How Much Is the National Debt? What are the Different Measures Used? (2024)

FAQs

How Much Is the National Debt? What are the Different Measures Used? ›

In dollar terms, debt held by the public at the end of 2023 was $26.3 trillion. Such debt is issued in a range of maturities, from 1-month bills to 30-year bonds. It also includes securities not traded in secondary markets, such as savings bonds and state and local government securities.

The national debt of a country represents the sum of past annual deficits and the total that it owes its creditors. Economists use the ratio of debt to a nation's gross domestic product as an indicator of a country's financial sustainability.

A company's debt ratio can be calculated by dividing total debt by total assets. A debt ratio of greater than 1.0 or 100% means a company has more debt than assets while a debt ratio of less than 100% indicates that a company has more assets than debt.

There are two components of gross national debt: "Debt held by the public" – such as Treasury securities held by investors outside the federal government, including those held by individuals, corporations, the Federal Reserve, and foreign, state and local governments.

The $34 trillion gross federal debt includes debt held by the public as well as debt held by federal trust funds and other government accounts. In very basic terms, this can be thought of as debt that the government owes to others plus debt that it owes to itself.

It's calculated by adding together your current and long-term liabilities. Knowing your total debt can help you calculate other important metrics like net debt and debt-to-EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) ratio, which indicates a company's ability to pay off its debt.

Tax hikes alone are rarely enough to stimulate the economy and pay down debt. Governments often issue debt in the form of bonds to raise money. Spending cuts and tax hikes combined have helped lower the deficit. Bailouts and debt defaults have disadvantages but can help a government solve a debt problem.

Nearly half of all US foreign-owned debt comes from five countries. All values are adjusted to 2023 dollars. 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).

The National Debt Explained

money from federal income tax), a budget deficit results. To pay for this deficit, the federal government borrows money by selling marketable securities such as Treasury bonds , bills , notes , floating rate notes , and Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) .

Why is U.S. debt so high? ›

It began rising at a fast rate in the 1980's and was accelerated through events like the Iraq Wars and the 2008 Great Recession. Most recently, the debt made another big jump thanks to the pandemic with the federal government spending significantly more than it took in to keep the country running.

Federal Borrowing

The federal government borrows money from the public by issuing securities—bills, notes, and bonds—through the Treasury. Treasury securities are attractive to investors because they are: Backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. Offered in a wide range of maturities.

The U.S. has experienced a fiscal year-end budget surplus five times in the last 50 years, most recently in 2001. When there is no deficit or surplus due to spending and revenue being equal, the budget is considered balanced .

The national debt is the amount of money the federal government has borrowed to cover the outstanding balance of expenses incurred over time.

The national debt is measured by adding together the amount of money the government borrowed in all years up to that time, minus what has been repaid. It is the total of all budget deficits and budget surpluses.

There are two kinds of national debt: intragovernmental and public. Intragovernmental is debt held by the Federal Reserve and Social Security and other government agencies. Public debt is held by the public: individual investors, institutions, foreign governments.

One of the main culprits is consistently overspending. When the federal government spends more than its budget, it creates a deficit. In the fiscal year of 2023, it spent about $381 billion more than it collected in revenues. To pay that deficit, the government borrows money.