US public debt-to-GDP ratio rises to 100.03 percent

With increasing borrowing in the US, the share of federal public debt in the economy exceeded 100 percent and approached historical levels seen during World War II.

According to data released by the US government, federal public debt was recorded at 32.2 trillion dollars as of September 30. Calculations made following the third-quarter growth data revealed that the ratio of federal public debt to gross domestic product (GDP) was 100.03 percent. This ratio stood at 99.4 percent at the end of the 2025 fiscal year.

The latest data released remained below the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) forecast of 100.6 percent published in February. The ratio of federal public debt to GDP in the US had risen to 106 percent in 1946 due to high-amount borrowing undertaken to finance World War II. With the current data, the ratio of debt to national income has once again approached this historical peak after approximately 80 years.