Skip to content
econscout
Tracker

Federal Debt (% of GDP)

Federal debt held by the public, measured against the size of the economy.

122.6%
Percent of GDP · latest, Oct 2025
vs prior quarter ▲ 1.5 pp
vs year ago ▲ 1.1 pp
1969-70 Recession · Dec 1969 – Nov 19701973-75 Recession · Nov 1973 – Mar 19751980 Recession · Jan 1980 – Jul 19801981-82 Recession · Jul 1981 – Nov 19821990-91 Recession · Jul 1990 – Mar 19912001 Recession · Mar 2001 – Nov 2001Global Financial Crisis · Dec 2007 – Jun 2009COVID-19 Recession · Feb 2020 – Apr 202040%60%80%100%120%197019801990200020102020122.6%

Hover the line to read any month. Drag across the chart to zoom; double-click to reset.

Source: FRED · GFDEGDQ188S · series · Jan 1966 to Oct 2025 · latest-revised

Reading it. Debt held by the public (excludes intragovernmental holdings), scaled by GDP so it is comparable across decades.

About the bands. Shaded spans are NBER-dated US recessions, drawn as factual overlays. They mark when the economy contracted, not why. Lining an event or policy up with a move on this chart is not evidence that it caused the move.

Embed this chart ↗