Italy vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of government spending going to interest payments
Italy
7.6%
in 2023
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
7.8%
in 2023
Italy rank
71st
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
69th
Share of government spending going to interest payments over time
- Italy
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 7.8% against 7.6% in Italy, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 46 shared years of data; in 1973 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
Italy ranks 71st and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 69th of 152 countries.
Italy has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.4% | 9.4% | 0.0% | Italy |
| 1980s | 15.7% | 11.0% | 4.7% | Italy |
| 1990s | 21.0% | 8.0% | 13.0% | Italy |
| 2000s | 12.3% | 5.6% | 6.7% | Italy |
| 2010s | 9.7% | 6.9% | 2.7% | Italy |
| 2020s | 7.5% | 7.2% | 0.3% | Italy |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of government spending going to interest payments, Italy or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 7.8% against 7.6% in Italy as of 2023.
- What is the difference in share of government spending going to interest payments between Italy and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 0.2%, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 46 years are reported by both, from 1973 to 2023.
- How do Italy and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- Italy ranks 71st and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 69th 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.