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As of January 2011, foreigners owned $4.45 trillion of U.S. debt, or approximately 47 percent of the debt held by the public of $9.49 trillion and 32 percent of the total debt of $14.1 trillion.
The largest holders were the central banks of China, Japan, the United Kingdom and Brazil.
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The share held by foreign governments has grown over time, rising from 13 percent of the public debt in 1988 to 25 percent in 2007.
SOURCE: Treasury Department
See all terms in the National Debt Glossary
Frequently Asked Questions: National Debt
- How did the national debt get to be so big?
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