Data • By Topic • Government Finances

Debt

The national debt is the grand total of money the government owes, either to investors or to itself.

Obligations and National Debt

Debt ceiling

$19.81 trillion

2017

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Total federal, state, and local government debt held by public

Total federal, state, and local government debt held by public

Total federal, state, and local government debt held by public

$19.18 trillion

2019

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Total government debt as percent of GDP

Total government debt as percent of GDP

Total government debt as percent of GDP

88.27%

2019

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Federal debt held by public as percent of GDP

Federal debt held by public as percent of GDP

Federal debt held by public as percent of GDP

79.11%

2019

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Percent of federal debt held by public that is foreign-owned

Percent of federal debt held by public that is foreign-owned

Percent of federal debt held by public that is foreign-owned

39.44%

2019

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State and local debt in municipal securities

State and local debt in municipal securities

State and local debt in municipal securities

$3.06 trillion

2019

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State and local debt as percent of GDP

State and local debt as percent of GDP

State and local debt as percent of GDP

14.1%

2019

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