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.

The United States recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 124.30 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides - United States Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt: Total Public Debt (GFDEBTN) from Q1 1966 to Q2 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.

Graph and download economic data for Gross Federal Debt Held by the Public as Percent of Gross Domestic Product (FYPUGDA188S) from 1939 to 2023 about public, debt, gross, federal, GDP, and USA.

View monthly updates and historical trends for US Public Debt Per Capita. from United States. Source: Department of the Treasury. Track economic data with…

By 2035, the gross federal debt of the United States is projected to be about 59.3 trillion U.S. dollars. This would be an increase of around 24 trillion U.S. dollars from 2024, when the federal debt was around 35 trillion U.S. dollars. The federal debt of the U.S. The federal debt, also called the national debt or public debt, is the amount of debt held by the United States government. This debt may be to other countries, or to different departments within the government itself. The public debt of the United States has increased significantly over the past 30 years, as it was around 3.2 trillion U.S. dollars in 1990 and surpassed 30 trillion dollars for the first time in 2022. When broken down per capita, the national debt amounted to about 80,885 U.S. dollars of debt per person in the United States in 2021. The problem of the federal debt Over the past decade, the federal debt limit in the United States has increased significantly. The U.S. debt ceiling can only be changed by an act of Congress which is then signed by the president. The raising of the ceiling has become a recurring political issue in recent years, especially during times when the Presidency and chambers of Congress are controlled by different parties. The debt ceiling is a tool that allows the Treasury to issue bonds without congressional approval, allowing for efficiency in the way that the government pays for programs and services. It is thought to be further valuable in that it keeps federal finances in check. However, when the two parties are unable to come to an agreement on raising the debt ceiling, the government comes to a shutdown because they can no longer fund themselves. The Republican Party in particular often positions itself against raising the federal debt ceiling, characterizing themselves as the party of fiscal conservativism. However, analyses have shown that both parties have contributed to the country's debt in almost equal measures.

Public sector net debt amounted to 93.5 percent of gross domestic product in the United Kingdom during the 2024/25 financial year. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, UK government debt has reached levels not seen since the early 1960s, due to a significant increase in borrowing in 2020/21. After peaking at 251.7 percent shortly after the end of the Second World War, government debt in the UK gradually fell, before a sharp increase in the late 2000s at the time of the global financial crisis. Debt not expected to start falling until 2029/30 In 2024/25, the UK's government expenditure was approximately 1.28 trillion pounds, around 44 percent of GDP. This spending was financed by 1.14 trillion pounds of revenue raised, and almost 150 billion pounds of borrowing. Although the UK government can continue to borrow money to finance its spending, the amount spent on debt interest has increased significantly in recent years. Current forecasts suggest that while the debt is eventually expected to start declining, this is based on falling government deficits in the next five years. Government facing hard choices Hitting fiscal targets, such as reducing the national debt, will require a careful balancing of the books from the current government, and the possibility for either spending cuts or tax rises. Although Labour ruled out raising the main government tax sources, Income Tax, National Insurance, and VAT, at the 2024 election, they did raise National Insurance for employers (rather than employees) and also cut Winter Fuel allowances for large numbers of pensioners. Less than a year after implementing cuts to Winter Fuel, the government performed a U-Turn on the issue, and also held back on more significant cuts to welfare.

The unprecedented fiscal stimulus packages that Congress passed earlier this year provided timely assistance to households and businesses, but also led to a sharp increase in U.S. federal government debt. We find that the current net federal debt level of about 100 percent of GDP does not pose a threat to fiscal sustainability. Over a longer horizon, debt sustainability will depend, to a large extent, on whether the federal government can curb mandatory spending or raise taxes.

View quarterly updates and historical trends for US Public Debt as Percent of GDP. from United States. Source: Department of the Treasury. Track economic …

As of December 2024, Japan held United States treasury securities totaling about 1.06 trillion U.S. dollars. Foreign holders of United States treasury debt According to the Federal Reserve and U.S. Department of the Treasury, foreign countries held a total of 8.5 trillion U.S. dollars in U.S. treasury securities as of December 2024. Of the total held by foreign countries, Japan and Mainland China held the greatest portions, with China holding 759 billion U.S. dollars in U.S. securities. The U.S. public debt In 2023, the United States had a total public national debt of 33.2 trillion U.S. dollars, an amount that has been rising steadily, particularly since 2008. In 2023, the total interest expense on debt held by the public of the United States reached 678 billion U.S. dollars, while 197 billion U.S. dollars in interest expense were intra governmental debt holdings. Total outlays of the U.S. government were 6.1 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. By 2029, spending is projected to reach 8.3 trillion U.S. dollars.

Key information about United States External Debt: % of GDP

• United States External Debt accounted for 94.3 % of the country's Nominal GDP in 2024, compared with the ratio of 93.4 % in the previous year.
• US External Debt: % of Nominal GDP data is updated yearly, available from Dec 2003 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 99.9 % in Dec 2020 and a record low of 60.6 % in Dec 2003.

CEIC calculates External Debt as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly External Debt and annual Nominal GDP. The U.S. Department of the Treasury provides External Debt in USD based on BPM6. The Bureau of Economic Analysis provides Nominal GDP in USD. External Debt prior to 2014 is based on BPM5.


Related information about United States External Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports of US, Current Account recorded a deficit of 251.3 USD bn in Jun 2025.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased by 124.6 USD bn in Jun 2025.
• US Direct Investment Abroad fell by 4.3 USD bn in Jun 2025.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 452.5 USD bn in Jun 2025.
• The country's External Debt reached 28,604,291.0 in Jun 2025.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 7,621.4 USD bn in Jun 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Surplus or Deficit [-] as Percent of Gross Domestic Product (FYFSGDA188S) from 1929 to 2024 about budget, federal, GDP, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt Held by the Public as Percent of Gross Domestic Product from Q1 1970 to Q2 2025 about public, debt, federal, GDP, and USA.

From 2001 to 2024, Japan’s debt-to-GDP ratio has remained the highest among major economies, being consistently above *** percent since around 2010. Italy, the United States, and Canada also exhibit high ratios, with Italy nearing *** percent by 2024. In contrast, Germany, Australia, and China maintain lower ratios, generally below 100 percent, indicating comparatively lower debt levels relative to economic output. A sharp increase in debt levels was visible around 2020 across most countries, reflecting economic challenges during that period.

Graph and download economic data for Total Debt to Equity for United States (TOTDTEUSQ163N) from Q1 2005 to Q1 2025 about equity, debt, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Interest Rates: Long-Term Government Bond Yields: 10-Year: Main (Including Benchmark) for United States (IRLTLT01USM156N) from Apr 1953 to Oct 2025 about long-term, 10-year, bonds, yield, government, interest rate, interest, rate, and USA.

In Italy, local governments comprise 20 regions, over 100 provinces, and almost 8,000 municipalities. The total gross debt of local administrations decreased from around 116 billion euros in 2010 to about 82 billion euros in 2024. Regions held the largest amount of the local government debt, with 37 billion euros.

Graph and download economic data for Share of Debt Securities Held by the Top 1% (99th to 100th Wealth Percentiles) (WFRBST01116) from Q3 1989 to Q2 2025 about wealth, percentile, debt, securities, and USA.

In 2023, the country that issued the highest value of sustainable bonds - either from the government or organizations domiciled in that country - was the United States, with almost 100 billion U.S. dollars of fixed income debt issued. China was second, with nearly ** billion U.S. dollars, then Germany with ** billion U.S. dollars. However, it should be noted that the balance between debt for environmental and social purposes was very different between these countries, with the majority of debt issued by France being for social purposes. If just considering the value of green bonds issued (i.e. bonds issued for environmental projects), the highest issuer in 2023 was China. The European sustainable bond market Overall, Europe is the clear leader in the sustainable bond market, having issued more sustainable bonds than any other region since 2014 (including supranational organizations). Given the sustainable bonds issued over this period were for environmental causes, the European green bond market is highly advanced. Types of sustainable bonds While green bonds are the most common type of sustainable bond, there are also social bonds which raise money for social (rather than environmental) causes. In addition, there is the broader category of sustainable bonds, which are for a combination of both social and environmental causes. The category of what is a social cause is somewhat broad, however, generating some controversy. For example while China does issue a high number of green bonds, they issued a far higher value of social bonds in 2020. Much of this debt was labelled as for dealing with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which meant it could be classified as social bonds. This is controversial, as in many other countries debt raised for this purpose may not have been not categorized as sustainable. Some have also raised questions about whether such bonds can even be considered sustainable in the first place, given some certifications only required ** percent of the money raised to be used for causes directly related to the fight against COVID-19 (such as manufacturing medical devices, building hospitals, or scientific research).