Foreign Holders Own $5.6569 Trillion in US Debt
Another month, another record high when it comes to foreign holdings of US debt.
According to the US Treasury Department, foreign holdings of US debt totalled $5.6569 trillion in February of 2013, up from $5.643 trillion the month before. Over the past 12 months, foreign holdings of US debt have risen from $5.0152 trillion to $5.6569 trillion. Given that the United States continues to post massive deficits, it shouldn't surprise you to hear that the amount of debt held by foreign governments and investors has continued to increase. After all, somebody has to buy all of this debt that is being issued.

The next nine largest foreign holders of US debt as of February 2013 were:
Japan, $1.0971 trillion
Caribbean Banking Centers, $286.7 billion
Brazil, $260.0 billion
Oil Exporters, $257.2 billion
Taiwan, $188.2 billion
Switzerland, $185.8 billion
Belgium, $184.9 billion
Russia, $162.1 billion
Hong Kong, $143.2 billion
Source: Top Foreign Holders of US Debt