Share of government spending going to interest payments in United States
United States: Share of government spending going to interest payments was 12.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of government spending going to interest payments in United States, 1972–2023
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
United States recorded 12.9% for share of government spending going to interest payments in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 19.0% on the previous year and up 68.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government spending going to interest payments in United States peaked at 15.8% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 6.1%, in 2020.
United States ranks 38th of 152 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Share of government spending going to interest payments in United States, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 6.5% | — |
| 1973 | 6.1% | -5.6% |
| 1974 | 8.3% | +35.4% |
| 1975 | 7.5% | -10.1% |
| 1976 | 7.8% | +3.7% |
| 1977 | 8.2% | +5.5% |
| 1978 | 7.6% | -7.0% |
| 1979 | 9.5% | +24.2% |
| 1980 | 10.4% | +10.3% |
| 1981 | 11.6% | +11.5% |
| 1982 | 12.9% | +10.7% |
| 1983 | 12.9% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 14.3% | +10.4% |
| 1985 | 15.8% | +11.0% |
| 1986 | 15.2% | -3.9% |
| 1987 | 15.1% | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 15.3% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 15.4% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 15.3% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 15.5% | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 15.2% | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 14.4% | -5.6% |
| 1994 | 14.2% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 14.9% | +5.2% |
| 1996 | 15.6% | +4.7% |
| 1997 | 15.3% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 14.9% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 13.8% | -7.4% |
| 2000 | 12.9% | -7.0% |
| 2001 | 12.5% | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 10.4% | -17.2% |
| 2003 | 9.0% | -13.4% |
| 2004 | 8.8% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 9.5% | +7.7% |
| 2006 | 9.9% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 10.4% | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 8.7% | -16.1% |
| 2009 | 6.8% | -21.5% |
| 2010 | 7.2% | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 8.2% | +14.7% |
| 2012 | 8.2% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 7.6% | -6.6% |
| 2014 | 7.9% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 7.5% | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 8.2% | +9.6% |
| 2017 | 8.5% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 9.7% | +13.8% |
| 2019 | 9.8% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 6.1% | -38.3% |
| 2021 | 6.8% | +12.9% |
| 2022 | 10.8% | +58.2% |
| 2023 | 12.9% | +19.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.7% | 6.1% | 9.5% | 8 |
| 1980s | 13.9% | 10.4% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.9% | 13.8% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.9% | 6.8% | 12.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.3% | 7.2% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.2% | 6.1% | 12.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 64.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government spending going to interest payments in United States?
- Share of government spending going to interest payments in United States was 12.9% 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 States?
- The highest recorded value was 15.8% in 1985.
- What is the lowest share of government spending going to interest payments recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.1% in 2020.
- How does United States rank for share of government spending going to interest payments?
- United States ranks 38th out of 152 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government spending going to interest payments rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 68.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.