Iran vs Switzerland: Share of government spending going to interest payments
Iran
0.7%
in 2009
Switzerland
1.0%
in 2023
Iran rank
142nd
Switzerland rank
139th
Share of government spending going to interest payments over time
- Iran
- Switzerland
How they compare
Switzerland currently reports 1.0% against 0.7% in Iran, a difference of 0.3%.
That makes Switzerland's figure about 1.3 times Iran's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 33 shared years of data; in 1972 it was Iran ahead.
Iran ranks 142nd and Switzerland ranks 139th of 152 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 1 and Switzerland in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | Switzerland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.0% | 2.2% | 0.8% | Iran |
| 1980s | 0.8% | 2.6% | 1.7% | Switzerland |
| 1990s | 0.1% | 4.0% | 3.9% | Switzerland |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 3.8% | 2.9% | Switzerland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of government spending going to interest payments, Iran or Switzerland?
- Switzerland, at 1.0% against 0.7% in Iran as of 2023.
- What is the difference in share of government spending going to interest payments between Iran and Switzerland?
- 0.3%, with Switzerland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Switzerland?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1972 to 2009.
- How do Iran and Switzerland rank globally for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- Iran ranks 142nd and Switzerland ranks 139th 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.