Who is going to buy all this US debt? (2024)

FAQs

Who is going to buy all this US debt? ›

The international buying appetite has been falling over the past 10 years (dropping from 40% to the current 30%). The major international owners of US debt include Japan ($1.1T), China, UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Cayman Islands and smaller amounts from the rest of the world.

Foreign holders of United States treasury debt

Of the total held by foreign countries, Japan and Mainland China held the greatest portions, with China holding 797.7 billion U.S. dollars in U.S. securities. Other foreign holders included oil exporting countries and Caribbean banking centers.

Who owns the most U.S. debt? Around 70 percent of U.S. debt is held by domestic financial actors and institutions in the United States. U.S. Treasuries represent a convenient, liquid, low-risk store of value.

The three largest holders of Treasuries -- Japan, China and the UK -- led the purchase U.S. government debt. Japanese investors raised their stash of Treasuries to $1.138 trillion in December, from $1.127 trillion in November, data showed. Their holdings were the largest since August 2022.

If China (or any other nation that has a trade surplus with the U.S.) stops buying U.S. Treasuries or even starts dumping its U.S. forex reserves, its trade surplus would become a trade deficit—something which no export-oriented economy would want, as they would be worse off as a result.

China (Mainland)

China is the U.S.'s second-largest foreign creditor, owing more than $1 trillion of U.S. debt. With 1.4 billion people, the world's second-largest economy and rapid economic growth, mainland China is an undisputed economic powerhouse [source: World Bank].

Nearly half of all US foreign-owned debt comes from five countries. All values are adjusted to 2023 dollars. As of January 2023, the five countries owning the most US debt are Japan ($1.1 trillion), China ($859 billion), the United Kingdom ($668 billion), Belgium ($331 billion), and Luxembourg ($318 billion).

Then there are the countries that owe America money. Even though Japan holds the biggest amount of U.S. debt, the U.S. is also owed a lot of money by them too. Debts and investments are reciprocal relationships. Debts are often created as a natural part of doing international business.

Economists use the ratio of debt to a nation's gross domestic product as an indicator of a country's financial sustainability. The national debt in the United States is primarily held by the American public, followed by foreign governments, U.S. banks, and investors. Treasury.gov.

While Chinese ownership of U.S. land has been a hot topic among lawmakers — even becoming the center of a Montana Senate race this year — China only had a stake in 383,935 acres of U.S. land as of 2021, which is less than 1% of all foreign-held land.

Why is the US in so much debt? ›

One of the main culprits is consistently overspending. When the federal government spends more than its budget, it creates a deficit. In the fiscal year of 2023, it spent about $381 billion more than it collected in revenues. To pay that deficit, the government borrows money.

For all the focus on China, Japan is actually the top holder of U.S. sovereign debt, with a total of $1.1 trillion.

China sold a record $53.3 billion worth of Treasurys and agency bonds in the first-quarter, Bloomberg reported. It previously unloaded US debt to prop up its yuan, which has again grown weak against a rallying dollar. The country is piling into gold, which now makes up the highest share of its reserves since 2015.

If China called in all of its U.S. holdings, the U.S. dollar would depreciate, whereas the yuan would appreciate, making Chinese goods more expensive.

Economists use the ratio of debt to a nation's gross domestic product as an indicator of a country's financial sustainability. The national debt in the United States is primarily held by the American public, followed by foreign governments, U.S. banks, and investors. Treasury.gov.

The federal government borrows money from the public by issuing securities—bills, notes, and bonds—through the Treasury. Treasury securities are attractive to investors because they are: Backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.

According to the US Treasury, Russian ownership of US Treasuries was $2.1 Billion in Nov 2022.

When the federal government spends more than its budget, it creates a deficit. In the fiscal year of 2023, it spent about $381 billion more than it collected in revenues. To pay that deficit, the government borrows money. That can happen by selling marketable securities like treasury bonds.