Australia's interest payments (current LCU) was 19.17 billion in 2022, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 47.56% from 12.99 billion in 2012 (3.97% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 19.17 billion | 2022 |
| Five years earlier | 16.69 billion | 2017 |
| Ten years earlier | 12.99 billion | 2012 |
| Highest | 19.17 billion | 2022 |
| Lowest | 613 million | 1972 |
| Average since 2013 | 16.51 billion | 2013–2022 |
| First recorded | 613 million |
What the numbers say
In 2022, Australia's interest payments (current LCU) rose 9.5% on 2021 (from 17.5 billion to 19.17 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +5% and a typical year strayed about 18.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above 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 46.4% in 1977 and the biggest yearly fall was 38.9% in 2001. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 607.44 million a year. A straight line explains 88% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
Closest to Australia in the 2022 ranking
- Congo, Dem. Rep. — 3rd of 7: 119.33 billion
- Serbia — 4th of 7: 105.72 billion
- Equatorial Guinea — 5th of 7: 93.77 billion
- Ecuador — 7th of 7: 1.68 billion
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 in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.
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).
All 51 values
| Year | Interest payments (current LCU) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 19,167,000,000 |
| 2021 | 17,500,000,000 |
| 2020 | 17,759,000,000 |
| 2019 | 17,966,000,000 |
| 2018 | 17,768,000,000 |
| 2017 | 16,688,000,000 |
| 2016 | 16,165,000,000 |
| 2015 | 15,349,000,000 |
| 2014 | 13,694,000,000 |
| 2013 | 13,050,000,000 |
Interest payments (current LCU) in nearby economies
- Cambodia — 473.14 billion (2023)
- China — 590.85 billion (2021)
- Fiji — 527.5 million (2024)
- Kiribati — 2.77 million (2023)
- Korea, Rep. — 35.54 trillion (2024)
- Lao PDR — 3.81 trillion (2022)
- Malaysia — 50.48 billion (2024)
- Marshall Islands — 664,000 (2020)
- Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 523,714 (2020)
- Mongolia — 1.17 trillion (2024)
- New Zealand — 6.9 billion (2024)
More public sector data for Australia
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 826 million (2025)
- Military expenditure (current USD) — 35.33 billion (2025)
- Military expenditure (current LCU) — 54.81 billion (2025)
- Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.92% (2025)
- Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 108 million (2025)
- Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 19.74 billion (2022)
- Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 0.84% (2022)
- Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — -31.49 billion (2022)
- Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) — -1.35% (2022)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Australia's interest payments (current LCU)?
- 19.17 billion in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1972?
- It is up 3,027% from 613 million in 1972 (7.13% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 19.17 billion in 2022 and the lowest 613 million in 1972.
- Is the latest change in interest payments (current LCU) unusual for Australia?
- In 2022, Australia's interest payments (current LCU) rose 9.5% on 2021 (from 17.5 billion to 19.17 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +5% and a typical year strayed about 18.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
- Where does this data come from?
- The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.XPN.INTP.CN, 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.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in