Who Owns the US National Debt? (2024)

FAQs

Who owns the US national debt? ›

Investors in Japan and China hold significant shares of U.S. public debt. Together, as of September 2022, they accounted for nearly $2 trillion, or about 8 percent of DHBP. While China's holdings of U.S. debt have declined over the past decade, Japan has slightly increased their purchases of U.S. Treasury securities.

According to usafacts.org, as of January 2023, Japan owned $1.1 trillion in US Treasuries, making it the largest foreign holder of the national debt. The second-largest holder is China, which owned $859 billion of US debt.

In fact, Treasuries are a logical investment for a country with high foreign currency reserves. China currently holds almost 11.60% of U.S. foreign debt.

Nearly all of that debt – about $31.38 trillion – is subject to the statutory debt limit, leaving just $25 million in unused borrowing capacity. For several years, the nation's debt has been bigger than its gross domestic product, which was $26.13 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2022.

About a third of the debt held by the public is held by foreign holders. Foreign countries hold a total of roughly $7.4 trillion of U.S. debt as of the end of June, the most recent month with available data. Japan is the largest holder with about $1.2 trillion in Treasury securities.

As of January 2023, the five countries owning the most US debt are Japan ($1.1 trillion), China ($859 billion), the United Kingdom ($668 billion), Belgium ($331 billion), and Luxembourg ($318 billion).

Flashpoints that greatly contributed to the debt over the past 50 years include the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic -- the latter two prompting sweeping stimulus measures from Congress that cost trillions of dollars.

The federal government runs a budget deficit whenever its spending exceeds tax collections and other revenue. To make up the difference, the U.S. Treasury sells treasury bills, notes, and bonds. The national debt is the aggregate of the federal government's annual budget deficits, minus the rare surpluses.

How much does Russia owe? About $40 billion US in foreign bonds, about half of that to foreigners. Before the start of the war, Russia had around $640 billion US in foreign currency and gold reserves, much of which was held overseas and is now frozen.

Which country has no debt? ›

Key Takeaways. China invests heavily in U.S. Treasury bonds to keep its export prices lower. China focuses on export-led growth to help generate jobs. To keep its export prices low, China must keep its currency—the renminbi (RMB)—low compared to the U.S. dollar.

U.S. debt, long viewed as ultra-safe

Its debt, long viewed as an ultra-safe asset, is a foundation of global commerce, built on decades of trust in the United States. A default could shatter the $24 trillion market for Treasury debt, cause financial markets to freeze up and ignite an international crisis.

Because Japan exports so many goods to the U.S. and other nations, the country frequently develops an account surplus in dollars - the currency the U.S. and other countries give Japan in exchange for their products.

When adding portfolio debts (including the $1 trillion of U.S. Treasury debt purchased by China's central bank) and trade credits (to buy goods and services), the Chinese government's aggregate claims to the rest of the world exceed $5 trillion in total.

There are a number of methods to reduce the U.S. national debt that go beyond raising taxes and cutting discretionary spending. One of the most controversial is to open the nation's borders to more immigration, kick-starting entrepreneurship and consumption.

United States - Federal Government; Net Worth (IMA), Level was -20997153.00000 Mil. of $ in July of 2022, according to the United States Federal Reserve.

What Do Your Federal Taxes Pay For? Basically, there are three main categories that your tax money pays for: Interest on government debt (5%) Mandatory spending, also known as entitlement spending, which is not subject to regular budget review (70%)

On January 8, 1835, president Andrew Jackson paid off the entire national debt, the only time in U.S. history that has been accomplished.

States With the Least Debt in 2020

Mountain states, such as Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming made the top-10 list, as did upper Midwest states like Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Alaska takes the No. 1 spot, with a tiny debt ratio of only 14.2%.

Has the US never been in debt? ›

Except for about a year during 1835–1836, the United States has continuously had a fluctuating public debt. The national debt has increased under every presidential administration since Herbert Hoover. The United States has raised its debt ceiling at least 90 times in the 20th century.

The United States is the richest country in the world with the highest GDP, as of 2021. China is the second richest country in the world with a $17.734 trillion GDP.

Norway is the country with the highest level of household debt based on OECD data followed by Denmark and the Netherlands.

China owns and controls almost 192,000 acres of farmland right here in the United States. To be clear, it's not a huge percentage of our total farm acreage by any stretch. According to the FDA, there are more than 35 million acres of farmland in the U.S. which are owned by foreign investors.

Fewer than one quarter of American households live debt-free.

The debt limit caps the total amount of allowable outstanding U.S. federal debt. The U.S. hit that limit—$31.4 trillion—on January 19, 2023, but the Department of the Treasury has been undertaking a set of “extraordinary measures” so that the debt limit does not yet bind.

China's $23 Trillion Local Debt Crisis Threatens Xi's Economy - Bloomberg.

In this line, data acquired by Finbold indicates that as of April 12, China's national debt amounted to $14.34 trillion, ranking second globally. This value reflects a year-on-year (YoY) increase of $3.81 trillion, or 36.18%, compared to the $10.53 trillion recorded in 2022.

At the end of 2021, of the 98 countries for whom data was available, Pakistan ($27.4 billion of external debt to China), Angola (22.0 billion), Ethiopia (7.4 billion), Kenya (7.4 billion) and Sri Lanka (7.2 billion) held the biggest debts to China.

How much did the US pay Russia for? ›

On March 30, 1867, the two parties agreed that the United States would pay Russia $7.2 million for the territory of Alaska. For less that 2 cents an acre, the United States acquired nearly 600,000 square miles.

Excessive debt can undermine economic performance when it is followed by transfers that are economically suboptimal. More importantly, these transfers can set off financial distress behavior that undermines subsequent growth, in many cases substantially.

Given that Denmark is ranked the country with the highest household debt,¹ it comes as no surprise that Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, was listed as the 25th most expensive city to live in, in 2020.³ Switzerland's capital, Zurich, ranks as the fourth-most expensive city to live in against 209 others,³ and it's also ...

There are countries such as Jersey and Guernsey which have no national debt, so the pay no interest. All this started with the Napoleonic wars when the government borrowed money to fund the war. Income tax was created to pay the interest ans the capital has just gone on growing and growing.

Treasury bonds, notes and bills are low-risk investments issued by the U.S. government. You can buy them from the government directly, and many buy them through a brokerage, retirement or bank account.

Why the Federal Reserve Owns Treasurys. As the nation's central bank, the Federal Reserve is in charge of the country's credit. It doesn't have a financial reason to own Treasury notes.

1837: Andrew Jackson

This resulted in a huge government surplus of funds. (In 1835, the $17.9 million budget surplus was greater than the total government expenses for that year.) By January of 1835, for the first and only time, all of the government's interest-bearing debt was paid off.

A sovereign default happens when a country's government fails to pay its debt obligations. A sovereign default can have serious economic consequences for the borrowing nation, making it harder and more expensive to borrow money in the future and pay its ongoing obligations.

A default on U.S. debt could trigger a worldwide recession and upend stock markets in addition to wreaking havoc in Americans' financial lives.

Japan formerly had the second-largest assets and wealth, behind only the United States in both categories, until it was surpassed by China in both assets and wealth. Japan also had the world's second-largest economy by nominal GDP behind the United States. In 2010, it was surpassed by China.

What happens if China dumps U.S. bonds? ›

If the China bloc disposes of net foreign assets amounting to more than 20% of GDP by offloading US bloc bonds over 10 years, the IMF finds that the China bloc's domestic interest rates would fall by four basis points.

About 20% of the total debt is held by the Federal Reserve, just over 9% is owed to Social Security, roughly 4% is owed to the military's retirement fund and another 3% is owed to the civil service's retirement and disability fund.

dynamic and g rowing Mexico will be able THE CURRENT DILEMMA Of Mexico's $98 billion foreign debt, nearly $75 billion is owed to commercial banks, with U.S. banks holding about one-third of the IOUs. The rest is owed to other banks worldwide.

China loaned a total of $143 billion to African governments and state-owned enterprises between 2000 and 2017. In 2020, the African countries with the largest Chinese debt were Angola ($25 billion), Ethiopia ($13.5 billion), Zambia ($7.4 billion), the Republic of the Congo ($7.3 billion), and Sudan ($6.4 billion).

India takes the top spot. Its $39.7bn debt towards the WB recorded at the end of 2021 is double that of the next biggest debtor, Indonesia, with $19.6bn.

1783: Raising Taxes to Meet Operating Expenses

Alexander Hamilton rallied for the government to assume some debt and help meet its expenses. He pushed the framers of the new Constitution to establish measures to provide the assurance that the debt would be paid, and thus increase confidence in the growing government.

Economists use the ratio of debt to a nation's gross domestic product as an indicator of a country's financial sustainability. The national debt in the United States is primarily held by the American public, followed by foreign governments, U.S. banks, and investors.

Since the government almost always spends more than it takes in via taxes and other revenue, the national debt continues to rise. To finance federal budget deficits, the U.S. government issues government bonds, known as Treasuries.

China's demand for Treasurys helps keep U.S. interest rates low. It allows the U.S. Treasury to borrow more at low rates. Congress can then increase the federal spending that spurs U.S. economic growth.

On January 8, 1835, president Andrew Jackson paid off the entire national debt, the only time in U.S. history that has been accomplished. However, this and other factors, such as the government giving surplus money to state banks, soon led to the Panic of 1837, in which the government had to resume borrowing money.

What happens if U.S. debt gets too high? ›

Rising debt means fewer economic opportunities for Americans. Rising debt reduces business investment and slows economic growth. It also increases expectations of higher rates of inflation and erosion of confidence in the U.S. dollar.

Norway is the country with the highest level of household debt based on OECD data followed by Denmark and the Netherlands.

For the fourth quarter of 2019, total wealth in the U.S. was $111.04 trillion.

The U.S. debt is the total federal financial obligation owed to the public and intragovernmental departments. The U.S. national debt is so big because Congress continues both deficit spending and tax cuts.

China's outstanding foreign debt, including US dollar debt, reached US$2.29 trillion at the end of September in 2020, up from US$2.13 trillion at the end of June, according to China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

The biggest effect of a broad scale dump of US Treasuries by China would be that China would actually export fewer goods to the United States. Overall, foreign countries each make up a relatively small proportion of U.S. debt-holders.

At the end of 2021, of the 98 countries for whom data was available, Pakistan ($27.4 billion of external debt to China), Angola (22.0 billion), Ethiopia (7.4 billion), Kenya (7.4 billion) and Sri Lanka (7.2 billion) held the biggest debts to China.