Which Countries owe most of US Debt – First Japan, followed by China, UK, Luxembourg, Canada

Today, the US owes over USD 36 trillion to US and foreign Debt owners.

As of April 2024, foreign countries own approximately $7.9 trillion in Treasury securities — or 22.9% of total US debt.

Over the past two decades, central banks and other government entities have owned 50% of foreign-owned debt. Independent investors and companies held the rest.

From December 2000 to April 2024, Japan grew from owning $556.3 billion to $1.1 trillion. China’s ownership grew from $105.6 billion to $749.0 billion.

As of April 2024, the five countries owning the most US debt are Japan ($1.1 trillion), China ($749.0 billion), the United Kingdom ($690.2 billion), Luxembourg ($373.5 billion), and Canada ($328.7 billion).

U.S. Treasury securities held by residents of Russia amounted to 46 million U.S. dollars in April 2024, marking a stark contrast to the 10.51 billion U.S. dollars held in January 2020. The lowest over the period under consideration was recorded in November 2023 at 28 million U.S. dollars, the highest Russian holdings in January 2020, with 12.6 billion U.S. dollars.