Who owns US debt?
Feb 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. government has nearly $36 trillion of debt on issue and its bonds are the bedrock of the global financial system. President Donald Trump said Sunday his administration was examining Treasury debt payments for possible fraud and suggested that the country's debt might not be that high - remarks that may unsettle investors who regard the U.S. as creditworthy and its debt as a safe asset. Treasuries are held widely and used globally as financial reserves, as a benchmark for pricing and as collateral for borrowing. Below is a breakdown of U.S. debt ownership. By owner: Owner Holding size (U.S. dollars) U.S. Federal Reserve $4.7 trillion system Social Security and $2.4 trillion other U.S. agencies Foreign investors $8.7 trillion U.S. investors and $19.7 trillion other U.S. holders And by foreign investor: Country/Region/City Holding size (U.S. dollars) Japan $1,099 billion China $768.6 billion Britain $765.6 billion Luxembourg $424.5 billion Cayman Islands $397 billion Canada $374.4 billion Belgium $361.3 billion Ireland $338.1 billion France $332.5 billion Switzerland $300.6 billion Taiwan $286.9 billion Singapore $257.7 billion Hong Kong $255.7 billion India $234 billion Brazil $229 billion Norway $159 billion Saudi Arabia $135.6 billion South Korea $127.8 billion Mexico $100.8 billion Germany $97.7 billion Rest of World $1,589 billion Foreign ownership data is compiled monthly by the U.S. Treasury, which says it relies mostly on U.S.-based custodians and that because securities held in custody accounts may not be attributed to the actual owners, the data may not provide a precise account of individual country ownership of Treasuries. Total U.S. debt is $35.5 trillion and it has been rising. (Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Stephen Coates)
