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.

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.

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).

Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt Held by Foreign and International Investors (FDHBFIN) from Q1 1970 to Q2 2025 about foreign, debt, federal, and USA.

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 Q2 2025 about foreign, debt, federal, GDP, and USA.

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.

The value of U.S. Treasury securities held by residents of Russia amounted to ** million U.S. dollars in March 2025, marking a stark contrast to ***** billion U.S. dollars held in January 2020. The lowest over the period under consideration was recorded in November 2023 at ** million U.S. dollars. Furthermore, in March 2020, the figure plummeted to **** billion U.S. dollars, down from **** billion U.S. dollars one month prior. Russia’s holdings of U.S. treasury securities have decreased since 2014 following the Western sanctions over the annexation of Crimea and have further dropped in 2022 after more restrictions were imposed over the war in Ukraine. What are U.S. treasury holdings? U.S. treasury holdings are government debt instruments that contribute to the funding of various government projects in the country. The U.S. Department of Treasury allows individuals and organizations to invest in treasury notes, bills, and bonds, which are the main three types of securities. Just under half of the outstanding ** trillion U.S. dollars as of May 2024 were in the form of treasury notes. The notes have varying maturities and coupon payment frequencies, which are different from the maturity periods of treasury bills and bonds. Main foreign holders of U.S. treasury securities Foreign holdings of U.S. treasury debt amounted to ***** trillion U.S. dollars as of January 2024. Japan and China held the largest portions, with China possessing ***** billion U.S. dollars in U.S. securities. Additionally, other significant foreign holders included oil exporting countries and Caribbean banking centers.

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.

United States Treasury Securities: Public Debt (PD) data was reported at 21,089.900 USD bn in Mar 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 20,492.700 USD bn for Dec 2017. United States Treasury Securities: Public Debt (PD) data is updated quarterly, averaging 6,783.200 USD bn from Mar 1989 (Median) to Mar 2018, with 117 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21,089.900 USD bn in Mar 2018 and a record low of 2,740.900 USD bn in Mar 1989. United States Treasury Securities: Public Debt (PD) data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of the Fiscal Service. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.Z052: Ownership of Treasury Securities.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt Held by Private Investors (FDHBPIN) from Q1 1970 to Q2 2025 about debt, federal, private, and USA.

United States Federal Debt: PDS: Intragovernmental Holdings data was reported at 5,805.776 USD bn in Nov 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5,859.040 USD bn for Oct 2018. United States Federal Debt: PDS: Intragovernmental Holdings data is updated monthly, averaging 3,779.178 USD bn from Jan 1995 (Median) to Nov 2018, with 287 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,859.040 USD bn in Oct 2018 and a record low of 1,254.674 USD bn in Mar 1995. United States Federal Debt: PDS: Intragovernmental Holdings data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of the Fiscal Service. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.F004: Federal Debt.

This table represents fiscal year-to-date activity for the Federal Debt Managed by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service separated by Held by the Public and Intragovernmental Debt Holdings totaled by Principal, Accrued Interest Payable, and Net Unamortized Premiums/Discounts. All figures are rounded to the nearest million.

This table represents monthly activity for the Federal Debt Managed by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service separated by Held by the Public and Intragovernmental Debt Holdings totaled by Principal, Accrued Interest Payable, and Net Unamortized Premiums/Discounts. All figures are rounded to the nearest million.

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DAY ~11,000 (April 1st, 1993 to Present-Day)

This is a dataset that tracks several figures regarding US debt (to the penny) since 1993.

All data are official figures from the U.S. Treasury that have been compiled and structured by myself. Dates on the weekend (Saturday and Sunday), as well as federal holidays, are excluded from the debt tracker because the Treasury's fiscal data do not account for those days. Recent political debates in the US over the potential raising of the debt ceiling has inspired me to create this dataset. Personally, I believe that the issue will continue to dominate political discourse due to the increasing polarization between Democrats and Republicans.

Data Sources

The primary data source used was the U.S. Treasury's official website, which publishes fiscal data pertaining to the American government. Considering the meticulous documentation of federal spending by the Treasury, no other authority is more equipped to provide insight on US debt.

1. U.S. Treasury's FiscalData Website - The United States Department of the Treasury published daily updates on the national debt since April 1st, 1993. However, intragovernmental holdings and total public debt outstanding have only been accounted for at the end of each fiscal year since 1997. Daily updates for those two statistics officially began since March 31st, 2005.
2. U.S. Treasury's Finance Guide to the National Debt - The United States Department of the Treasury released a detailed overview of the national debt and how it operates in conjunction with American society. The guide mainly provided essential contextual knowledge needed to create a meaningful dataset.

Statistics Being Tracked

• Debt Held by the Public
• Intragovernmental Holdings
• Total Public Debt Outstanding

Dataset History

2023-02-17 - Dataset is created (10,914 days after temporal coverage start date).

GitHub Repository - The same data but on GitHub.

Code Starter

Link to Notebook Important: Each new record is accumulated data from previous days.

Daily activity of federal debt. The data is broken out by Held by the Public and Intragovernmental Debt Holdings amounts.

The Daily Activity Table provides daily changes in federal debt. The data notes whether the debt is debt held by the public or intragovernmental holdings. These two categories are further broken down into borrowing, repayment, interest, unamortized, and amortization amounts.

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.

United States Federal Securities: Public Debt Securities (PD) data was reported at 21,195.070 USD bn in Jun 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 21,145.215 USD bn for May 2018. United States Federal Securities: Public Debt Securities (PD) data is updated monthly, averaging 8,834.580 USD bn from Jan 1996 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 270 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21,195.070 USD bn in Jun 2018 and a record low of 4,983.247 USD bn in Jan 1996. United States Federal Securities: Public Debt Securities (PD) data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of the Fiscal Service. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.Z051: Ownership of Federal Securities.

In 2024, the U.S. government spent a total of 1.13 trillion U.S. dollars on interest of public debt. Of that, 217 billion U.S. dollars was on interest for debt held by the public. The national debt of the United Stated can be found here.

Sri Lanka Ownership: Foreign Debt: Bilateral: USA data was reported at 28,295.000 LKR mn in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 31,798.000 LKR mn for 2016. Sri Lanka Ownership: Foreign Debt: Bilateral: USA data is updated yearly, averaging 41,927.000 LKR mn from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 58,064.000 LKR mn in 2001 and a record low of 28,295.000 LKR mn in 2017. Sri Lanka Ownership: Foreign Debt: Bilateral: USA data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Finance. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sri Lanka – Table LK.F015: Ownership of Outstanding Foreign Debt.