Share of government spending going to interest payments in United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates: Share of government spending going to interest payments was 2.3% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
2.3%
Change on year
up 86.2%
World rank
122nd
of 152 countries
All-time high
2.3%
in 2023
All-time low
0.0%
in 2019
Years of data
5
2019–2023

Share of government spending going to interest payments in United Arab Emirates, 2019–2023

00.511.522.52019202120232019: 0.003 % of expense2020: 0.109 % of expense2021: 0.399 % of expense2022: 1.2 % of expense2023: 2.3 % of expense

Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of government spending going to interest payments in United Arab Emirates is 2.3%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.

The figure is up 86.2% on the previous year and up 86,529.6% over five years.

United Arab Emirates ranks 122nd of 152 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Share of government spending going to interest payments in United Arab Emirates, year by year

Annual values for Share of government spending going to interest payments in United Arab Emirates, 2019 to 2023.
Year % of expense Change
2019 0.0%
2020 0.1% +4044.6%
2021 0.4% +267.3%
2022 1.2% +205.6%
2023 2.3% +86.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
2020s 1.0% 0.1% 2.3% 4

Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates

  1. 119 Slovakia 2.7%
  2. 120 Austria 2.5% compare
  3. 121 Russia 2.4%
  4. 123 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2.1% compare
  5. 124 Cambodia 2.1% compare
  6. 125 Azerbaijan 2.1%

See the full ranking of 152 places →

More reference data data for United Arab Emirates

All data for United Arab Emirates →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of government spending going to interest payments in United Arab Emirates?
Share of government spending going to interest payments in United Arab Emirates was 2.3% 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 United Arab Emirates?
The highest recorded value was 2.3% in 2023.
What is the lowest share of government spending going to interest payments recorded in United Arab Emirates?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2019.
How does United Arab Emirates rank for share of government spending going to interest payments?
United Arab Emirates ranks 122nd out of 152 countries with data for 2023.
Where does this United Arab Emirates 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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Share of government spending going to interest payments in United Arab Emirates. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-government-expenditure-going-to-interest-payments/united-arab-emirates/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of government spending going to interest payments
Unit
% of expense
Source
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
152 places, 4,278 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

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.