Argentina: Interest payments (% of expense)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 5.59 percentage points from 12.88% in 2018. Since 1990 it is down 1.36 percentage points from 8.65% in 1990. The World Bank has no value for 9 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2023, Argentina's interest payments (% of expense) fell 0.47 percentage points on 2022 (from 7.76% to 7.29%).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2022), the average change was +0.8 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.88 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 12.01 percentage points in 2002 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.29 percentage points in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 3% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Argentina had the 36th highest value of the 78 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Argentina in the 2023 ranking

• Israel — 33rd of 78: 7.65%
• Italy — 34th of 78: 7.65%
• Canada — 35th of 78: 7.62%
• Greece — 37th of 78: 7.27%
• Uruguay — 38th of 78: 6.37%
• Madagascar — 39th of 78: 6.32%

What this measures

Interest payments include interest payments on government debt (including long-term bonds, long-term loans, and other debt instruments) to domestic and foreign residents. This indicator is expressed as percentage of total expenses which is any decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 25 values

Interest payments (% of expense) in nearby economies

• Bahamas, The — 18.44% (2023)
• Barbados — 22.53% (2016)
• Belize — 10.34% (2017)
• Brazil — 24.14% (2023)
• Chile — 4.32% (2023)
• Colombia — 13.19% (2023)
• Costa Rica — 16.72% (2023)
• Dominican Republic — 17.5% (2023)
• Ecuador — 4.74% (2022)
• El Salvador — 14.1% (2023)
• Guatemala — 11.96% (2023)

More public sector data for Argentina

• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 4.82 trillion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0.56% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 108 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 3.88 billion (2025)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 8.18 trillion (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 8.29% (2024)
• Social contributions (current LCU) — 29.54 trillion (2024)
• Social contributions (% of revenue) — 29.96% (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (current LCU) — 98.45 trillion (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Argentina's interest payments (% of expense)?

7.29% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 1.36 percentage points from 8.65% in 1990. The highest value was 34.28% in 2002 and the lowest 6.52% in 2021.

How does Argentina rank?

36th highest of 78 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in interest payments (% of expense) unusual for Argentina?

In 2023, Argentina's interest payments (% of expense) fell 0.47 percentage points on 2022 (from 7.76% to 7.29%). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2022), the average change was +0.8 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.88 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.XPN.INTP.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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