Chart assignment

Charts to read and discuss

Read each chart, then answer its questions. Every chart shows its source and date; open it for a table of the numbers and the data to download.

  1. Which countries own the most US debt?

Chart 1 of 1 · Federal budget

Which countries own the most US debt?

The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are on the chart's page.

In August 2026 Japan held $1.07 trillion of U.S. Treasury securities, the most of any country, followed by United Kingdom ($1.01 trillion) and China, Mainland ($591 billion). Holdings are counted where the securities are kept, so financial centers such as Belgium, Luxembourg and the Cayman Islands rank high partly because they hold them for owners elsewhere. Treasury lists its 20 largest holders.

Questions to discuss

  1. In one sentence of your own, what does this chart show?
  2. Find the biggest change or difference in the chart. What might explain it?
  3. Who collected these numbers, and how recent are they? What else would you want to know before drawing a conclusion?

Source: U.S. Treasury, Treasury International Capital (TIC) System, Major Foreign Holders of Treasury Securities (Public domain (U.S. government work)) · Data as of Aug 31, 2026

Open the chart and its numbers

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