What is the Size of the U.S. National Debt and How Much Debt Per Person? - Houston - 1

As of May 2025, the U.S. national debt amounts to approximately $36.2 trillion.

Divided by the U.S. population, this means an individual debt of about $106,000. This figure represents an increase of about 5.7% compared to 2024, continuing a trend of rising debt over recent years.

This increase in debt is primarily due to the federal government's spending exceeding its revenue, resulting in cumulative deficits. In particular, rising expenditures on social security, defense, and healthcare, along with insufficient tax revenue, are major contributing factors.

Currently, the U.S. national debt is about 122% of GDP, indicating a rate of debt increase that exceeds economic growth. This situation raises concerns about fiscal health, as it could lead to increased interest burdens in the event of rising interest rates.

The U.S. government is reviewing various fiscal policies, including increasing revenue and reducing spending, to address this debt issue. However, due to political disagreements and economic variables, it may take time to find effective solutions.

Which country has the highest national debt per person?

As of 2025, Japan has the highest national debt per person in the world. Japan's total national debt is approximately $10.1 trillion, which translates to about $81,219 per person.

Japan's high debt is primarily due to sustained economic stimulus measures following the collapse of the bubble economy in the early 1990s and increased social security spending due to an aging population. The Japanese government has expanded large-scale infrastructure investments and social welfare spending to recover the economy, which has led to an increase in national debt.

Compared to other countries, the U.S. national debt per person is about $104,599, which is higher than Japan, but this is based on nominal debt. In terms of debt-to-GDP ratio, Japan has the highest at 239.97%.

Such a high level of debt could pose a long-term burden on the Japanese economy and may lead to increased interest costs in the event of rising rates. Therefore, the Japanese government needs to make policy efforts to maintain fiscal health.

What is the size of South Korea's national debt?

As of the end of 2024, South Korea's national debt is estimated to be about 1,175.2 trillion won. Dividing this by the estimated population (51.217 million), the national debt per person is about 22.95 million won.

This figure represents an increase of about 1 million won compared to the previous year, continuing a trend of rising debt over recent years. In particular, in 2022, the national debt per person first exceeded 20 million won, and it has been increasing by more than 1 million won each year since then.

The increase in national debt is primarily attributed to expanded welfare spending due to aging, decreased tax revenue, and increased fiscal spending for economic stimulus. Accordingly, the government is reviewing various policies to maintain fiscal health, but it may take time to find effective solutions due to political disagreements and economic variables.

In the future, national debt is expected to continue to rise, which will likely increase the burden on each citizen.