Iceland vs Malaysia: Share of government spending going to interest payments
Iceland
14.7%
in 2023
Malaysia
14.9%
in 2023
Iceland rank
29th
Malaysia rank
27th
Share of government spending going to interest payments over time
- Iceland
- Malaysia
How they compare
Malaysia currently reports 14.9% against 14.7% in Iceland, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 28 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Malaysia ahead.
Iceland ranks 29th and Malaysia ranks 27th of 152 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 2 and Malaysia in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | Malaysia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.6% | 14.1% | 3.5% | Malaysia |
| 2000s | 14.1% | 12.3% | 1.8% | Iceland |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 11.3% | 7.6% | Iceland |
| 2020s | 12.5% | 13.8% | 1.3% | Malaysia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of government spending going to interest payments, Iceland or Malaysia?
- Malaysia, at 14.9% against 14.7% in Iceland as of 2023.
- What is the difference in share of government spending going to interest payments between Iceland and Malaysia?
- 0.2%, with Malaysia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Malaysia?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2023.
- How do Iceland and Malaysia rank globally for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- Iceland ranks 29th and Malaysia ranks 27th 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.