Russia U.S. treasury holdings 2023 | Statista (2024)

FAQs

Russia U.S. treasury holdings 2023 | Statista? ›

The value of U.S. Treasury securities

Russia owns less than 2.5 $Billion in US Treasury notes, a trifling amount. Russia does not “own” US debt. It just owns bonds that are not callable and it takes its interest payments as agreed. Russia has sold almost 100 $Billion in US bonds to reduce its vulnerability to US sanctions.

The three largest holders of Treasuries -- Japan, China and the UK -- led the purchase U.S. government debt.

Nearly half of all US foreign-owned debt comes from five countries. All values are adjusted to 2023 dollars. As of January 2023, the five countries owning the most US debt are Japan ($1.1 trillion), China ($859 billion), the United Kingdom ($668 billion), Belgium ($331 billion), and Luxembourg ($318 billion).

The value of U.S. Treasury securities held by residents of Russia amounted to 33 million U.S. dollars in June 2023, the lowest over the period under consideration. Furthermore, in March 2020, the figure decreased sharply to 3.85 billion U.S. dollars, down from 12.6 billion U.S. dollars one month prior.

According to the US Treasury, Russian ownership of US Treasuries was $2.1 Billion in Nov 2022.

The United States pays interest on approximately $850 billion in debt held by the People's Republic of China. China, however, is currently in default on its sovereign debt held by American bondholders.

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.

Top Foreign Holders of U.S. Debt

With $1.1 trillion in Treasury holdings, Japan is the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt.

What would happen if China sold U.S. Treasuries? ›

If China “dumped” USA treasuries, they would take a serious monetary loss. The price of the treasuries would drop, effective raising the return for those who bought the bonds.

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.

China sold a record amount of Treasury and US agency bonds in the first quarter, highlighting the Asian nation's move to diversify away from American assets as trade tensions persist.

At the top is Japan, whose national debt has remained above 100% of its GDP for two decades, reaching 255% in 2023. *For the U.S. and Canada, gross debt levels were adjusted to exclude unfunded pension liabilities of government employees' defined-benefit pension plans.

As the Chinese accumulate more and more gold, they're dumping U.S. Treasuries. That raises an important question: who is going to keep funding the federal government's borrowing spree? China offloaded another $22.7 billion in U.S. Treasuries in February, according to the latest data from the Federal Reserve.

Interest Rates. Maintaining interest rates at low levels can help stimulate the economy, generate tax revenue, and, ultimately, reduce the national debt. Lower interest rates make it easier for individuals and businesses to borrow money for goods and services, which creates jobs and increases tax revenues.

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.

The United States pays interest on approximately $850 billion in debt held by the People's Republic of China. China, however, is currently in default on its sovereign debt held by American bondholders.