Iceland vs South Africa: Share of government spending going to interest payments
Iceland
14.7%
in 2023
South Africa
14.3%
in 2022
Iceland rank
29th
South Africa rank
31st
Share of government spending going to interest payments over time
- Iceland
- South Africa
How they compare
Iceland currently reports 14.7% against 14.3% in South Africa, a difference of 0.4%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 51 shared years of data; in 1972 it was South Africa ahead.
Iceland ranks 29th and South Africa ranks 31st of 152 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.9% | 7.7% | 1.7% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 9.0% | 12.1% | 3.1% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 10.7% | 17.1% | 6.4% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 14.1% | 11.8% | 2.3% | Iceland |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 9.4% | 9.5% | Iceland |
| 2020s | 11.8% | 12.9% | 1.1% | 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, Iceland or South Africa?
- Iceland, at 14.7% against 14.3% in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in share of government spending going to interest payments between Iceland and South Africa?
- 0.4%, with Iceland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and South Africa?
- 51 years are reported by both, from 1972 to 2022.
- How do Iceland and South Africa rank globally for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- Iceland ranks 29th 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.