Who owns the US national debt?

Debt Held by the Public. The public holds the rest of the national debt of $14.7 trillion. Foreign governments and investors hold almost half of it. One-fourth is held by other governmental entities. These include the Federal Reserve, as well as state and local governments. read more

Because a large variety of people own the notes, bills, and bonds in the "public" portion of the debt, Treasury also publishes information that groups the types of holders by general categories to portray who owns United States debt. read more

Since 2002, the Fed's holdings of Treasuries have increased by $1 trillion, or 10.8% of the new debt issued during that time. The blog Macro Market Musings has shown that the Fed's ownership share of Treasuries has actually declined in the last decade. read more