The U.S. national debt has topped $40 trillion, five months after it first crossed $39 trillion. Here's what that works out to per person, and how quickly the last trillion piled up.
US National Debt Hits Record $40 Trillion: Here's Every Citizen's Share
MarketDash
The US National Debt has passed $40 trillion. Here's a look at the stats.
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US Debt at $40 Trillion
In recent years, the debt has risen to record levels and gotten there in record time.
This week the U.S. debt passed $40 trillion and stands at $40,051,643,535,047 at the time of writing, according to the U.S. Debt Clock.
Here's what that big figure means.
The U.S debt per citizen now stands at $116,486. While citizens aren't responsible for that figure, it's a big one that shows just how much the country currently owes.
The U.S. debt per taxpayer is $360,794.
A key debt metric that has been used for decades is the debt to GDP, which currently stands at 122.7%. That is significantly higher than ratios of 52.5%, 34.7% and 56.6% in 1960, 1980 and 2000 respectively.
Here are the largest items for U.S. spending that contribute the most to the debt:
- Medicare/Medicaid: $1.99 trillion
- Social Security: $1.65 trillion
- Interest on Debt: $1.12 trillion
- Defense/War: $946.4 billion
Interest on debt was under $1 trillion ($993.5 billion) back in March when the national debt hit $39 trillion. Since that time, it has grown to reach the $1 trillion milestone and is now the third-largest spending item.
Defense/War is under $1 trillion, but with the current Middle East military actions, it could continue to rise in the coming months.
US Debt History
The pace of debt has soared over the last two years. The debt went from $36 trillion in November 2024 to $37 trillion in August 2025 (nine months). Two months later, the debt hit $38 trillion.
This was the fastest accumulation of $1 trillion in additional debt outside of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Five months later, the debt hit $39 trillion in March 2026.
At that time, the debt was growing by around $6 to $7 billion per day, putting a $40 trillion figure within reach by mid-August or early September.
Now mid-August is here, and so is the $40 trillion mark.
Here is a look at how the debt per citizen has grown over time:
- October 2025: $38 trillion national debt, $110,649 per citizen
- March 2026: $39 trillion national debt, $113,616 per citizen
- August 2026: $40 trillion national debt, $116,486 per citizen
The national debt has grown under both Republican and Democratic presidents, making it a bipartisan issue, but over the last year and a half under President Donald Trump, it has grown rapidly.
This comes as Trump had previously promised to cut the national debt during his presidential campaign. This broken campaign promise was highlighted by investor and "All-In Podcast" co-host Jason Calacanis in July.
"President Trump promised not to add to the national debt during his presidential campaign — and, in fact, that he would pay it down. He has failed badly on both counts," Calacanis tweeted.
Calacanis called Trump the "worst-spending President in our history."
The investor estimates that Trump added between $2.2 trillion and $2.3 trillion to the national debt in each of his first two years and in his second term.
"He's on track to add $9T+ in his second term, beating the previous high-water mark of $7.8T — set by his first term."
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