Who Owns All that Debt? At the end of 2023, the nation's gross debt had reached nearly $34 trillion. Of that amount, about $27 trillion, or 79 percent, was debt held by the public — representing cash borrowed from domestic and foreign investors.
China owns a large amount of U.S. debt but it isn't the United States's largest creditor. The greatest amount of U.S. debt is owned by the U.S. government. The largest foreign creditor is Japan. China owns around 2.6% of U.S. debt which it buys because the Chinese yuan is pegged to the dollar.
Since the U.S. dollar has a variable exchange rate, however, any sale by any nation holding huge U.S. debt or dollar reserves will trigger the adjustment of the trade balance at the international level. The offloaded U.S. reserves by China will either end up with another nation or will return to the U.S.
For all the focus on China, Japan is actually the top holder of U.S. sovereign debt, with a total of $1.1 trillion.
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?
On the other hand, Mexico holds about $34B of US debt. So if we were to make a balance, Mexico owes the US $134B, more or less, or about 8% of what it makes in a year.
Both China and the U.S. are among the countries with the highest debt-to-GDP ratios. In the Asia-Pacific region, Japan leads the pack with the highest debt-to-GDP ratio at an astonishing 251.9%.
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.
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.
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.
Public debt, which accounts for roughly 80% of the total, is owed to investors. Those investors include foreign governments, mutual funds, pension funds, and individuals among others. The Federal Reserve owns part of this public debt. Intragovernmental debt accounts for the other 20%.
The financial position of the United States includes assets of at least $269 trillion (1576% of GDP) and debts of $145.8 trillion (852% of GDP) to produce a net worth of at least $123.8 trillion (723% of GDP).
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.
The U.S. government paid Mexico $15 million "in consideration of the extension acquired by the boundaries of the United States" and agreed to pay American citizens debts owed to them by the Mexican government.
Russia National Government Debt reached 253.4 USD bn in Nov 2024, compared with 274.8 USD bn in the previous month. Russia National Government Debt data is updated monthly, available from May 2009 to Nov 2024. The data reached an all-time high of 384.2 USD bn in Jun 2022 and a record low of 86.1 USD bn in May 2009.
The best example can be taken from Hong Kong (it is a one of the debt free countries), whose economy has the least debt to GDP ratio. It is an almost debt free country. It has a well-regulated financial system and large foreign reserves.
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.
Key information about Russia External Debt
Russia External Debt reached 309.1 USD bn in Sep 2024, compared with 315.2 USD bn in the previous quarter. Russia External Debt: USD mn data is updated quarterly, available from Dec 2000 to Sep 2024.
India takes the top spot. The world's most populous country owed $38.3bn to the WB at the end of 2022, down by almost $1.5bn from a year earlier. India's outstanding balance is almost double that of the next biggest debtor, Indonesia, with $20.6bn.
First, as discussed by authors such as Hall and Sargent (2011) and Eichengreen and Esteves (2022), the U.S. actually paid off part of the World War II debt by running primary surpluses—by levying taxes in excess of current government spending—over much of the period when the debt/GDP ratio was falling.
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.