Who owns the US national debt?
At the end of July 2026 the federal debt was $39.8 trillion. Other U.S. investors (banks, mutual funds, pension funds, state and local governments and people) held $18.3 trillion, 46%. Foreign investors held $9.2 trillion (23%), federal trust funds such as Social Security's held $7.7 trillion (19%), and the Federal Reserve $4.5 trillion (11%). Foreign holdings are Treasury's TIC estimate, partly at market value, and the U.S. share is what's left after the others, so the split is approximate.
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are in the table below.
The value axis starts at zero. Hover, tap or use the arrow keys to read exact values.
Source and date
- Data as of
- Published
Citation
Chartly. “Who owns the US national debt?” Chart. Data: U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data, Debt to the Penny; U.S. Treasury, TIC Major Foreign Holders of Treasury Securities; Federal Reserve Bank of New York, SOMA Holdings, https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/datasets/debt-to-the-penny/ (data as of July 31, 2026). https://chart.ly/charts/who-owns-the-us-debt (accessed September 26, 2026).
Free for your article, blog or class page: paste this code where the chart should go. It shows the interactive chart with its source and a small “Chart by Chartly” credit, and stays up to date when the data changes.
The data
Download data (CSV)The file has the numbers in this table, with the source, license and date. Please credit the source and Chartly.
| Owner | Debt held in US dollars |
|---|---|
| Other U.S. investors | 18,278,109,342,895 |
| Foreign investors | 9,248,100,000,000 |
| Federal trust funds | 7,725,753,468,003 |
| Federal Reserve | 4,519,654,351,569 |
More Federal budget charts
-
When will Social Security's trust funds run out?
The 2026 Trustees Report projects that Social Security's combined trust funds will run out in 2034. Their reserves peaked at $2.9 trillion in 2020 and were $...
Source: Social Security Administration, 2026 OASDI Trustees Report, Table VI.G2 (combined OASI and DI Trust Funds, intermediate assumptions) · Data as of Dec 31, 2025
-
How much US debt does the Federal Reserve own?
The Federal Reserve held $4.6 trillion of Treasury securities on September 23, 2026, down from a peak of $5.8 trillion in May 2022. Its holdings jumped when ...
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, System Open Market Account (SOMA) Holdings · Data as of Sep 23, 2026
-
How much US debt does Japan own?
Japan held $1.10 trillion of U.S. Treasury securities in July 2026, the most of any country, up from $326 billion in March 2000. Its holdings peaked at $1.33...
Source: U.S. Treasury, Treasury International Capital (TIC) System, Major Foreign Holders of Treasury Securities · Data as of Jul 31, 2026
-
How much US debt does China own?
Mainland China held $618 billion of U.S. Treasury securities in July 2026, less than half its peak of $1.32 trillion in November 2013 and about where it was ...
Source: U.S. Treasury, Treasury International Capital (TIC) System, Major Foreign Holders of Treasury Securities · Data as of Jul 31, 2026