Ghana vs Zambia: Share of government spending going to interest payments
Ghana
32.8%
in 2022
Zambia
26.5%
in 2021
Ghana rank
2nd
Zambia rank
4th
Share of government spending going to interest payments over time
- Ghana
- Zambia
How they compare
Ghana currently reports 32.8% against 26.5% in Zambia, a difference of 6.3%.
That makes Ghana's figure about 1.2 times Zambia's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 21 shared years of data; in 2001 it was Ghana ahead.
Ghana ranks 2nd and Zambia ranks 4th of 152 countries.
Ghana has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ghana | Zambia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.0% | 14.4% | 5.6% | Ghana |
| 2010s | 23.1% | 18.6% | 4.5% | Ghana |
| 2020s | 31.8% | 29.5% | 2.3% | Ghana |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of government spending going to interest payments, Ghana or Zambia?
- Ghana, at 32.8% against 26.5% in Zambia as of 2022.
- What is the difference in share of government spending going to interest payments between Ghana and Zambia?
- 6.3%, with Ghana ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ghana and Zambia?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2021.
- How do Ghana and Zambia rank globally for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- Ghana ranks 2nd and Zambia ranks 4th 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.