🇺🇸 United States National Debt Clock
Live tracker for United States government debt. The national debt currently stands at approximately $39.90 trillion, growing at $60K every second based on IMF fiscal deficit projections. Debt-to-GDP: 124%. Per-citizen share: $118,737.
United States's Debt Trajectory (2015–2026)
United States's ratio has declined from its peak of 129% (2020) to roughly 124% today.
About United States's National Debt
The United States carries the largest nominal government debt of any nation — the product of decades of persistent budget deficits, two major economic rescues (the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 pandemic), and sustained spending on defense, Social Security, Medicare and rising interest. Because the dollar is the world's primary reserve currency, the U.S. borrows in its own currency at relatively low rates, which has let the debt grow without a financing crisis — though climbing interest costs are an increasing worry.
United States's debt-to-GDP ratio of 124% is in the critical range, well above IMF concern thresholds, where debt-service costs consume a large share of revenue and crowd out public services and investment. By total government debt, United States ranks 1st of the 138 governments tracked here.
At the current borrowing rate of $60K per second, United States adds about $5.2 billion to its national debt every day — roughly $1898 billion per year. Each of United States's 336 million citizens carries an individual share of approximately $118,737. That is above the world average of roughly $12,600 in government debt per person.
Figures are computed by Global Debt Clock using linear extrapolation from IMF general government gross debt baselines (Fiscal Monitor / WEO April 2026) and national treasury data. Actual debt changes through discrete bond issuances — these counters illustrate the approximate scale and pace of sovereign borrowing.
United States National Debt — Frequently Asked Questions
What is United States's national debt right now?
United States's national debt is approximately $39.90 trillion as of July 29, 2026, growing at $60K per second. Its debt-to-GDP ratio is 124% and each citizen's share is about $118,737.
How fast is United States's debt growing?
United States's government debt grows at approximately $60K per second — about $5.2 billion per day — derived from IMF fiscal-deficit projections anchored to the April 2026 baseline.
What is United States's debt per capita?
Each of United States's 336 million citizens carries a notional share of approximately $118,737 of the national debt.
What is United States's debt-to-GDP ratio?
United States's debt-to-GDP ratio is 124%. This sits above the IMF's 90% threshold associated with potential growth drag.
Why is United States's government debt at this level?
The United States carries the largest nominal government debt of any nation — the product of decades of persistent budget deficits, two major economic rescues (the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 pandemic), and sustained spending on defense, Social Security, Medicare and rising interest. Because the dollar is the world's primary reserve currency, the U.S. borrows in its own currency at relatively low rates, which has let the debt grow without a financing crisis — though climbing interest costs are an increasing worry.
Compare United States vs another country
Live side-by-side debt comparisons — shareable cards for journalists and social.
Further reading
Other Americas countries
Data & Citation
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook · World Bank International Debt Statistics · baseline anchored .
Methodology: debt = 39,280,000,000,000 + 60200 × seconds_since(2026-04-01)
Machine-readable data: /api/debt?c=us (live JSON) · /data/debt.json (full dataset)
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