Namibia vs South Africa: Share of government spending going to interest payments
Namibia
14.1%
in 2023
South Africa
14.3%
in 2022
Namibia rank
33rd
South Africa rank
31st
Share of government spending going to interest payments over time
- Namibia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 14.3% against 14.1% in Namibia, a difference of 0.2%.
Across all 26 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Namibia ranks 33rd and South Africa ranks 31st of 152 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Namibia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.0% | 16.5% | 13.5% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 8.0% | 11.8% | 3.8% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 6.2% | 9.4% | 3.1% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 11.6% | 12.9% | 1.3% | 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, Namibia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 14.3% against 14.1% in Namibia as of 2022.
- What is the difference in share of government spending going to interest payments between Namibia and South Africa?
- 0.2%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Namibia and South Africa?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2022.
- How do Namibia and South Africa rank globally for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- Namibia ranks 33rd 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.