Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in United States
United States: Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans was 117.01 Percentage of GDP in 2026. ▲ Rising
Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in United States, 1995–2026
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of GDP.
Analysis
United States recorded 117.01 Percentage of GDP for government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in 2026.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in United States peaked at 121.79 Percentage of GDP in 2021 and was at its lowest, 48.48 Percentage of GDP, in 2001.
United States ranks 4th of 25 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans in United States, year by year
| Year | Percentage of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 64.59 Percentage of GDP | — |
| 1996 | 64.47 Percentage of GDP | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 63.04 Percentage of GDP | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 60.7 Percentage of GDP | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 57.22 Percentage of GDP | -5.7% |
| 2000 | 53.14 Percentage of GDP | -7.1% |
| 2001 | 48.48 Percentage of GDP | -8.8% |
| 2002 | 48.6 Percentage of GDP | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 51.04 Percentage of GDP | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 59.28 Percentage of GDP | +16.1% |
| 2005 | 60.57 Percentage of GDP | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 59.22 Percentage of GDP | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 58.11 Percentage of GDP | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 66.06 Percentage of GDP | +13.7% |
| 2009 | 70.12 Percentage of GDP | +6.1% |
| 2010 | 81.48 Percentage of GDP | +16.2% |
| 2011 | 87.74 Percentage of GDP | +7.7% |
| 2012 | 92.68 Percentage of GDP | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 96.35 Percentage of GDP | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 96.78 Percentage of GDP | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 95.72 Percentage of GDP | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 97.89 Percentage of GDP | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 98.1 Percentage of GDP | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 98.83 Percentage of GDP | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 99.2 Percentage of GDP | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 101.62 Percentage of GDP | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 121.79 Percentage of GDP | +19.8% |
| 2022 | 115.03 Percentage of GDP | -5.5% |
| 2023 | 109.57 Percentage of GDP | -4.7% |
| 2024 | 113.16 Percentage of GDP | +3.3% |
| 2025 | 114.05 Percentage of GDP | +0.8% |
| 2026 | 117.01 Percentage of GDP | +2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 62 Percentage of GDP | 57.22 Percentage of GDP | 64.59 Percentage of GDP | 5 |
| 2000s | 57.46 Percentage of GDP | 48.48 Percentage of GDP | 70.12 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 94.48 Percentage of GDP | 81.48 Percentage of GDP | 99.2 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 113.18 Percentage of GDP | 101.62 Percentage of GDP | 121.79 Percentage of GDP | 7 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 1 Slovenia 64.5 Percentage of GDP compare
- 1 Japan 195.55 Percentage of GDP compare
- 2 Poland 61.24 Percentage of GDP compare
- 2 Greece 140.51 Percentage of GDP compare
- 3 Italy 130.12 Percentage of GDP compare
- 3 Latvia 45.53 Percentage of GDP compare
- 4 Netherlands 43.64 Percentage of GDP compare
- 5 Lithuania 42.01 Percentage of GDP compare
- 5 France 116.25 Percentage of GDP compare
- 6 Belgium 108.88 Percentage of GDP compare
- 6 Estonia 25.11 Percentage of GDP compare
- 7 Türkiye 24.2 Percentage of GDP compare
- 7 Spain 101.29 Percentage of GDP compare
More economy & growth data for United States
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.63 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.12 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 13.08 % change on previous year (2021)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.1758 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 12,556 current US$ per person (2021)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 13.08 % change on previous year (2021)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 0.1758 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 12,556 current LCU per person (2021)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 9.94 % change on previous year (2021)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.7626 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in United States?
- Government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans in United States was 117.01 Percentage of GDP in 2026, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 121.79 Percentage of GDP in 2021.
- What is the lowest government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.48 Percentage of GDP in 2001.
- How does United States rank for government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans?
- United States ranks 4th out of 25 countries with data for 2026.
- Is government debt by instrument coverage — debt securities and loans rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Government debt by instrument coverage — Debt securities and loans. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The magnitude of government debt and debt-to-GDP ratios varies depending on which measure of debt is used. To promote international comparability, the IMF, the OECD and the World Bank have agreed on a set of standard debt measures, which are defined in the Public Sector Debt Statistics Guide for Compilers and Users and the Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014. Government gross debt is shown in four categories: D1 to D4. D1 is the narrowest measure, comprising only two financial instruments: debt securities and loans. D4 (‘total gross debt’) is the broadest measure and includes debt securities, loans, Special Drawing Rights, currency and deposits, other accounts payable and insurance, pensions and standardised guarantees. The D1 to D3 measures are comparable between OECD countries. D4 is the preferred measure of debt in the international accounting standards (System of National Accounts or SNA) but cross-country comparability is more difficult for D4 because countries have different approaches to recording unfunded pension liabilities for government employees. For more information, please see the document: Measuring Government Debt: D1-D4