As of May 2025, the national debt of the United States amounts to approximately $36.2 trillion.

Divided by the U.S. population, this means each person carries about $106,000 in debt. 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 a lack of tax revenue, are identified as major causes.

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

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 seems that finding a practical solution will take time.

Which country has the highest national debt per capita?

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

Japan's high debt is primarily due to continued economic stimulus measures following the bubble economy collapse 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. per capita national debt 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 act as a long-term burden on the Japanese economy and may lead to increased interest costs in the event of rising interest 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 approximately 1,175.2 trillion won. Dividing this by the estimated population (51,217,000), the national debt per capita 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 per capita national debt first exceeded 20 million won, and it has shown a trend of 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 due to political disagreements and economic variables, it seems that finding a practical solution will take time.

In the future, national debt is expected to continue to rise, and consequently, the burden per capita is also expected to increase.