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Who owns America’s US$39 trillion debt?

The endless cycle that raises America’s debt ceiling

Who owns America’s US$39 trillion debt?
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StarsInsider
01/07/2026 11:00 ‧ 2 hours ago | StarsInsider

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Economy

According to the Institute of International Finance, the global debt is currently at a record high of around US$353 trillion. Shockingly, this is more than 300% of the total economic output of all the nations on the planet. And of that debt, the United States holds the most, sitting at more than $39 trillion.

This value is more than double that of China’s, the country with the second-most amount of debt in the world. But who, exactly, owns America's debt? Where is all that money? And why isn’t it being paid back? Click on to find out.

All figures in USD.

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