US National Debt Dashboard

    U.S. total public debt outstanding, debt held by the public, intragovernmental holdings, the debt-to-GDP ratio, and deficit trends overlaid with enacted appropriations.

    Treasury
    FRED
    Congress
    Updated 2026-07-16

    About this data

    Federal debt outstanding is the running total of all Treasury securities issued and not yet redeemed — the definitive stock measure of US government obligations. The series here draws from the Treasury Fiscal Data API, broken into debt held by the public (what the government actually owes outside itself) and intragovernmental holdings (what the Social Security and Medicare trust funds have loaned back to the general fund). Debt-to-GDP pairs the stock against the economy's capacity to service it, the single most-cited indicator in sovereign fiscal analysis.

    National debt — headline figures

    Total Public Debt
    Treasury
    $39.52T
    As of Jul 16, 2026
    Held by Public
    Treasury
    $31.82T
    80.5% of total
    Intragovernmental
    Treasury
    $7.70T
    19.5% of total
    Debt to GDP Ratio
    FRED
    122.6%
    1 2026
    Date range

    Total Public Debt Outstanding

    Apr 08Apr 11Mar 14Mar 17Mar 20Apr 23Jul 26$0$10.00T$20.00T$30.00T$40.00T
    • Total Debt
    • Held by Public

    Debt to GDP Ratio

    Jul 07Jul 10Jul 13Jul 16Jul 19Jul 22Jan 260%35%70%105%140%

    Deficit, Debt-to-GDP & Appropriations

    Federal surplus/deficit and debt-to-GDP ratio overlaid with receipts, outlays, and enacted appropriations

    Recent Daily Debt Figures

    DateTotal DebtHeld by PublicIntragov.
    Jul 16, 2026$39.52T$31.82T$7.70T
    Jul 15, 2026$39.49T$31.79T$7.70T
    Jul 14, 2026$39.47T$31.75T$7.72T
    Jul 13, 2026$39.42T$31.71T$7.71T
    Jul 10, 2026$39.41T$31.71T$7.71T
    Jul 9, 2026$39.41T$31.71T$7.70T
    Jul 8, 2026$39.39T$31.70T$7.70T
    Jul 7, 2026$39.41T$31.70T$7.72T
    Jul 6, 2026$39.39T$31.68T$7.71T
    Jul 3, 2026$39.38T$31.68T$7.70T
    Jul 2, 2026$39.38T$31.68T$7.70T
    Jul 1, 2026$39.39T$31.68T$7.71T
    Jun 30, 2026$39.46T$31.68T$7.78T
    Jun 29, 2026$39.35T$31.62T$7.72T
    Jun 26, 2026$39.34T$31.62T$7.72T
    Jun 25, 2026$39.31T$31.59T$7.72T
    Jun 24, 2026$39.32T$31.61T$7.71T
    Jun 23, 2026$39.32T$31.61T$7.71T
    Jun 22, 2026$39.32T$31.63T$7.70T
    Jun 18, 2026$39.31T$31.61T$7.69T
    Jun 17, 2026$39.28T$31.64T$7.64T
    Jun 16, 2026$39.29T$31.64T$7.65T
    Jun 15, 2026$39.29T$31.66T$7.63T
    Jun 12, 2026$39.21T$31.58T$7.63T
    Jun 11, 2026$39.22T$31.59T$7.63T
    Jun 10, 2026$39.21T$31.59T$7.62T
    Jun 9, 2026$39.24T$31.60T$7.65T
    Jun 8, 2026$39.23T$31.60T$7.63T
    Jun 5, 2026$39.22T$31.60T$7.62T
    Jun 4, 2026$39.23T$31.61T$7.62T

    Key Terms

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the current US national debt?

    The U.S. national debt is the total amount the federal government owes its bondholders and itself. The Treasury publishes the exact figure daily in its 'Debt to the Penny' report. Gross federal debt has exceeded $33 trillion since late 2023, a combination of debt held by the public and intragovernmental holdings.

    What's the difference between debt held by the public and intragovernmental holdings?

    Debt held by the public is the portion of federal debt owed to investors outside the U.S. government — banks, mutual funds, pension funds, foreign central banks, and the Federal Reserve. Intragovernmental holdings are Treasury securities held by federal trust funds like Social Security and Medicare. Economists focus on debt held by the public because it represents actual borrowing from the real economy.

    What is the debt-to-GDP ratio and why does it matter?

    The debt-to-GDP ratio expresses federal debt as a percentage of annual economic output. It's the standard measure of a government's debt burden relative to its economy. U.S. debt-to-GDP has crossed 100% since 2020, the highest level since World War II. There's no universal 'safe' threshold — what matters is the trajectory and the country's fiscal credibility.

    How fast is the US national debt growing?

    Federal debt grows every year that the government runs a deficit — which has happened every year since 2001. Debt crossed $10 trillion in 2008, $20 trillion in 2017, and $30 trillion in 2022. The COVID-19 response and persistent annual deficits have accelerated growth since 2020.

    Who owns the US national debt?

    Roughly 22% is held by federal trust funds (Social Security, Medicare, etc.). Of the remainder, the Federal Reserve holds about 15%, foreign investors hold about 30% (Japan and China are the largest foreign holders), and the rest is held by U.S. mutual funds, pension funds, banks, state and local governments, and individual investors.

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