Share of government spending going to interest payments in Portugal
Portugal: Share of government spending going to interest payments was 5.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of government spending going to interest payments in Portugal, 1975–2023
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 5.7% for share of government spending going to interest payments in 2023.
The figure is up 16.7% on the previous year and down 45.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government spending going to interest payments in Portugal peaked at 20.6% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 1975.
Portugal ranks 86th of 152 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 48 years of available data.
Share of government spending going to interest payments in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 2.6% | — |
| 1976 | 3.6% | +42.3% |
| 1978 | 8.0% | +118.8% |
| 1979 | 8.7% | +9.1% |
| 1980 | 8.5% | -2.5% |
| 1981 | 13.3% | +56.4% |
| 1982 | 14.3% | +8.2% |
| 1983 | 15.7% | +9.5% |
| 1984 | 18.6% | +18.2% |
| 1985 | 17.3% | -6.7% |
| 1986 | 20.6% | +18.8% |
| 1987 | 19.9% | -3.4% |
| 1988 | 19.2% | -3.3% |
| 1989 | 17.1% | -11.1% |
| 1990 | 19.0% | +10.9% |
| 1991 | 18.3% | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 19.3% | +5.4% |
| 1993 | 15.7% | -19.0% |
| 1994 | 13.2% | -15.6% |
| 1995 | 14.9% | +12.8% |
| 1996 | 13.1% | -12.5% |
| 1997 | 10.7% | -17.7% |
| 1998 | 8.5% | -21.0% |
| 1999 | 8.0% | -5.9% |
| 2000 | 8.0% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 7.8% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 7.3% | -6.1% |
| 2003 | 6.8% | -6.4% |
| 2004 | 6.5% | -4.6% |
| 2005 | 6.4% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 7.1% | +10.8% |
| 2007 | 7.5% | +5.9% |
| 2008 | 7.6% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 6.9% | -9.5% |
| 2010 | 6.9% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 9.8% | +42.3% |
| 2012 | 11.0% | +11.4% |
| 2013 | 10.6% | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 10.2% | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 10.3% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 10.0% | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 9.0% | -9.6% |
| 2018 | 8.5% | -5.9% |
| 2019 | 7.6% | -10.4% |
| 2020 | 6.4% | -15.4% |
| 2021 | 5.6% | -12.5% |
| 2022 | 4.9% | -12.7% |
| 2023 | 5.7% | +16.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.7% | 2.6% | 8.7% | 4 |
| 1980s | 16.4% | 8.5% | 20.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.1% | 8.0% | 19.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.2% | 6.4% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.4% | 6.9% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.7% | 4.9% | 6.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More reference data data for Portugal
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5144 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4372 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0472 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2572 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government spending going to interest payments in Portugal?
- Share of government spending going to interest payments in Portugal was 5.7% in 2023, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government spending going to interest payments recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 20.6% in 1986.
- What is the lowest share of government spending going to interest payments recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 1975.
- How does Portugal rank for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- Portugal ranks 86th out of 152 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government spending going to interest payments rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government spending going to interest payments. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.