Visualizing the Major Holders of America’s Debt

What We’re Showing

This graphic illustrates the composition of U.S. debt, broken down by domestic and foreign investors, as well as intragovernmental debt. This data was sourced from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, as of December 2023.

Key Takeaways

• By the end of 2023, U.S. gross debt approached $34 trillion.
• Of this, $27 trillion (79.7%) was public debt borrowed from domestic and foreign investors, while $7 trillion (20.3%) was intragovernmental debt, representing internal government transactions.
• The Federal Reserve System is the largest domestic holder of U.S. public debt, holding $5.24 trillion.