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.

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.

Government Debt in the United States increased to 36916987 USD Million in July from 36211469 USD Million in June of 2025. This dataset provides - United States Government Debt- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Analysis of ‘🪧 U.S. Presidents and Debt’ provided by Analyst-2 (analyst-2.ai), based on source dataset retrieved from https://www.kaggle.com/yamqwe/u-s-presidents-and-debte on 13 February 2022.

--- Dataset description provided by original source is as follows ---

About this dataset

All U.S. presidents since WWII and their impact on the U.S. debt

This dataset lists each president's impact on the U.S. debt since World War II to the present (2016), starting with Harry S. Truman to Barack Obama. The data is presented in two different ways:

• By President - inclusive of all terms served
  • Lists the term debt increase percentage
• Annual breakdown - from 1949 to 2016
  • Lists the annual debt increase percentage

The data also includes some meta information such as the term periods and lifespan, age, and party of each president.

Source

This dataset was created by Kevin Nayar and contains around 0 samples along with Party, Date Died, technical information and other features such as: - Age - Party - and more.

How to use this dataset

• Analyze Date Died in relation to Age
• Study the influence of Party on Date Died
• More datasets

Acknowledgements

If you use this dataset in your research, please credit Kevin Nayar

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--- Original source retains full ownership of the source dataset ---

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.

By 2034, the gross federal debt of the United States is projected to be about 54.39 trillion U.S. dollars. This would be an increase of around 21 trillion U.S. dollars from 2023, when the federal debt was around 33 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.

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.

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

In October 2024, the public debt of the United States was around 35.46 trillion U.S. dollars, a slight decrease from the previous month. The U.S. public debt ceiling has become one of the most prominent political issues in the States in recent years, with debate over how to handle it causing political turmoil between Democrats and Republicans. The public debt The public debt of the United States has risen quickly since 2000, and in 2022 was more than five times higher than in 2000. The public debt is the total outstanding debt that is owed by the federal government. This figure comprises debt owed to the public (for example, through bonds) and intergovernmental debt (debt owed to various governmental departments), such as Social Security. Debt in Politics The debt issue has become a highly contentious topic within the U.S. government. Measures such as stimulus packages, social programs and tax cuts add to the public debt. Additionally, spending tends to peak during large global events, such as the Great Depression, the 2008 financial crisis, or the COVID-19 pandemic - all of which had a detrimental impact on the U.S. economy. Although both major political parties in the U.S. tend to blame one another for increases in the country's debt, a recent analysis found that both parties have contributed almost equally to national expenditure. Debate on raising the debt ceiling, or the amount of debt the federal government is allowed to have at any one time, was a leading topic in the government shutdown in October 2013. Despite plans from both Democrats and Republicans on how to lower the national debt, it is only expected to increase over the next decade.

Key information about United States Government Debt: % of GDP

• United States Government debt accounted for 124.0 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with the ratio of 123.1 % in the previous quarter.
• US government debt to GDP ratio data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1969 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 130.4 % in Mar 2021 and a record low of 31.8 % in Sep 1974.

CEIC calculates quarterly Government Debt as % of Nominal GDP from monthly Government Debt and rolling sum of quarterly Nominal GDP. The Bureau of the Fiscal Service provides Government Debt in USD. The Bureau of Economic Analysis provides Nominal GDP in USD. Government Debt covers Central Government only.


Related information about United States Government Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, US National Government Debt reached 36,220.2 USD bn in Jan 2025.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 6,632.4 USD bn in Mar 2023.

Total outstanding debt of the U.S. government reported daily. Includes a breakout of intragovernmental holdings (federal debt held by U.S. government) and debt held by the public (federal debt held by entities outside the U.S. government).

Government Debt in Canada increased to 1223.62 CAD Billion in 2024 from 1173.01 CAD Billion in 2023. This dataset provides - Canada Government Debt- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The national debt of China was approximately 16.65 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024. Following a continuous upward trend, the national debt has risen by around 16.46 trillion U.S. dollars since 1995. Between 2024 and 2030, the national debt will rise by around 13 trillion U.S. dollars, continuing its consistent upward trajectory.

Graph and download economic data for Gross Federal Debt (FYGFD) from 1939 to 2023 about gross, debt, federal, and USA.

Interactive chart of historical data comparing the level of gross domestic product (GDP) with Federal Debt.

France recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 113 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - France Government Debt to GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Direction of country (1); Barack Obama job performance (1); Obama handling economy (1); Obama handling foreign policy (1); Obama handling war in Afghanistan (1); Congressional job performance (1); rating public figures, groups, organizations (12); role of government (1); Obama re-elected for president (1); party control of congress (1); confidence in congress (1); Republican congress bring right change (1); partisanship (1); party vote in primary election (1); Republican 2012 presidential nominees (3); candidate positions affecting vote (1); Tim Pawlenty vs. Barack Obama (1); Mitt Romney vs. Barack Obama (1); candidates possessing skills for presidency (1); positions for presidential candidates (1); Romney's stance on healthcare (1); party with influence on special interest groups/lobbyists (1); party influenced by special interest groups/lobbyists (1); economic outlook (1); personal economic situation (1); effects of stimulus (1); Obama administration responsible for economic situation (1); George W. Bush administration responsible for economic situation (1); economic situation inherited by Obama (1); role of government/congress in handling economy/budget deficit (1); economic recession (1); heading toward another recession (1); government loans to auto companies (1); cutting federal spending (1); recent events affecting respondent (1); federal debt ceiling (2); Medicare (3); reducing troops in Afghanistan (1); death of Osama bin Laden (1); Obama handling situation in Libya (1); military operations in Libya (1); television news source (1).

Brazil recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 76.50 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides - Brazil Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Households Debt in the United States decreased to 69.20 percent of GDP in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 70.50 percent of GDP in the third quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - United States Households Debt To Gdp- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The national debt of Ukraine amounted to about ************** U.S. dollars in 2024. Between 1997 and 2024, the national debt rose by approximately ************** U.S. dollars, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend. The national debt will steadily rise by around ************** U.S. dollars over the period from 2024 to 2030, reflecting a clear upward trend.