United States National Debt
The Treasury's latest official figure for the federal debt, a running estimate from that figure, and what the debt means for the economy
01Debt Composition
| Category | Amount | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Debt Held by the Public | $32,765,175,912,226 | 80.8% |
| Intragovernmental Holdings | $7,785,054,135,384 | 19.2% |
| Total U.S. National Debt | $40,550,230,047,609 | 100% |
Who owns the public debt?
The debt held by the public is owned by mutual funds, pension funds, foreign governments, foreign investors, American investors, the Federal Reserve, insurance companies, and other entities. As of August 2026, approximately 28.8% ($9.33 trillion) of it is owned by foreign entities. Measured against the total national debt rather than just the portion held by the public, that share is 23.2%. Both shares compare the Treasury International Capital holdings with the debt on August 31, 2026, so they use the same date and not the newer debt figure at the top of the page.
02Top 10 Foreign Holders of U.S. Debt
As of August 2026 (Source: Treasury International Capital Data, released October 16, 2026)
| Rank | Country | Holdings (Billions USD) | % of Foreign Debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | $1,068.3 | 11.4% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | $1,009.5 | 10.8% |
| 3 | China | $590.7 | 6.3% |
| 4 | Belgium | $490.5 | 5.3% |
| 5 | Canada | $464.6 | 5.0% |
| 6 | Cayman Islands | $463.0 | 5.0% |
| 7 | Luxembourg | $448.2 | 4.8% |
| 8 | France | $363.4 | 3.9% |
| 9 | Ireland | $352.1 | 3.8% |
| 10 | Taiwan | $298.4 | 3.2% |
03Historical Debt Growth
Growth of U.S. National Debt Since 1969
Total national debt in trillions of dollars at fiscal year-end, from the table below; 2026 is the current figure. Source: U.S. Treasury, Historical Debt Outstanding.
| Year | Total National Debt | Change from Previous Period |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Current) | $40,550,230,047,609 | +$13.60T (6 years) |
| 2020 | $26,945,391,194,615 | +$8.79T (5 years) |
| 2015 | $18,150,617,666,484 | +$4.59T (5 years) |
| 2010 | $13,561,623,030,891 | +$6.18T (6 years) |
| 2004 | $7,379,000,000,000 | +$1.72T (5 years) |
| 1999 | $5,656,000,000,000 | +$963B (5 years) |
| 1994 | $4,693,000,000,000 | +$1.84T (5 years) |
| 1989 | $2,857,000,000,000 | +$1.29T (5 years) |
| 1984 | $1,572,000,000,000 | +$745B (5 years) |
| 1979 | $827,000,000,000 | +$352B (5 years) |
| 1974 | $475,000,000,000 | +$121B (5 years) |
| 1969 | $354,000,000,000 | +$38B (5 years) |
04Key Interest Payment Information
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Interest Payments (FY 2025) | $970 Billion | Up 158% from FY 2019 |
| Net Interest (FY 2026, full year) | $1.052 Trillion | Up $81B (8%) from FY 2025 (Monthly Treasury Statement, September 2026) |
| Interest as % of GDP | 3.2% | Nearly double pre-COVID levels |
| Net Interest Share of Outlays (FY 2026) | 14.2% | $1.052T of $7.396T in total outlays (Monthly Treasury Statement, September 2026) |
| Interest Paid to Trust Funds (12 months) | $251.8 Billion | $21.0B per month average |
05Frequently Asked Questions
How much money does the United States owe China?
As of August 2026: $590.7 billion (down 4.4% from July 2026)
How much money does the United States owe Japan?
As of August 2026: $1.068 trillion (down 3.2% from July 2026, still the largest foreign holder)
How much money does the United States owe the United Kingdom?
As of August 2026: $1.010 trillion (up 1.1% from July 2026, the second largest holder)
How much money does the United States owe Canada?
As of August 2026: $464.6 billion (up 9.0% from July 2026, the biggest rise of any top ten holder)
How much money does the United States owe Russia?
As of July 2026: about $22 million in long-term Treasury securities (TIC data via FRED), down from about $96 billion in early 2018. Russia no longer appears in the Treasury's Major Foreign Holders table.
Corrections and Updates
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| October 25, 2026 | Foreign-ownership shares now compare August 2026 TIC holdings with the August 31, 2026 debt (about 28.8% of debt held by the public, 23.2% of total) instead of the newer debt total; the counter is labelled a model estimate; per-taxpayer relabelled per income-tax return with tax owed and per-citizen relabelled per resident. |
| October 24, 2026 | Headline date now shows the Treasury record date, the 2010 and 2020 history rows are fiscal year-end totals, the chart caption says since 1969, and the Russia FAQ gives the TIC figure. |
Every correction to a published figure on this site is logged on Sources and Methods.
Cite This Page
This page is free to cite and link. Its figures come from U.S. Treasury, Debt to the Penny (Fiscal Data) and are kept current, so please include the date you accessed it.
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|---|---|---|
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Source data: U.S. Treasury, Debt to the Penny (Fiscal Data). Updates: Daily. Page last updated October 31, 2026. How we build our data pages.