What percentage of total federal revenue were interest payments in Canada in 2024 vs 2025?

1. What the headline numbers say: 2024’s share and where it comes from

The most direct figure for “interest payments as a percentage of revenue” in Canada is 8.2171% for 2024, drawn from the World Bank series and presented by Trading Economics ^[1]. That ratio is a broad indicator—World Bank data typically divides government interest outlays by total government revenue—to show how much of government receipts go simply to servicing debt rather than to programs or transfers ^[1].

2. The domestic bookkeeping: dollars behind the percent

Statistics Canada reports federal government interest expenses of $50.1 billion in 2024, a 13.0% increase (+$5.8 billion) versus the prior year, reflecting higher refinancing rates and larger outstanding liabilities ^[2]. Those dollar amounts are the numerator that feeds into percentage calculations such as the World Bank’s 8.2171% metric ^{[2] [1]}.

3. Why a 2025 percentage is not straightforwardly available

None of the provided sources give a clear “interest payments as share of total federal revenue” number for 2025. Trading Economics/World Bank covers 1989–2024 with a 2026 forecast but reports 2024 explicitly; it does not provide a 2025 realized percentage in the supplied snippet ^[1]. Statistics Canada gives 2024 interest expenses and notes fiscal-year reporting conventions, but does not convert 2025 totals into a percent of revenue in the available extracts (p1_s8; available sources do not mention a 2025 percentage).

4. Alternate measures and related figures in the reporting

Analysts and think tanks frame interest burden in other ways that the sources do provide: the Fraser Institute and affiliated releases compare interest costs to specific revenue lines or to program spending (for example, noting federal debt‑servicing charges comparable to major transfers) and aggregate federal+provincial interest totals ($81.8 billion expected for 2023/24 in one Fraser Institute product and projections around $90–92.5 billion for 2024/25 in later material) ^{[3] [4] [5]}. Those comparisons illustrate political and fiscal stakes even when a precise 2025 percent-of-revenue figure is absent ^{[3] [4] [5]}.

5. Why year-to-year percent comparisons can move sharply

Two forces change the ratio quickly: the numerator (interest paid) rises when interest rates and debt levels climb; the denominator (total federal revenue) shifts with economic growth, tax collections and policy changes. Statistics Canada links the 2024 rise in federal interest expenses to higher refinancing rates and greater outstanding liabilities ^[2]. Commentary from fiscal groups points to both accumulated deficits and higher policy rates as drivers of interest-cost increases ^{[6] [3]}.

6. Conflicting emphases and hidden agendas in the sources

Think tanks such as the Fraser Institute emphasize the opportunity cost of interest spending—comparing interest bills to child benefits or health transfers—to argue for deficit reduction ^{[4] [3]}. Trading Economics presents the World Bank statistic without policy framing ^[1]. EnergyNow and similar outlets use interest‑burden metrics to criticize federal fiscal choices and emphasize projected percent shares of specific revenue streams (personal income tax), a narrower framing than the World Bank’s percent‑of‑total‑revenue metric ^{[6] [1]}. Readers should note these different agendas: some sources are analytical and statistical, others are advocacy oriented ^{[4] [6]}.

7. What we can say with confidence and what we cannot

Confident: interest expenses totaled about $50.1 billion in calendar‑year 2024 and World Bank/Trading Economics places interest payments at 8.2171% of revenue for 2024 ^{[2] [1]}. Not found in current reporting: a directly cited, authoritative percentage of total federal revenue for 2025—available sources do not mention that 2025 percent (available sources do not mention a 2025 percentage).

8. How to get a firm 2025 comparison if you need one

To produce a 2025 percent comparable to the 2024 World Bank figure you will need: (a) a 2025 federal interest‑expense total (fiscal or calendar year, be explicit), and (b) total federal revenue for the same period; dividing the two yields the percent. Statistics Canada, the Department of Finance and the World Bank/IMF databases are the likely primary sources to consult for official 2025 numbers ^{[2] [7] [1]}. The supplied materials point to those institutions but do not provide the completed 2025 ratio (p1_s8; ^[7]; available sources do not mention a 2025 percentage).