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.

China continues to be the single largest foreign holder of US debt, as they reportedly owned $1.2229 trillion as of the end of February. Over the past 12 months, China has added roughly $70 billion in US debt to their portfolio of holdings.

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