How is the public debt calculated?
Christopher Davis
Updated on February 12, 2026
Debt per person is calculated by dividing the debt outstanding by the population of the United States, as published by the US Census Bureau. The $28 trillion gross federal debt equals debt held by the public plus debt held by federal trust funds and other government accounts.
How much of the US debt is public debt?
78%
Public Debt The public holds over $21 trillion, or almost 78%, of the national debt. 1 Foreign governments hold about a third of the public debt, while the rest is owned by U.S. banks and investors, the Federal Reserve, state and local governments, mutual funds, pensions funds, insurance companies, and savings bonds.
What does the US public debt consist of?
The national debt is simply the net accumulation of the federal government’s annual budget deficits. It is the total amount of money that the U.S. federal government owes to its creditors. To make an analogy, fiscal or budget deficits are the trees, and the national debt is the forest.
What makes up the US debt?
The national debt, also called the sovereign debt, is the sum total of the federal government’s obligations to its creditors, both local and foreign. Two types of debt constitute it: Public debt, owed to foreign or local buyers of Treasury bonds, notes, and other instruments.
How much money does the US owe China 2020?
Major foreign holders of U.S. treasury securities as of March 2020 (in billion U.S. dollars)
| Characteristic | Securities in billion U.S. dollars |
|---|---|
| Japan | 1,240.3 |
| China, Mainland | 1,100.4 |
| United Kingdom | 443.2 |
| Ireland | 309.8 |
How much debt has the US added in 2020?
The U.S. National Debt Has Increased $5.2 Trillion Since Start of 2020. The Senate released its $1.1 trillion infrastructure bill on August 3, and it was met with disapproval by many experts already concerned about adding to the country’s growing national debt.
How much debt has the U.S. added in 2020?
Who does the U.S. owe its debt to?
The United States currently owes China around $1.1 trillion as of 2021. China broke the trillion-dollar mark back in 2011 according to the U.S. Treasury report. However, China does not disclose how much debt the U.S. owes them.
How is the national debt of the United States expressed?
The United States public debt is often expressed as a ratio of public debt to GDP. The ratio of debt to GDP may decrease as a result of a government surplus as well as from growth of GDP and inflation.
How does the US government manage the public debt?
To avoid this burden, governments need to carefully find that sweet spot of public debt. It must be large enough to drive economic growth but small enough to keep interest rates low. The U.S. Treasury Department manages the U.S. debt through its Bureau of the Fiscal Service.
How is the monthly statement of the public debt?
A greater level of detail is provided for marketable Treasury securities than in previous publications of the MSPD. You’ll also find that we’re able to provide current month issued amounts and current month redeemed amounts for most of our nonmarketable Treasury securities.
What are the different types of public debt reports?
Public Debt Reports. Accountability Report – consists of five separate financial statements which account for the outstanding debt recorded by the Bureau of the Public Debt. Bearer and Registered Securities (PDF) – gives the balance of bearer and registered securities for the last month.
