Level Chart

Basic Info

US Public Debt as Percent of GDP is at 121.6%, compared to 120.1% last quarter and 119.0% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 62.13%.

US Public Debt measures the total public debt in the United States divided by the total GDP in that same period. In a global context, as the percentage of debt increases compared to the GDP, the probability of defaulting increases, as the ability to pay back debt decreases. When comparing public debt of different economies, this measure allows to see how debt grows in real terms compared to the size of the underlying national economy. In other words, one can compare how an economy's use of debt contributes to growth in GDP. Historically, the US public debt as a percentage of GDP has steadily increased during the 2000s from a trough of 54.24% in 2000 Q4, to a peak of 105.3% in 2016 Q4.

Stats

Last Value 121.6%
Latest Period Dec 2023
Last Updated Apr 25 2024, 08:41 EDT
Long Term Average 62.13%
Average Growth Rate 2.02%
Value from Last Quarter 120.1%
Change from Last Quarter 1.24%
Value from 1 Year Ago 119.0%
Change from 1 Year Ago 2.22%
Frequency Quarterly
Unit Percent of GDP
Adjustment N/A
Notes Total US Public Debt divided by Gross Domestic Product.
Formula US Public Debt / US GDP * 0.01

Historical Data

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Date Value
December 31, 2023 121.6%
September 30, 2023 120.1%
June 30, 2023 119.5%
March 31, 2023 117.3%
December 31, 2022 119.0%
September 30, 2022 119.0%
June 30, 2022 119.7%
March 31, 2022 121.5%
December 31, 2021 120.1%
September 30, 2021 119.3%
June 30, 2021 122.5%
March 31, 2021 124.5%
December 31, 2020 126.0%
September 30, 2020 124.5%
June 30, 2020 133.0%
March 31, 2020 107.0%
December 31, 2019 105.9%
September 30, 2019 104.7%
June 30, 2019 103.0%
March 31, 2019 104.4%
December 31, 2018 105.0%
September 30, 2018 103.4%
June 30, 2018 103.0%
March 31, 2018 103.7%
December 31, 2017 102.3%
Date Value
September 30, 2017 102.8%
June 30, 2017 102.1%
March 31, 2017 103.6%
December 31, 2016 105.3%
September 30, 2016 104.3%
June 30, 2016 104.1%
March 31, 2016 104.6%
December 31, 2015 103.2%
September 30, 2015 99.15%
June 30, 2015 99.77%
March 31, 2015 100.9%
December 31, 2014 101.6%
September 30, 2014 100.5%
June 30, 2014 101.0%
March 31, 2014 102.7%
December 31, 2013 100.1%
September 30, 2013 98.98%
June 30, 2013 100.2%
March 31, 2013 100.9%
December 31, 2012 100.1%
September 30, 2012 98.45%
June 30, 2012 97.83%
March 31, 2012 97.12%
December 31, 2011 96.09%
September 30, 2011 94.52%

Basic Info

US Public Debt as Percent of GDP is at 121.6%, compared to 120.1% last quarter and 119.0% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 62.13%.

US Public Debt measures the total public debt in the United States divided by the total GDP in that same period. In a global context, as the percentage of debt increases compared to the GDP, the probability of defaulting increases, as the ability to pay back debt decreases. When comparing public debt of different economies, this measure allows to see how debt grows in real terms compared to the size of the underlying national economy. In other words, one can compare how an economy's use of debt contributes to growth in GDP. Historically, the US public debt as a percentage of GDP has steadily increased during the 2000s from a trough of 54.24% in 2000 Q4, to a peak of 105.3% in 2016 Q4.

Stats

Last Value 121.6%
Latest Period Dec 2023
Last Updated Apr 25 2024, 08:41 EDT
Long Term Average 62.13%
Average Growth Rate 2.02%
Value from Last Quarter 120.1%
Change from Last Quarter 1.24%
Value from 1 Year Ago 119.0%
Change from 1 Year Ago 2.22%
Frequency Quarterly
Unit Percent of GDP
Adjustment N/A
Notes Total US Public Debt divided by Gross Domestic Product.
Formula US Public Debt / US GDP * 0.01