Poland's interest payments (% of expense) was 4.79% in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 1.79 percentage points from 6.58% in 2013.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 4.79% | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 4.04% | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 6.58% | 2013 |
| Highest | 9.64% | 1994 |
| Lowest | 0.2% | 1984 |
| Average since 2014 | 4.12% | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 0.2% | 1984 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, Poland's interest payments (% of expense) rose 0.99 percentage points on 2022 (from 3.8% to 4.79%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2022), the average change was −0.19 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.99 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 7.32 percentage points in 1997 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.19 percentage points in 1996. 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 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.15 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 32% 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.
How it compares
In 2023, Poland had the 48th 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Poland | 4.79% | 2023 |
| World | 5.77% | 2022 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 4.18% | 2023 |
| High income | 3.41% | 2023 |
Closest to Poland in the 2023 ranking
- Thailand — 45th of 78: 5.49%
- Belarus — 46th of 78: 5.39%
- Moldova — 47th of 78: 5.07%
- Korea, Rep. — 49th of 78: 4.43%
- Chile — 50th of 78: 4.32%
- North Macedonia — 51st of 78: 4.29%
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 35 values
| Year | Interest payments (% of expense) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 4.79 |
| 2022 | 3.8 |
| 2021 | 2.83 |
| 2020 | 3.01 |
| 2019 | 3.73 |
| 2018 | 4.04 |
| 2017 | 4.3 |
| 2016 | 4.61 |
| 2015 | 4.82 |
| 2014 | 5.23 |
| 2013 |
Interest payments (% of expense) in nearby economies
More public sector data for Poland
- Military expenditure (current USD) — 46.76 billion (2025)
- Military expenditure (current LCU) — 175.73 billion (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 2.17 billion (2025)
- Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 59 million (2025)
- Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 4.5% (2025)
- Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 105.83 billion (2024)
- Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — -250.67 billion (2024)
- Social contributions (current LCU) — 549.68 billion (2024)
- Social contributions (% of revenue) — 41.86% (2024)
- Revenue, excluding grants (current LCU)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Poland's interest payments (% of expense)?
- 4.79% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1984?
- It is up 4.59 percentage points from 0.2% in 1984. The highest value was 9.64% in 1994 and the lowest 0.2% in 1984.
- How does Poland rank?
- 48th highest of 78 economies with data for 2023.
- Is the latest change in interest payments (% of expense) unusual for Poland?
- In 2023, Poland's interest payments (% of expense) rose 0.99 percentage points on 2022 (from 3.8% to 4.79%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2022), the average change was −0.19 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.99 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above 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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