<P> As of April 30 , 2018 , debt held by the public was $15.3 trillion and intragovernmental holdings were $5.7 trillion , for a total or `` National Debt '' of $21 trillion . Debt held by the public was approximately 77 % of GDP in 2017 , ranked 43rd highest out of 207 countries . The Congressional Budget Office forecast in April 2018 that the ratio will rise to nearly 100 % by 2028 , perhaps higher if current policies are extended beyond their scheduled expiration date . As of December 2017 , $6.3 trillion or approximately 45 % of the debt held by the public was owned by foreign investors , the largest being China ( about $1.18 trillion ) then Japan ( about $1.06 trillion ) . </P>
<P> As of April 30 , 2018 , debt held by the public was $15.3 trillion and intragovernmental holdings were $5.7 trillion , for a total or `` National Debt '' of $21 trillion . Debt held by the public was approximately 77 % of GDP in 2017 , ranked 43rd highest out of 207 countries . The Congressional Budget Office forecast in April 2018 that the ratio will rise to nearly 100 % by 2028 , perhaps higher if current policies are extended beyond their scheduled expiration date . As of December 2017 , $6.3 trillion or approximately 45 % of the debt held by the public was owned by foreign investors , the largest being China ( about $1.18 trillion ) then Japan ( about $1.06 trillion ) . </P>
who owns the majority of the united states debt
who owns the majority of the united states debt
the public
the public