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 Receipts as Percent of Gross Domestic Product (FYFRGDA188S) from 1929 to 2024 about receipts, federal, GDP, 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.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Outlays: Interest as Percent of Gross Domestic Product (FYOIGDA188S) from 1940 to 2024 about outlays, federal, percent, interest, GDP, and USA.

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.

Public sector net debt amounted to 95.8 percent of gross domestic product in the United Kingdom during the 2024/25 financial year, or 90 percent when the Bank of England is excluded. UK government debt is at its highest levels since the early 1960s, due to a significant increase in borrowing during the COVID-19 pandemic. 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 44.7 percent of GDP. This spending was financed by 1.13 trillion pounds of revenue raised, and 151 billion pounds of borrowing. Although the UK government can still borrow money in the future to finance its spending, the amount spent on debt interest has increased significantly recently. Recent 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 will make it widely available by the winter of 2025.

Interest payments (% of revenue) in United States was reported at 17.98 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Interest payments (% of revenue) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

The statistic shows the national debt of France from 2019 to 2022, with projections up until 2029. In 2022, the national debt of France amounted to around 3.19 trillion U.S. dollars. For comparison, the Greek debt amounted to approximately 392.27 billion euros that same year. French national debt and developments in taxationFrance currently has one of the highest national debt levels of any of the world’s nations. Debt in the European Union’s second-largest economy is currently at around 97 percent of GDP. The cost of interest on the country’s debt alone comes in at over 1,600 euros per second; every man, woman, and child in France, of which there are 65.3 million in total, takes a share of just under 28 thousand euros of the debt.On 6th May 2012, the incumbent French President was defeated by François Hollande, leader of the French Socialist Party. The new President vowed to develop and change the tax system of France, announcing wide-ranging economic policies in a bid to balance the nation’s budget and right what he considered to be social wrongs. He pledged and supported the separation of lending and investment banks, as well as proposing sweeping changes to the French tax system. The introduction of the measure of capping tax loopholes at a maximum of ten thousand euros per year and questioning the solidarity tax on wealth, the annual direct wealth tax on those with assets above 1.3 million, were also part of Hollande’s proposals. The President has also signaled his intention to implement an income tax rate of 75 percent on revenue earned above one million euros per year. He stated the allocation of the revenue from this tax would be used to develop the deprived suburbs and to balance the nation's budget by 2017. France is a country brimming with big business and millionaires. The nation is home to the most millionaires in Europe; 2.6 million in total.

“Public debt is a controversially discussed revenue type of the state. Already in early centuries it was a controversial theme when palatial selfish rulers ran into debt to finance their construction activities (example: Old-Bavarian debt policy in the 17th and 18th century, see Zimmermann, H., 1999: Ökonomische Rechtfertigung einer kontinuierlichen Staatsverschuldung, in: Henke, K.-D. (eds.), 1999: Zur Zukunft der Staatsfinanzierung. Baden-Baden, p. 159). Given the level of public debt the discussion about the theoretical economic foundations and the legal restrictions is highly topical. In addition, the European Monetary Union and the European Stability and Growth Pact induced completely new debt limitations in Germany. Questions concerning the justification and limitation of public debt are not new, but sine 19th century important issues in the financial and political scientific discussion. The exclusivity of the topic public debt is due to the fact that it is not confined to one subject, but must be interdisciplinary discussed from an economic and legal perspective. This is because political and institutional factors need to be taken into account” (Wucherpfennig, a. cit., p.17). Issues associated with public debt are located at the interface between economics, law and politics. A consequence of this is that one subject area cannot ignore the findings of the others. The first part of this study is about the development of public debt and of business cycle policies in the Federal Republic of Germany, about the problems related with increasing public debt, about consolidation efforts and about the legal discussion. In the second part the development of public debt in the Federal Republic of Germany from 1950 to 2004 is presented empirically. Besides the total amount of the net debt and the debt level, the relation to other public finance data is of primary importance. “The level of debt and the annual burden of debt servicing and repayment may not be considered in isolation, but must be seen in relation to gross domestic product and the financial volume. Those relations are important that express the burden on public budgets and the economy through government debt and its associated interest charges. They are more informative than the absolute amount of debt, the new borrowing or the interest charges. Therefor there is no per capita presentation of the numbers. It has been shown that the per capita debt is not informative regarding the financial burden associated with debt.” (Wucherpfennig, a. cit., p. 31). The third part of the study is about the theoretical economic foundation that is important for the evaluation of public debt. “With the help of credits the state is able to widen significantly its opportunities for actions through a short term extension of the revenue side of public budget. The consequence is a medium and long term exposure to the expenditure side of public budget by interest and amortization expense. Those different short and long term aspects of public debt leaded into controversial judgments under finance experts. Accordingly diverse is the assessment of the reliability and need for public debt. Therefor part three presents some chosen theoretical economic approaches” (Wucherpfennig, a. cit., p. 54f). The fourth part is about public debt as a legal problem. Data tables in HISTAT:A.01 Net borrowing and deficit ratio of the total public budget (1950-2004)A.02 Level of debt and debt ratio of the total public budget (1950-2004)A.03 Net borrowing and level debt of the Federal government (1950-2004)A.04 Interest paid and interest-rate issue of the Federal government (1950-2004)A.05 Interest-tax rate and debt ratio of the Federal government (1950-2004)

ABSTRACT The federal budget of the United States displayed only 8 surpluses in the whole post-World War II period, the last of which was in 1969. Several theories have been developed in an attempt to explain the persistency of the Federal deficits. Due to the Keynesian/stagnationist views predominant among leftist theorists, emphasis has been put on the analysis of the expenditure side of government finances and its role of supporting aggregate demand. Little if any attention at all was paid to the revenue side, particularly to the impact of diminishing corporate profitability on government tax revenues. This article estimates the tax losses that have resulted from the sharp decrease in profitability in the last 45 years. It concludes by pointing out some wider economic consequences of large deficits, such as the foreign debt of the United States which is the largest in the world, and the present regressive tendencies of the American tax system.

The financial indicators are based on data compiled according to the 2008 SNA "System of National Accounts, 2008". Many indicators are expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or as a percentage of Gross Disposable Income (GDI) when referring to the Households and NPISHs sector. The definition of GDP and GDI are the following:

Gross Domestic Product:
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is derived from the concept of value added. Gross value added is the difference of output and intermediate consumption. GDP is the sum of gross value added of all resident producer units plus that part (possibly the total) of taxes on products, less subsidies on products, that is not included in the valuation of output [System of National Accounts, 2008, par. 2.138]. GDP is also equal to the sum of final uses of goods and services (all uses except intermediate consumption) measured at purchasers’ prices, less the value of imports of goods and services [System of National Accounts, 2008, par. 2.139]. GDP is also equal to the sum of primary incomes distributed by producer units [System of National Accounts, 2008, par. 2.140].

Gross Disposable Income:
Gross Disposable Income (GDI) is equal to net disposable income which is the balancing item of the secondary distribution income account plus the consumption of fixed capital. The use of the Gross Disposable Income (GDI), rather than net disposable income, is preferable for analytical purposes because there are uncertainty and comparability problems with the calculation of consumption of fixed capital. GDI measures the income available to the total economy for final consumption and gross saving [System of National Accounts, 2008, par. 2.145].

Definition of Debt:
Debt is a commonly used concept, defined as a specific subset of liabilities identified according to the types of financial instruments included or excluded. Generally, debt is defined as all liabilities that require payment or payments of interest or principal by the debtor to the creditor at a date or dates in the future. Consequently, all debt instruments are liabilities, but some liabilities such as shares, equity and financial derivatives are not debt [System of National Accounts, 2008, par. 22.104]. According to the SNA, most debt instruments are valued at market prices. However, some countries do not apply this valuation, in particular for securities other than shares, except financial derivatives (AF33). In this dataset, for financial indicators referring to debt, the concept of debt is the one adopted by the SNA 2008 as well as by the International Monetary Fund in “Public Sector Debt Statistics – Guide for compilers and users” (Pre-publication draft, May 2011). Debt is thus obtained as the sum of the following liability categories, whenever available / applicable in the financial balance sheet of the institutional sector:special drawing rights (AF12), currency and deposits (AF2), debt securities (AF3), loans (AF4), insurance, pension, and standardised guarantees (AF6), and other accounts payable (AF8). This definition differs from the definition of debt applied under the Maastricht Treaty for European countries. First, gross debt according to the Maastricht definition excludes not only financial derivatives and employee stock options (AF7) and equity and investment fund shares (AF5) but also insurance pensions and standardised guarantees (AF6) and other accounts payable (AF8). Second, debt according to Maastricht definition is valued at nominal prices and not at market prices.

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In 2025/26, the budgeted expenditure of the United Kingdom government is expected to be reach 1,335 billion British pounds, with the highest spending function being the 379 billion pounds expected to be spent on social protection, which includes pensions and other welfare benefits. Government spending on health was expected to be 277 billion pounds and was the second-highest spending function in this fiscal year, while education was the third-highest spending category at 146 billion pounds. UK government debt approaching 100 percent of GDP At the end of the 2024/25 financial year, the UK's government debt amounted to approximately 2.8 trillion British pounds, around 96 percent of GDP that year. This is due to the UK having to borrow money to cover its spending commitments, especially at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when this deficit amounted to 314.6 billion pounds. Without significant cuts to spending or tax rises, the current government is aiming to reduce this debt by creating a stronger, more productive economy. Though this is how Britain's post WW2 debt was reduced, the country faces far more structural problems to growth than it did in the mid 20th century. Income Tax the UK's main revenue source Income Tax is expected to raise approximately 329 billion British pounds in the 2025/26 financial year, and be the largest revenue source for the government that year. Value Added Tax (VAT) receipts are expected to raise 214 billion pounds, with National Insurance contributions reaching 199 billion pounds. Although National Insurance rates for employees has actually fallen recently, the rate which employers pay was one of the main tax rises announced in the Autumn 2024 budget, rising from 13.8 percent to 15 percent. Though this avoided raising tax for workers directly, many UK businesses were critical of the move, with taxation seen as the main issue facing them at the start of 2025.

In the third quarter of 2024, Greece's national debt was the highest in all the European Union, amounting to 158 percent of Greece's gross domestic product. In spite of Greece's total being high by EU standards, it marks a substantial decrease from the historical high point reached by the country's national debt of 207 percent of GDP in 2020. Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, and Portugal also all have government debt worth over one year's production of their economies, while the small Baltic country of Estonia has the smallest national debt when compared with GDP, at only 24 percent. In debitum incrementum?A country’s national debt, also known as government debt or public debt, is defined as all borrowings owed by the government of a country. It usually comprises internal debt – owed to other governmental departments – and external debt, which is held by the public and is owed to government bond owners. National debt can be caused by a struggling economy in general, or by low tax income, which usually leads to money being borrowed from other governments for support, which in turn cannot be paid back right away. At first glance, a high national debt is not always a sign of a struggling economy – but since increasing debt can slow down economic growth significantly, it is imperative for the respective government to seek a steady reduction in the long run.

The Treasury Report on Receivables and Debt Collection Activities (TROR) is the federal government's primary means for collecting data on the status of non-tax receivables (delinquent and non-delinquent debt) owed to the United States. This report provides summary data on the value of receivables owed to the Federal government, the portion of those receivables that are delinquent, and efforts to collect or write off delinquent debt.

Receivables are categorized as being either current or delinquent. Delinquent receivables are also referred to as delinquent debt. Receivables are also categorized by type of receivable: Administrative Receivables, Direct Loans, and Defaulted Guaranteed Loans. Administrative Receivables are non-loan receivables, including fines, payments, and overpayments. Direct Loans and Defaulted Guaranteed Loans are federal loan receivables.

Generally, Federal creditor agencies assess interest on outstanding loan receivables. Federal creditor agencies are also generally required to assess interest, penalties, and administrative costs when receivables become delinquent. The rate of interest is generally governed by 31 U.S.C. Section 3717 and published by the Department of the Treasury.

Collections are not always mutually exclusive. The amount and count of collections are recorded for each tool or technique that is used to collect funds.

The main themes of this survey were social welfare policy, taxation, political lobbying and influence, policies of the future government, candidate choice in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, and options for lengthening working lives in Finland. First, the respondents were asked whether they agreed with a number of statements relating to political decision-making, climate change, political parties, politics, economic and fiscal policy, Finnish economy, working life, NATO membership, welfare, entrepreneurship, national identity, etc. Opinions were charted on which tax rates (income tax, corporate tax, excise duty on alcoholic beverages, value-added tax rates etc) could be increased, kept at the same level or lowered. The respondents were also asked how they would rank Finland compared to other countries regarding a number of issues. The issues mentioned included, for instance, how well the political system, democracy and society on the whole work; material and mental well-being; the quality of education, social security and public services; Finland's image; economic competitiveness; equality; safety; income differences; amount of corruption. The next set of questions probed views on how much certain bodies/operators (trade unions, employer organisations, public authorities, big businesses, the media, market forces, the EU, the EMU, lobby groups, voters etc) influenced political decisions in Finland and whether their influence was too great, appropriate or too low. Opinions were charted on what should be the focus areas for the future government (e.g. economy, employment, national debt, poverty, education, crime prevention, business environment, immigration). One theme pertained to the forthcoming parliamentary elections. The respondents were asked how important certain aspects were for their candidate choice. The aspects mentioned included, for instance, the candidate image, party, charisma, expertise, values, image given on the Internet or in the social media, the candidate's gender, age, honesty, verbal skills. Opinions were charted on what would be good methods for lenghtening people's working lives (e.g. restricting access to early retirement, raising retirement age, abolishing conscription, measures to shorten unemployment periods, immigration, restricting access to unemployment benefits etc). The survey also investigated attitudes to Finland's EU membership, change of currency to euro, and whether the EMU membership was a benefit or disadvantage to Finland in the economic situation at that time. Background variables included the respondent's gender, age group, basic and vocational education, size and type of the municipality of residence, industry of employment, region, economic activity and occupational status, trade union membership, self-perceived social class and the candidate of which political party R would vote for if the parliamentary elections were held at that time.

Policymakers are increasingly focusing on structural adjustment and efficiency to cope with the pressures that the economic downturn has placed on local finances. Accordingly, the Chinese government should shift from using standard passive investments to high-quality active investments for its social guarantees, such as education. Based on panel data of 274 cities from 2010 to 2019, this study conducted the first examination of the impact of tax structure and government debt on the relative power of the local education supply (LES) in China. The study found that, first, in general, increases in the tax structure—represented by the proportion of personal income tax to budgetary revenue strengthen the relative power of LES, which is more sensitive in the southern region with a more developed market economy system. And the impact of government debt—represented by the urban investment debt ratio on the relative power of LES is initially negative and then positive. Second, the study revealed that the tax structure can stimulate the relative power of LES through the intermediary channel of an increase in the urban consumption rate; however, the mechanism of promoting the relative power of LES by encouraging localities to attract more floating populations is not obvious. Third, excessive investment in local governance adjusts the positive effect of local debt on the relative power of LES. Therefore, the government should pay attention to the promotion of personal income tax status, standardize their debt risk management, improve the efficiency of governance, and emphasize the pull of urban consumption, so as to enhance the ability to support livelihood and fully mobilize initiatives for local education development.

Policymakers are increasingly focusing on structural adjustment and efficiency to cope with the pressures that the economic downturn has placed on local finances. Accordingly, the Chinese government should shift from using standard passive investments to high-quality active investments for its social guarantees, such as education. Based on panel data of 274 cities from 2010 to 2019, this study conducted the first examination of the impact of tax structure and government debt on the relative power of the local education supply (LES) in China. The study found that, first, in general, increases in the tax structure—represented by the proportion of personal income tax to budgetary revenue strengthen the relative power of LES, which is more sensitive in the southern region with a more developed market economy system. And the impact of government debt—represented by the urban investment debt ratio on the relative power of LES is initially negative and then positive. Second, the study revealed that the tax structure can stimulate the relative power of LES through the intermediary channel of an increase in the urban consumption rate; however, the mechanism of promoting the relative power of LES by encouraging localities to attract more floating populations is not obvious. Third, excessive investment in local governance adjusts the positive effect of local debt on the relative power of LES. Therefore, the government should pay attention to the promotion of personal income tax status, standardize their debt risk management, improve the efficiency of governance, and emphasize the pull of urban consumption, so as to enhance the ability to support livelihood and fully mobilize initiatives for local education development.

The statistic shows the inflation rate in France from 1987 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. The inflation rate is calculated using the price increase of a defined product basket. This product basket contains products and services on which the average consumer spends money throughout the year. They include expenses for groceries, clothes, rent, power, telecommunications, recreational activities, and raw materials (e.g. gas, oil), as well as federal fees and taxes. In 2024, the inflation rate in France was at about 2.32 percent compared to the previous year. The economy of France France is among the top six countries with the largest gross domestic product worldwide, behind the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, and the United States. It is thus one of the leading economies worldwide. Its economy mostly relies on the services sector with almost 80 percent, agriculture making up only 1 percent of the economy and the industry sector the rest. These three sectors are typically seen as the main pillars of a country’s economy. France is also among the leading exporting countries worldwide and the leading importing countries worldwide. Both France’s exports and imports have increased over the last few years. Its trade balance (a country’s exports minus its imports) has been decreasing significantly over the last decade, which means the value of France’s exports was considerably lower than the value of its imports. France’s main exports include wine, meat, and other food products. Its main imports are manufactured goods, among other products. As for the national finances, the national debt of France has been rising steadily and it is thus counted among the countries with the highest public debt, albeit lower in the ranking. Nevertheless, the standard of living in France is quite high, its life expectancy is among the highest in the world, and the employment rate has been steady, or even rising slightly, since 2009.