As of October 2023, Japan held United States treasury securities totaling about 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars.
Foreign holders of United States treasury debt
According to the Federal Reserve and U.S. Department of the Treasury, foreign countries held a total of 7.4 trillion U.S. dollars in U.S. treasury securities as of April 2023. Of the total 7.6 trillion held by foreign countries, Japan and Mainland China held the greatest portions, with China holding 868.9 billion U.S. dollars in U.S. securities. Other foreign holders included oil exporting countries and Caribbean banking centers.
The U.S. public debt
In 2022, the United States had a total public national debt of 30.9 trillion U.S. dollars, an amount that has been rising steadily, particularly since 2008. In 2022, the total interest expense on debt held by the public of the United States reached 497 billion U.S. dollars, while 227 billion U.S. dollars in interest expense were intragovernmental debt holdings. Total outlays of the U.S. government were 6.37 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022. By 2028, spending is projected to reach eight trillion U.S. dollars.
FAQs
U.S. Treasury Bonds
Who are the major foreign holders of the U.S. Treasuries? ›
The increased buying of Treasuries continued a trend of the last few months, after yields dropped as the market priced in interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. The three largest holders of Treasuries -- Japan, China and the UK -- led the purchase U.S. government debt.
Who are the foreign owners of the U.S. treasury securities? ›
The survey measured the value of foreign holdings of U.S. securities as of June 30, 2023, to be $26,863 billion, with $13,715 billion held in U.S. equities, $11,964 billion held in U.S. long-term debt securities (of which $1,555 billion are holdings of asset-backed securities (ABS) and $10,409 billion are holdings of ...
What foreign country has the largest holdings of United States government securities? ›
Japan, the largest non-U.S. holder of Treasuries, increased its U.S. government debt to $1.167 trillion, the largest since August 2022 when the country's holdings were at $1.196 trillion.
Who owns the most U.S. treasury securities? ›
The largest holder of U.S. debt is the U.S government. Which agencies own the most Treasury notes, bills, and bonds? Social Security, by a long shot. The U.S. Treasury publishes this information in its monthly Treasury statement.
Who are most of the foreign investors who hold US Treasury bonds? ›
Over the past 20 years, Japan and China have owned more US Treasurys than any other foreign nation. Between 2000 and 2022, Japan grew from owning $534 billion to just over $1 trillion, while China's ownership grew from $101 billion to $855 billion.
Where have all the foreign buyers gone for US Treasury debt? ›
The makeup of overseas demand has shifted. European investors bought $214 billion in Treasurys over the past 12 months, according to Goldman Sachs data. Latin America and the Middle East, flush with oil profits, also added to holdings. That has helped offset a $182 billion decline in holdings from Japan and China.
What happens if China dumps U.S. bonds? ›
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.
How much U.S. Treasury does China own? ›
China is one of the United States's largest creditors, owning about $859.4 billion in U.S. debt. 1 However, it does not own the most U.S. debt of any foreign country. Nations borrowing from each other may be as old as the concept of money.
Why is China selling U.S. bonds? ›
Selling Treasurys is a fast way to whip up U.S. dollars, and China will sometimes use extra dollars to go out on the global market and buy up their own currency. That artificially pumps up its value. It's like planting someone at an auction to drive up your prices.
France. France is another nation that borrows money from the US. As of January, France owes $183.9 billion to the US. This makes it another top nation that owes the US money.
Why does Japan own U.S. debt? ›
Japan sells more to the U.S. than it buys from the U.S. and thus has excess dollars; Japanese investors can easily get a better and safer return by buying U.S. Treasury bonds than by buying other investment vehicles.
Does Russia own any U.S. debt? ›
Russia divested from all US bond instruments, the only debts the Federal government has, and still owes the US and other investors nearly 300 billion US Dollars. The national debt in Russia was forecast to increase between 2023 and 2028 by in total 16.1 billion U.S.
Does Warren Buffett own Treasuries? ›
Buffett takes an entirely different approach. Berkshire held more than $360 billion of stocks, $167 billion of cash (mostly Treasury bills), and just $24 billion of bonds at the end of 2023.
How much does China owe US? ›
The first would be to acquire the Chinese bonds held by the ABF and utilize them to offset (partially or in whole) the $850 billion-plus of U.S. Treasurys owned by China (reducing up to $95 million in daily interest paid to China).
Is China in more debt than the US? ›
Debt as a share of GDP has risen to about the same level as in the United States, while in dollar terms China's total debt ($47.5 trillion) is still markedly below that of the United States (close to $70 trillion). As for non-financial corporate debt, China's 28 percent share is the largest in the world.
What countries owe the United States money? ›
Top 20 Countries that Owe the US Money
- Bermuda.
- Germany.
- Norway.
- Korea.
- Saudi Arabia.
- France.
- Singapore.
- Brazil.
Beijing, vigilant in the protection of its overseas assets, has slashed its holdings of US Treasury bills by 25 per cent since early 2021 to the tune of US$280 billion. Its position hit a 14-year low of US$769.6 billion in October 2023, a decline commonly attributed to a conscious effort to diversify its holdings.
