Who's Really Holding America's $36.2 Trillion Debt?

Talk about a plot twist: Japan just topped the list of countries holding U.S. debt with $1.13 trillion, pushing China to third place. The UK moved into second with $807.7B, while Beijing has been quietly dumping its holdings for years.

Here’s what actually matters though—foreign countries only own about 24% of total U.S. debt. Americans themselves hold 55%, while the Fed and other agencies control 13% and 7%. So much for the “foreign takeover” narrative.

The real talk? No single country has enough leverage to shake things up. Even when China liquidates debt gradually, markets barely flinch. The U.S. bond market remains one of the deepest and safest in the world.

Bottom line: Foreign ownership might cause interest rates to flutter slightly, but it’s not going to tank your wallet. The concentration is too spread out across 20+ countries to create any meaningful systemic pressure.