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.

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.

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.

Romania's public debt as a share of gross domestic product was the smallest during the communist regime. This is the reason why in 1990, the country's public debt as a share of GDP was below one percent. By the end of 2024, Romania's public debt accounted for approximately 54.6 percent of the country's GDP, registering a spike since 2023, but still at an unusually high rate for Romania.

Portugal recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 93.60 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides - Portugal Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Mexico recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 49.70 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides - Mexico Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

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

South Korea recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 46.80 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides - South Korea Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Nigeria recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 52.90 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Nigeria Government Debt to GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for Central government debt, total (% of GDP) for Japan (DEBTTLJPA188A) from 1990 to 2022 about Japan, debt, government, and GDP.

In 2024, the ratio of national debt to gross domestic product (GDP) of Malaysia was about 70.39 percent. Between 1990 and 2024, the figure dropped by approximately 3.74 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory. From 2024 to 2030, the ratio will rise by around 0.41 percentage points, showing an overall upward trend with periodic ups and downs.The general government gross debt consists of all liabilities that require payment or payments of interest and/or principal by the debtor to the creditor at a date or dates in the future. Here it is depicted in relation to the country's GDP, which refers to the total value of goods and services produced during a year.

Cameroon recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 42.70 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Cameroon Government Debt to GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Historical dataset showing Mexico national debt by year from 1990 to 2023.

Philippines recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 60.70 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides - Philippines Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Graph and download economic data for Central government debt, total (% of GDP) for Indonesia (DEBTTLIDA188A) from 1990 to 2022 about Indonesia, debt, government, and GDP.

Graph and download economic data for Central government debt, total (% of GDP) for OECD Members (GCDODTOTLGDZSOED) from 1990 to 2022 about OECD Economies, debt, government, and GDP.

Graph and download economic data for Gross Federal Debt as Percent of Gross Domestic Product (GFDGDPA188S) from 1939 to 2023 about debt, gross, federal, GDP, and USA.

Historical dataset showing Japan national debt by year from 1990 to 2022.

Graph and download economic data for Central government debt, total (% of GDP) for High Income Countries (GCDODTOTLGDZSHIC) from 1990 to 2022 about debt, government, income, and GDP.

Guatemala recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 27.90 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Guatemala Government Debt to GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.