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.

In 2023, China held **** percent of foreign held U.S. securities. Japan held a further **** percent of foreign held securities. The national debt of the United Stated can be found here.

In March 2025, the average yield on ten-year government bonds in the United States was 4.27 percent. This was the highest of the selected developed economies considered in this statistic. Except Germany, Luxembourg, and Japan, all countries had a yield higher than three on their government bonds. Bonds and yields – additional information The bond yield indicates the level of return that the investor can expect from a given type of bond. The government of Italy, for instance, offered the investors 3.9 percent yield on ten-year government bonds for borrowing their money in March 2025. In the United States, government needs are also financed by selling various debt instruments such as Treasury bills, notes, bonds and savings bonds to investors. The largest holders of U.S. debt are the Federal Reserve and Government accounts in the United States. The major foreign holders of the United States treasury securities are Japan, Mainland China, and the United Kingdom.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt Held by Foreign and International Investors as Percent of Gross Domestic Product (HBFIGDQ188S) from Q1 1970 to Q1 2025 about foreign, debt, federal, GDP, and USA.

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).

At the end of 2024, the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury bond was **** percent. Despite the increase in recent years, the highest yields could be observed in the early 1990s. What affects bond prices? The factors that play a big role in valuation and interest in government bonds are interest rate and inflation. If inflation is expected to be high, investors will demand a higher return on bonds. Country credit ratings indicate how stable the economy is and thus also influence the government bond prices. Risk and bonds Finally, when investors are worried about the bond issuer’s ability to pay at the end of the term, they demand a higher interest rate. For the U.S. Treasury, the vast majority of investors consider the investment to be perfectly safe. Ten-year government bonds from other countries show that countries seen as more risky have a higher bond return. On the other hand, countries in which investors do not expect economic growth have a lower yield.

Graph and download economic data for Assets: Securities Held Outright: U.S. Treasury Securities: Maturing in over 10 Years: Wednesday Level (TREAS10Y) from 2002-12-18 to 2025-07-09 about 10 years +, maturity, securities, Treasury, and USA.

In December 2024, the yield on a 10-year U.S. Treasury note was **** percent, forecasted to decrease to reach **** percent by August 2025. Treasury securities are debt instruments used by the government to finance the national debt. Who owns treasury notes? Because the U.S. treasury notes are generally assumed to be a risk-free investment, they are often used by large financial institutions as collateral. Because of this, billions of dollars in treasury securities are traded daily. Other countries also hold U.S. treasury securities, as do U.S. households. Investors and institutions accept the relatively low interest rate because the U.S. Treasury guarantees the investment. Looking into the future Because these notes are so commonly traded, their interest rate also serves as a signal about the market’s expectations of future growth. When markets expect the economy to grow, forecasts for treasury notes will reflect that in a higher interest rate. In fact, one harbinger of recession is an inverted yield curve, when the return on 3-month treasury bills is higher than the ten-year rate. While this does not always lead to a recession, it certainly signals pessimism from financial markets.

The average for 2022 based on 174 countries was 59.99 percent. The highest value was in Japan: 236.58 percent and the lowest value was in Liechtenstein: 0.5 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Holdings of US Treasury Securities data was reported at 784.300 USD bn in Feb 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 760.802 USD bn for Jan 2025. Holdings of US Treasury Securities data is updated monthly, averaging 937.400 USD bn from Mar 2000 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 300 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,316.700 USD bn in Nov 2013 and a record low of 58.900 USD bn in Nov 2000. Holdings of US Treasury Securities data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Department of the Treasury. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Government and Public Finance – Table CN.FF: Holdings of US Treasury Securities.

Graph and download economic data for Assets: Securities Held Outright: U.S. Treasury Securities: All: Wednesday Level (TREAST) from 2002-12-18 to 2025-07-09 about maturity, securities, Treasury, and USA.

As of December 30, 2024, the major economy with the highest yield on 10-year government bonds was Turkey, with a yield of ***** percent. This is due to the risks investors take when investing in Turkey, notably due to high inflation rates potentially eradicating any profits made when using a foreign currency to investing in securities denominated in Turkish lira. Of the major developed economies, United States had one the highest yield on 10-year government bonds at this time with **** percent, while Switzerland had the lowest at **** percent. How does inflation influence the yields of government bonds? Inflation reduces purchasing power over time. Due to this, investors seek higher returns to offset the anticipated decrease in purchasing power resulting from rapid price rises. In countries with high inflation, government bond yields often incorporate investor expectations and risk premiums, resulting in comparatively higher rates offered by these bonds. Why are government bond rates significant? Government bond rates are an important indicator of financial markets, serving as a benchmark for borrowing costs, interest rates, and investor sentiment. They affect the cost of government borrowing, influence the price of various financial instruments, and serve as a reflection of expectations regarding inflation and economic growth. For instance, in financial analysis and investing, people often use the 10-year U.S. government bond rates as a proxy for the longer-term risk-free rate.

At the end of 2023, depository institutions owned around 4.86 percent of the total U.S. debt. Depository institutions includes U.S. chartered depository institutions, foreign banking offices in the United States, banks in U.S. affiliated areas, credit unions, and bank holding companies.

The total debt accrued by the U.S. annually can be accessed here.

As of April 16, 2025, the yield for a ten-year U.S. government bond was 4.34 percent, while the yield for a two-year bond was 3.86 percent. This represents an inverted yield curve, whereby bonds of longer maturities provide a lower yield, reflecting investors' expectations for a decline in long-term interest rates. Hence, making long-term debt holders open to more risk under the uncertainty around the condition of financial markets in the future. That markets are uncertain can be seen by considering both the short-term fluctuations, and the long-term downward trend, of the yields of U.S. government bonds from 2006 to 2021, before the treasury yield curve increased again significantly in the following years. What are government bonds? Government bonds, otherwise called ‘sovereign’ or ‘treasury’ bonds, are financial instruments used by governments to raise money for government spending. Investors give the government a certain amount of money (the ‘face value’), to be repaid at a specified time in the future (the ‘maturity date’). In addition, the government makes regular periodic interest payments (called ‘coupon payments’). Once initially issued, government bonds are tradable on financial markets, meaning their value can fluctuate over time (even though the underlying face value and coupon payments remain the same). Investors are attracted to government bonds as, provided the country in question has a stable economy and political system, they are a very safe investment. Accordingly, in periods of economic turmoil, investors may be willing to accept a negative overall return in order to have a safe haven for their money. For example, once the market value is compared to the total received from remaining interest payments and the face value, investors have been willing to accept a negative return on two-year German government bonds between 2014 and 2021. Conversely, if the underlying economy and political structures are weak, investors demand a higher return to compensate for the higher risk they take on. Consequently, the return on bonds in emerging markets like Brazil are consistently higher than that of the United States (and other developed economies). Inverted yield curves When investors are worried about the financial future, it can lead to what is called an ‘inverted yield curve’. An inverted yield curve is where investors pay more for short term bonds than long term, indicating they do not have confidence in long-term financial conditions. Historically, the yield curve has historically inverted before each of the last five U.S. recessions. The last U.S. yield curve inversion occurred at several brief points in 2019 – a trend which continued until the Federal Reserve cut interest rates several times over that year. However, the ultimate trigger for the next recession was the unpredicted, exogenous shock of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, showing how such informal indicators may be grounded just as much in coincidence as causation.

USF: Long Term: Corporate Debt: Faroe Islands data was reported at 0.000 USD mn in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 USD mn for 2015. USF: Long Term: Corporate Debt: Faroe Islands data is updated yearly, averaging 0.000 USD mn from Jun 2002 (Median) to 2016, with 10 observations. USF: Long Term: Corporate Debt: Faroe Islands data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Treasury. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.Z047: Foreign Residents' Portfolio Holdings of United States Securities.

United States USF: Long Term: Corporate Debt: Albania data was reported at 1.000 USD mn in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 7.000 USD mn for 2016. United States USF: Long Term: Corporate Debt: Albania data is updated yearly, averaging 9.000 USD mn from Jun 2004 (Median) to 2017, with 10 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 24.000 USD mn in 2014 and a record low of 0.000 USD mn in 2005. United States USF: Long Term: Corporate Debt: Albania data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Treasury. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.Z047: Foreign Residents' Portfolio Holdings of U.S. Securities.

United States USF: Long Term: Corporate Debt: Niue Island data was reported at 0.000 USD mn in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 USD mn for 2016. United States USF: Long Term: Corporate Debt: Niue Island data is updated yearly, averaging 0.000 USD mn from Jun 2002 (Median) to 2017, with 10 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.000 USD mn in 2003 and a record low of 0.000 USD mn in 2017. United States USF: Long Term: Corporate Debt: Niue Island data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Treasury. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.Z047: Foreign Residents' Portfolio Holdings of U.S. Securities.

United States USF: Long Term: Corporate Debt: Uzbekistan data was reported at 5.000 USD mn in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.000 USD mn for 2014. United States USF: Long Term: Corporate Debt: Uzbekistan data is updated yearly, averaging 0.500 USD mn from Jun 2002 (Median) to 2015, with 10 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.000 USD mn in 2015 and a record low of 0.000 USD mn in 2009. United States USF: Long Term: Corporate Debt: Uzbekistan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Treasury. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.Z047: Foreign Residents' Portfolio Holdings of U.S. Securities.

Graph and download economic data for Assets: Securities Held Outright: Federal Agency Debt Securities: Maturing in over 5 Years to 10 Years: Wednesday Level (FEDD5T10) from 2002-12-18 to 2025-06-18 about 5 to 10 years, agency, maturity, debt, securities, federal, and USA.

In January 2020, prior to the onset of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, three of the seven largest economies by GDP had negative yields for two-year government bonds (Japan, Germany and France). With the onset of the pandemic, two-year bond yields in these countries actually rose slightly - in contrast to the other major economies, where yields fell over this period. As of December 2024, yields for two-year government bonds exhibited fluctuations across all countries. Notably, Japan showed a slight upward trend, while China experienced a modest decline.Negative yields assume that investors lack confidence in economic growth, meaning many investments (such as stocks) may lose value. Therefore, it is preferable to take a small loss on government debt that carries almost no risk to the investor, than risk a larger loss on other investments. As both the yen and euro are considered very safe assets, Japanese, German and French bonds were already being held by many investors prior to the pandemic as a hedge against economic downturn. Therefore, with the announcement of fiscal responses to the pandemic by many governments around March 2020, the value of these assets rose as confidence increased (slightly) that the worst case may be avoided. At the same time, yields on bonds with a higher return fell, as investors sought out investments with a higher return that were still considered safe.