As of January 2024, Japan held United States treasury securities totaling about 1.15 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 eight trillion U.S. dollars in U.S. treasury securities as of January 2024. Of the total held by foreign countries, Japan and Mainland China held the greatest portions, with China holding 797.7 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.
