Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt Held by the Public as Percent of Gross Domestic Product (FYGFGDQ188S) from Q1 1970 to Q1 2025 about public, debt, federal, GDP, and USA.

In September 2024, the national debt of the United States had risen up to 35.46 trillion U.S. dollars. The national debt per capita had risen to 85,552 U.S. dollars in 2021. As represented by the statistic above, the public debt of the United States has been continuously rising. U.S. public debt Public debt, also known as national and governmental debt, is the debt owed by a nations’ central government. In the case of the U.S., national debt is owed by the federal government to Treasury security holders. Generally speaking, government debt increases with government spending, and can be decreased through taxes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government increased spending significantly to finance virus infrastructure, aid, and various forms of economic relief. International public debt Venezuela leads the global ranking of the 20 countries with the highest public debt in 2021. In relation to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Venezuela's public debt amounted to around 306.95 percent of GDP. Eritrea was ranked fifth, with an estimated debt of 170 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. The national debt of the United Kingdom is forecasted to grow from 87 percent in 2022 to 70 percent in 2027, in relation to the Gross Domestic Product. These figures include England, Wales, Scotland as well as Northern Ireland. Greece had the highest national debt among EU countries as of the 4th quarter of 2020 in relation to the Gross Domestic Product. Germany ranked 13th in the EU, with its national debt amounting to 69 percent of GDP in the same time period. Tuvalu was one of the 20 countries with the lowest national debt in 2021 in relation to the GDP, while Macao had an estimated level of national debt of zero percent, the lowest of any country. The data refer to the debts of the entire state, including the central government, the provinces, municipalities, local authorities and social insurance.

In 2023, the gross federal debt in the United States amounted to around ****** U.S. dollars per capita. This is a moderate increase from the previous year, when the per capita national debt amounted to about ****** U.S. dollars. The total debt accrued by the U.S. annually can be accessed here. Federal debt of the United States The level of national debt held by the United States government has risen sharply in the years following the Great Recession. Federal debt is the amount of debt the federal government owes to creditors who hold assets in the form of debt securities. As with individuals and consumers, there is a common consensus among economists that holding debt is not necessarily problematic for government so long as the public debt is held at a sustainable level. Although there is no agreed upon ratio of debt to gross domestic product, the increasing debt held by the Federal Reserve has become a major part of the political discourse in the United States. Politics and the national debt In recent years, debate over the debt ceiling has been of concern to domestic politicians, the owners of federal debt, and global economy as a whole. The debt ceiling is a legislated maximum amount that national debt can reach intended to impose a degree of fiscal prudence on incumbent governments. However, as national debt has grown the debt ceiling has been reached, thus forcing legislative action by Congress. In both 2011 and 2013, new legislation was passed by Congress allowing the debt ceiling to be raised. The Budget Control Act of 2011 and the No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 successively allowed the government to avoid defaulting on national debt and therefore avert a potential economic crisis.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt: Total Public Debt (GFDEBTN) from Q1 1966 to Q1 2025 about public, debt, federal, government, and USA.

Summarizes the U.S. government's total outstanding debt at the end of each fiscal year from 1789 to the current year.

Adding to national debt is an inevitable fact of being President of the United States. The extent to which debt rises under any sitting president depends not only on the policy and spending choices they have made, but also the choices made by presidents and congresses that have come before them. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush President Ronald Reagan increased the U.S. debt by around **** trillion U.S. dollars, or ****** percent. This is often attributed to "Reaganomics," in which Reagan implemented significant supply-side economic policies in which he reduced government regulation, cut taxes, and tightened the money supply. Spending increased under President George W. Bush in light of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. To finance the wars, President Bush chose to borrow the money, rather than use war bonds or increase taxes, unlike previous war-time presidents. Additionally, Bush introduced a number of tax cuts, and oversaw the beginning of the 2008 financial crisis. Barack Obama President Obama inherited both wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the financial crisis. The Obama administration also did not increase taxes to pay for the wars, and additionally passed expensive legislation to kickstart the economy following the economic crash, as well as the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The ACA expanded healthcare coverage to cover more than ** million more Americans through programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Though controversial at the time, more than half of Americans have a favorable view of the ACA in 2023. Additionally, he signed legislation making the W. Bush-era tax cuts permanent.

Canada Federal Government Debt: % of GDP: Accumulated Deficit data was reported at 42.100 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 41.100 % for 2023. Canada Federal Government Debt: % of GDP: Accumulated Deficit data is updated yearly, averaging 33.650 % from Mar 1967 (Median) to 2024, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 66.600 % in 1996 and a record low of 18.000 % in 1975. Canada Federal Government Debt: % of GDP: Accumulated Deficit data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Department of Finance Canada. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.F009: Federal Government Debt: Annual.

In 2022, the federal state of New York had a debt of around ****** U.S. dollars per capita, the most out of any state in the U.S. While not a state, the District of Columbia had an even higher per capita debt, at ****** U.S. dollars. The total debt accrued by the U.S. annually can be accessed here, and outstanding debt by state here.

Brazil Public Sector: Last 12 Months Accumulated: % of GDP: Federal Government: Sources: Internal Borrowing: Bank Debt data was reported at 0.821 % in Apr 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.844 % for Mar 2019. Brazil Public Sector: Last 12 Months Accumulated: % of GDP: Federal Government: Sources: Internal Borrowing: Bank Debt data is updated monthly, averaging -1.434 % from Dec 2001 (Median) to Apr 2019, with 209 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.824 % in Aug 2018 and a record low of -5.181 % in May 2010. Brazil Public Sector: Last 12 Months Accumulated: % of GDP: Federal Government: Sources: Internal Borrowing: Bank Debt data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of Brazil. The data is categorized under Brazil Premium Database’s Government and Public Finance – Table BR.FA027: Public Sector: Uses and Sources: Federal Government: % of Nominal GDP: Last 12 Months Accumulated.

Key information about Canada National Government Debt

• Canada National Government Debt reached 1,519.8 USD bn in Mar 2024, compared with 1,423.3 USD bn in the previous year.
• Canada National Government Debt data is updated yearly, available from Mar 1962 to Mar 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 1,519.8 USD bn in Mar 2024 and a record low of 20.5 USD bn in Mar 1962.

• In the latest reports, Canada Consolidated Fiscal Balance recorded a deficit equal to 1.8 % of its Nominal GDP in Sep 2024.
• The country's Government debt accounted for 69.4 % of its Nominal GDP in Mar 2024.
• Canada Nominal GDP reached 520.3 USD bn in Mar 2023.

Australia recorded a Government Budget surplus equal to 0.60 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides - Australia Government Budget - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The U.S. debt held by the public amounted to 24.24 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023, which was about 97.3 percent of the U.S. GDP. The forecast predicts an increase in public debt up to 48.3 trillion U.S. dollars in 2034, which would be about 116 percent of the U.S. GDP. The actual total debt accrued by the U.S. annually can be accessed here.