Which country has the most sovereign debt?
At the top is Japan, whose national debt has remained above 100% of its GDP for two decades, reaching 255% in 2023.
Japan has the highest percentage of national debt in the world at 259.43% of its annual GDP.
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).
- Denmark. Denmark had the highest household-debt-to-income ratio of all the nations we looked at, with a reported debt of 252.18%. ...
- Norway. Norway was only slightly behind Denmark on our list, with a debt-to-income ratio of 246.79%. ...
- Switzerland.
The United States of America
The United States upholds its status as the major global economy and richest country, steadfastly preserving its pinnacle position from 1960 to 2023. Its economy boasts remarkable diversity, propelled by important sectors, including services, manufacturing, finance, and technology.
Singapore. The total amount owed by Singapore to the US is $187.6 billion. This ranks the country among those who owe money to the United States. The sovereign debt per capita is also high in Singapore.
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.
Many people believe that much of the U.S. national debt is owed to foreign countries like China and Japan, but the truth is that most of it is owed to Social Security and pension funds right here in the U.S. This means that U.S. citizens own most of the national debt.
Tax cuts, stimulus programs, increased government spending, and decreased tax revenue caused by widespread unemployment generally account for sharp rises in the national debt.
Who does the US owe debt to?
Who owns this debt? The public owes 74 percent of the current federal debt. Intragovernmental debt accounts for 26 percent or $5.9 trillion. The public includes foreign investors and foreign governments.
In December 2021, debt held by the public was estimated at 96.19% of GDP, and approximately 33% of this public debt was owned by foreigners (government and private).
An Explainer. Just about every country has debt: governments take loans to pay for new roads and hospitals, to keep economies ticking over when recessions hit or tax revenues fall. Sometimes they borrow from countries, other times banks, or maybe asset managers—companies like those investing your pension dollars.
Earlier, in terms of loans from the IMF, Argentina ranked first with USD 46 billion, Egypt stood in second place with USD 18 billion, Ukraine came in third with USD 12.2 billion, Ecuador took the fourth spot with USD 8.2 billion, and Pakistan was at fifth position with USD 7.4 billion.
Public debt in Russia averaged 15.4% of GDP in the decade to 2022, below the average of 32.5% of GDP for Eastern Europe. Public debt in Russia was 18.9% of GDP in 2022. For more public debt information, visit our dedicated page.
China has little overseas debt, and a high national savings rate. In addition, most of the debt is state owned – state-controlled banks loaned funds to state-controlled firms – giving the government the ability to manage the situation.
But how did Japan find itself in this situation? Japan's descent into its debt trap began in the 1990s with the burst of a real estate bubble. This problem was further compounded by high demand for stimulus packages and an ageing population, which has caused Japan's debt to continually pile up until at least 2021.
- Iceland As per the Global Peace Index 2023, Iceland is ranked as the world's safest nation. ...
- Denmark ...
- Ireland ...
- New Zealand ...
- Austria. ...
- Singapore ...
- Portugal ...
- Slovenia
- Somalia.
- South Sudan.
- Sudan.
- Tanzania.
- The Gambia.
- Togo.
- Uganda.
- Zambia.
Selected jurisdictions rank as follows: Canada (13), Taiwan (14), Japan (16), Germany (18), United Kingdom (20), United States (23), South Korea (30), Chile (32), France (42), Argentina (74), South Africa (77), Brazil (80), Ukraine (89), Mexico (98), India (112), Russia (119), Nigeria (124), Turkey (130), China (152), ...
What happens if China dumps US bonds?
If China “dumped” USA treasuries, they would take a serious monetary loss. The price of the treasuries would drop, effective raising the return for those who bought the bonds.
- Japan. Japan held $1.1 trillion in Treasury securities as of October 2023, beating out China as the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt. ...
- China. China gets a lot of attention for holding a big chunk of the U.S. government's debt. ...
- The United Kingdom. ...
- Luxembourg. ...
- Cayman Islands.
The obvious reason is Japan willfully EXPORTS manufactured goods to the United States, and earns United States Dollars, which it wants to own. Those US Dollars are ultimately paid into Japan's checking account at the Federal Reserve. Japan can then pay Japanese companies in domestic Yen, not in foreign currency.
We estimate that the U.S. debt held by the public cannot exceed about 200 percent of GDP even under today's generally favorable market conditions.
Impact of China Buying U.S. Debt
U.S. debt offers the safest haven for Chinese forex reserves, which effectively means that China offers loans to the U.S. so that the U.S. can keep buying the goods China produces.