What is the biggest debt in us?
Total Balance (2023, Q4)
Consumers in the United States had over 16 trillion dollars in debt as of the third quarter of 2023. The majority of that debt were home mortgages, amounting to approximately 11.4 trillion U.S. dollars. Student and car loans were the second and third largest component of household debt.
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).
- Credit cards (28%)
- Car loans (12%)
- Medical debt (7%)
- Home equity loans / lines of credit (6%)
- Personal education loans (5%)
- Educational expenses for children or family members (3%)
Tax cuts, stimulus programs, increased government spending, and decreased tax revenue caused by widespread unemployment generally account for sharp rises in the national debt. Visit the Historical Debt Outstanding dataset to explore and download this data.
- Japan. $1,098.2. 14.52%
- China. $769.6. 10.17%
- United Kingdom. $693. 9.16%
- Luxembourg. $345.4. 4.57%
- Cayman Islands. $323.8. 4.28%
The least indebted state is Oklahoma, according to the report, followed by Iowa and a tie for third with New Hampshire and Nebraska. The fifth best state in the category is Ohio. The next five best states, from best to worst, are Wyoming, Indiana, and Wisconsin, with Vermont and South Dakota tied in their ranking.
Intragovernmental debt accounts for 26 percent or $5.9 trillion. The public includes foreign investors and foreign governments. These two groups account for 30 percent of the debt. Individual investors and banks represent 15 percent of the debt.
China owes the United States $1.3 trillion, which is the most debt out of all the countries that are its debtors. Japan was the primary debt holder until 2008, but now comes in second place, with $1.2 trillion. Other countries with outstanding U.S. debt include Russia, India and South Korea.
The major international owners of US debt include Japan ($1.1T), China, UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Cayman Islands and smaller amounts from the rest of the world. After the recent weak treasury auction, US government officials warned that they are seeing waning demand from international buyers.
Why is the US in so much debt?
Years of elevated budget deficits, exacerbated by massive federal spending during the COVID-19 pandemic, have taken the debt to historic levels: totaling more than $26 trillion in 2023, U.S. federal government debt is now at its highest percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) since World War II.
Around 23% of Americans are debt free, according to the most recent data available from the Federal Reserve. That figure factors in every type of debt, from credit card balances and student loans to mortgages, car loans and more.
- 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.
We estimate that the U.S. debt held by the public cannot exceed about 200 percent of GDP even under today's generally favorable market conditions.
The financial position of the United States includes assets of at least $269 trillion (1576% of GDP) and debts of $145.8 trillion (852% of GDP) to produce a net worth of at least $123.8 trillion (723% of GDP).
Russia National Government Debt reached 287.8 USD bn in Jan 2024, compared with 285.4 USD bn in the previous month.
US Treasurys Owned by China, in USD Billions
As of Oct. 2022, China owns $769.6 billion of the total $7,565 billion U.S. national debt.
| Country/Region | Per capita US dollars | External debt USD Million |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 98,094 | 32.9 trillion |
| United Kingdom | 46,754 | 3.24 trillion |
| Japan | 34,832 | 4.34 trillion |
| Netherlands | 215,569 | 3.79 trillion |
In 2023, aggregate local government debt had risen to 92 trillion yuan ($12.58 trillion) and the central government of People's Republic of China ordered its banks to roll over debts in a debt-restructuring. China's gross external debt in 2023 was $2.38 trillion.
Switzerland is a country that, in practically all economic and social metrics, is an example to follow. With a population of almost 9 million people, Switzerland has no natural resources of its own, no access to the sea, and virtually no public debt.
What is the average credit card balance in the US?
Credit card debt in America by the numbers
In short, that amounts to an average balance of $5,733 per cardholder. Eye-watering, to say the least–and the fact that many of us carry no balances makes this statistical average even more alarming.
Confronted with soaring grocery bills, car prices and credit card rates, American debt levels jumped 7.65% in 2022, according to a study released earlier this year. When it comes to the highest average consumer debt, Atlanta comes in first at $45,891.
On January 8, 1835, President Andrew Jackson achieves his goal of entirely paying off the United States' national debt. It was the only time in U.S. history that the national debt stood at zero, and it precipitated one of the worst financial crises in American history.
Debt as a share of GDP has risen to about the same level as in the United States, while in dollar terms China's total debt ($47.5 trillion) is still markedly below that of the United States (close to $70 trillion). As for non-financial corporate debt, China's 28 percent share is the largest in the world.
The dollar is a global reserve currency and U.S. bonds are seen as one of the most stable investments on the planet. So if the U.S. cannot pay its creditors, interest rates on U.S. debt would go up, creating a cascade of higher interest rates. So mortgage rates, credit card rates, car loan rates.
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