Ireland vs Saudi Arabia: Share of government spending going to interest payments
Ireland
3.3%
in 2022
Saudi Arabia
3.4%
in 2023
Ireland rank
107th
Saudi Arabia rank
104th
Share of government spending going to interest payments over time
- Ireland
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 3.4% against 3.3% in Ireland, a difference of 0.1%.
Across all 13 years both countries report, Ireland has been ahead every year.
Ireland ranks 107th and Saudi Arabia ranks 104th of 152 countries.
Ireland has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 8.4% | 1.2% | 7.2% | Ireland |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 2.9% | 0.7% | Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of government spending going to interest payments, Ireland or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 3.4% against 3.3% in Ireland as of 2023.
- What is the difference in share of government spending going to interest payments between Ireland and Saudi Arabia?
- 0.1%, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and Saudi Arabia?
- 13 years are reported by both, from 2010 to 2022.
- How do Ireland and Saudi Arabia rank globally for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- Ireland ranks 107th and Saudi Arabia ranks 104th 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.