11.8% | 0.7% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 10.9% | 9.4% | 1.5% | El Salvador |
| 2020s | 10.6% | 12.9% | 2.3% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of government spending going to interest payments, El Salvador or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 14.3% against 14.1% in El Salvador as of 2022.
- What is the difference in share of government spending going to interest payments between El Salvador and South Africa?
- 0.2%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for El Salvador and South Africa?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2022.
- How do El Salvador and South Africa rank globally for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- El Salvador ranks 34th and South Africa ranks 31st 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.