Portugal vs Thailand: Share of government spending going to interest payments
Portugal
5.7%
in 2023
Thailand
5.5%
in 2023
Portugal rank
86th
Thailand rank
87th
Share of government spending going to interest payments over time
- Portugal
- Thailand
How they compare
Portugal currently reports 5.7% against 5.5% in Thailand, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 48 shared years of data; in 1975 it was Thailand ahead.
Portugal ranks 86th and Thailand ranks 87th of 152 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Portugal averaged higher in 5 and Thailand in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Portugal | Thailand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.7% | 8.9% | 3.2% | Thailand |
| 1980s | 16.4% | 15.7% | 0.7% | Portugal |
| 1990s | 14.1% | 6.2% | 7.9% | Portugal |
| 2000s | 7.2% | 7.1% | 0.1% | Portugal |
| 2010s | 9.4% | 5.5% | 3.9% | Portugal |
| 2020s | 5.7% | 5.1% | 0.6% | Portugal |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of government spending going to interest payments, Portugal or Thailand?
- Portugal, at 5.7% against 5.5% in Thailand as of 2023.
- What is the difference in share of government spending going to interest payments between Portugal and Thailand?
- 0.2%, with Portugal ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and Thailand?
- 48 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2023.
- How do Portugal and Thailand rank globally for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- Portugal ranks 86th and Thailand ranks 87th 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.