The Federal Reserve System was the largest domestic holder of U.S. public debt, with holdings of $5.24 trillion. Debt held by the public represents the amount borrowed by the U.S. Treasury from external lenders via financial markets to fund government operations.
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.
Countries may not default on their sovereign debt. Yet China has done just that on $1 trillion it owes to U.S. bondholders. No other country has been permitted to continuously get away with defaulting on its sovereign debt while maintaining access to U.S. capital markets.
Consequences of Owing Debt to the Chinese
The U.S. dollar would depreciate and the yuan would appreciate if China called in all its U.S. holdings, making Chinese goods more expensive.
Of course, just as with an individual or family, cutting spending and increasing revenue are smart first steps. Beyond that, the government considers things like new taxes, a higher retirement age, removing loopholes from the tax code, and more to reduce annual deficits and the national debt.
Which country owes the most debt to China? Pakistan owes the most debt to China, totaling $26.6 billion. This debt primarily funds infrastructure and energy projects, making repayment particularly challenging due to commercial interest rates. How much debt does Angola owe to China?
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.
Today, our deficits are caused mainly by predictable structural factors: our aging baby-boom generation, rising healthcare costs, and a tax system that does not bring in enough money to pay for what the government has promised its citizens. And the more we borrow, the more we pay in interest on that debt.
1837: Andrew Jackson
(In 1835, the $17.9 million budget surplus was greater than the total government expenses for that year.) By January of 1835, for the first and only time, all of the government's interest-bearing debt was paid off.
In terms of raw dollars, the country with the highest debt in the world is unquestionably the United States, whose national debt is more than twice that of any other country.
Japan and China have been the largest foreign holders of US debt for the last two decades. From 2000 to 2023, annual totals are based on data from December, while the 2024 data is updated through April. Inflation adjusted to the 2023 calendar year.
Under current policy, the United States has about 20 years for corrective action after which no amount of future tax increases or spending cuts could avoid the government defaulting on its debt whether explicitly or implicitly (i.e., debt monetization producing significant inflation).
America owes China about $1 trillion dollars. Until we balance the US budget and pay down our debt, China's ownership of 7 percent of the national debt will continue to give it a vested interest in America's prosperity, not leverage to do us harm.
Federal debt is on an unsustainable path
There is a fundamental imbalance between spending and revenues that will continue to grow in future years. CBO anticipates that federal spending will rise from 23.1 percent of GDP in 2024 to 27.3 percent in 2054, according to the agency's most recent long-term projections.
China owns 384,000 acres of American agricultural land. That's a 30% increase just since 2019. And on top of that, they own land near an air force base in North Dakota.
Federal Borrowing
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.
China pulled the US out of the 2008 financial crisis, a Chinese expert said on Thursday, saying that China's opening-up is win-win. "China made the largest contribution for the US to recover from the financial crisis over the past 10 years.
Yes, foreigners can own land in China, including American citizens. However, certain requirements need to be met, including studying or working in China for at least one year on a residence permit.
Answer: China is the world's most prosperous country. It just surpassed the United States as the world's most prosperous country. Answer: China, the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, Mexico, and Sweden are the world's wealthiest countries, according to McKinsey & Co.