Who owns us debt

When the bonds mature, meaning they reach their expiry date, their owner gets paid back in full. The fact that China owns a lot of US debt makes sense. It has a massive trade surplus with Washington, meaning it exports more to the US than it imports from the US.

So it can use its reserve of US dollars to buy Treasurys. China can also use its foreign exchange reserves to influence the value of its currency. Yes, that is a lot—the most in the world , in nominal terms. Most of it is owned by domestic actors, either consumers, banks, or institutions like the Federal Reserve.

First, it could sell its Treasurys. China could also let its US Treasurys mature and not renew them. But the US constantly issues new bonds before the old ones mature to refinance its debt. Please contact us to get started with full access to dossiers, forecasts, studies and international data. Skip to main content Try our corporate solution for free!

Single Accounts Corporate Solutions Universities. As of June , Japan held United States treasury securities totaling about 1. Department of the Treasury, foreign countries held a total of 7.

Of the total 7. China held 1. Japan held 1. Other foreign holders included oil exporting countries and Caribbean banking centers. In , the United States had a total public national debt of In , the total interest expense on debt held by the public of the United States reached billion U. Total outlays of the U. By , spending will reach 5. Loading statistic Show source. Download for free You need to log in to download this statistic Register for free Already a member?

Log in. Show detailed source information? Register for free Already a member? More information. This means U. Hilarey is an associate editorial director for The Balance and has held full-time and freelance roles at a variety of financial media companies including realtor.

Department of the Treasury. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Accessed Oct. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Congressional Research Service. Securities: Implications for the U. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile.

Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. US Economy Fiscal Policy. Part of. Table of Contents Expand. Table of Contents. Why the Federal Reserve Owns Treasurys. Current Foreign Ownership of U. By Kimberly Amadeo.