What country is not in debt?

No independent country is completely debt-free, but several, like Macao SAR, Brunei, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Liechtenstein, and Singapore, have extremely low or virtually no national debt relative to their GDP due to strong resource revenues (oil/gambling) or disciplined fiscal policies, with Macao and Singapore often cited as having zero net government debt.

Which country does not have any debt?

Debt Free Countries: Top Nations without National Debt

The best example can be taken from Hong Kong (it is a one of the debt free countries), whose economy has the least debt to GDP ratio. It is an almost debt free country. It has a well-regulated financial system and large foreign reserves.

Which country is mostly in debt?

The United States has the largest national debt in absolute dollar terms, with figures nearing $38 trillion in late 2025, followed by China and Japan. However, when debt is measured as a percentage of economic output (debt-to-GDP), Japan has the highest ratio (over 230%), indicating a greater burden relative to its size, with other high-ratio countries including Greece and Italy.
 

Who is America in debt with?

America owes its debt to a mix of domestic entities (like the Federal Reserve, investors, banks, and government trust funds) and foreign countries, with Japan, China, and the United Kingdom being the largest foreign holders of U.S. Treasury securities, though most debt is held domestically or by government accounts.
 

Is China debt free?

The national debt (or government debt) of the People's Republic of China is the total amount of money owed by the central government, local governments, government branches and state organizations of China. According to the International Monetary Fund, general government debt amounted to 77% of GDP in 2022.

Why Every Country Is in Debt? And Who Do They Owe?

Who owns over 70% of the U.S. debt?

Who owns the most U.S. debt? Around 70-80 percent of U.S. debt is held by domestic financial actors and institutions in the United States. U.S. Treasuries represent a convenient, liquid, low-risk store of value.

Does the US still owe China money?

Yes, the U.S. still owes China money, as China holds a significant amount of U.S. Treasury bonds, making it one of the largest foreign holders after Japan, though China has been reducing its holdings, moving from a top holder to around the second or third spot as the U.S. relies more on domestic investors and other nations, but it's a small portion of the total U.S. debt, which is owned mostly by Americans. 

Who owns the 36 trillion U.S. debt?

The U.S. owes its $36 trillion national debt to a mix of domestic investors (like banks, mutual funds, and individuals), U.S. government accounts (like Social Security), the Federal Reserve, and foreign investors, with Japan, the UK, and China being the largest foreign holders, primarily through purchasing U.S. Treasury bonds. The largest portion is held domestically, but foreign entities hold trillions, making countries like Japan and China significant lenders.
 

How many Americans are 100% debt free?

Around 23% of Americans are debt free, according to the most recent data available from the Federal Reserve.

Can the US get out of debt?

Yes, the U.S. can get out of debt, but it requires significant, often controversial, fiscal changes like substantial spending cuts (Social Security, Medicare), tax increases, or boosting economic growth dramatically; most economists agree a combination of spending reductions and revenue increases is needed to make the debt sustainable, as growing out of it alone is unlikely given current spending demands.
 

What is the poorest country in the world?

As of late 2025/early 2026, South Sudan is widely considered the poorest country in the world, consistently ranking last or near-last by GDP per capita due to civil conflict, political instability, and resource issues, though Afghanistan also appears at the very bottom in some rankings. Other nations like Burundi, Central African Republic, and Yemen also face extreme poverty.
 

Which country has the highest loan from World Bank?

India is consistently the largest borrower from the World Bank in terms of total outstanding loans, with figures around $39.3 billion in recent years, followed by countries like Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. While China has also been a significant borrower, India leads in overall debt to the World Bank, taking loans for diverse development needs. 

How much of Russia's GDP is debt?

Russia's government debt-to-GDP ratio is relatively low, hovering around 18-20% in recent years (2023-2024), significantly lower than many Western economies, indicating strong fiscal health despite budget strains from sanctions and military spending. While public debt is low, concerns exist about rising household debt, non-performing bank loans, especially in specific industries, and increasing deficits driven by wartime expenditures and oil price volatility, suggesting underlying vulnerabilities. 

Is Switzerland debt free?

The national debt of Switzerland stood at 355.41 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Between 1990 and 2024, the national debt rose by 214.22 billion U.S. dollars, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

What would happen if the US paid off all its debt?

If the U.S. paid off all its debt, it would trigger an economic crisis by eliminating safe investment options (Treasury bonds), causing a massive cash glut, crashing interest rates, disrupting monetary policy (Federal Reserve operations), forcing cuts in government services/spending, and potentially leading to a depression as the economy would lose its primary safe asset, disrupting the entire global financial system that relies on U.S. debt. The process itself, whether through extreme taxes or printing money, would likely cause hyperinflation or deep recession, while the end result removes a critical benchmark for the global economy.
 

Which country has the worst debt?

There isn't one single "worst" debt country, as it depends on the metric: the United States has the largest absolute government debt, but Japan has the highest debt-to-GDP ratio, meaning its debt is largest relative to its economy, while countries like Lebanon face severe debt distress. Other nations like China, UK, France, and Italy also hold large absolute debts.
 

Which gender has more debt?

Men have 2 percent more credit card debt than women. Men have 9.7 percent more mortgage debt than women. Men have 20 percent more personal loan debt than women. Women have 2.7 percent more student loan debt than men.

What is the credit card limit for $70,000 salary?

The credit limit you can expect for a $70,000 salary across all your credit cards could be as much as $14000 to $21000, or even higher in some cases, according to our research. The exact amount depends heavily on multiple factors, like your credit score and how many credit lines you have open.

Who has the most debt on Earth?

The United States has the most government debt in absolute dollar terms, exceeding $38 trillion, followed by China and Japan, with the top three countries holding about 60% of the world's total government debt. While the U.S. has the largest amount, Japan often ranks high for debt as a percentage of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product). 

Why is US debt so high?

U.S. debt is high due to a combination of consistent budget deficits from spending exceeding revenue, driven by mandatory spending on Social Security and healthcare for an aging population, significant costs from wars (like Iraq/Afghanistan) and recessions (2008, COVID-19), tax cuts reducing revenue, and rising interest payments on the growing debt, creating a structural imbalance.
 

Does the US owe China money?

Yes, the U.S. owes China money because China buys U.S. Treasury bonds, essentially lending money to the U.S. government, with China holding hundreds of billions in U.S. debt (around $750-$850 billion in recent years), though Japan holds more, and most U.S. debt is actually held domestically. This debt arises from China's trade surplus, using excess U.S. dollars to purchase these bonds, creating a financial relationship where China benefits from U.S. economic stability, notes the US-China Business Council and Investopedia. 

Why does Warren Buffett own so many T-bills?

Buffett has publicly cited high asset prices and a lack of compelling acquisition targets as reasons for holding cash and T-bills.

What would happen if China sold U.S. debt?

Since the U.S. dollar has a variable exchange rate, however, any sale by any nation holding huge U.S. debt or dollar reserves will trigger the adjustment of the trade balance at the international level. The offloaded U.S. reserves by China will either end up with another nation or will return to the U.S.

Can the US print money to pay off debt?

Shortly after the founding of the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Treasury adopted policies that induced the Fed to monetize government debt. Monetizing debt means the government borrows money to buy goods and then repays its debt by printing more money.

What country owes America the most money?

The U.S. owes the most money to Japan, which holds the largest amount of U.S. Treasury securities among foreign countries, followed by the United Kingdom and China as the next biggest foreign holders of American debt, according to data from 2024 and 2025.