#USNationalDebt

Total National Debt: $36.22 trillion (as of May 2025) 610.

Debt-to-GDP Ratio: 124% (Q4 2024), near the historic high of 130.4% (Q1 2021) 57.

Recent Growth: Increased by ~$1 trillion every 3 months, reaching $36.2 trillion from $33.1 trillion in December 2023 27.

📈 2. Historical Context

Key Drivers: Major wars (WWII, Afghanistan/Iraq), economic crises (2008 recession, COVID-19), and tax policies (2017 Tax Cuts) have accelerated debt growth 212.

Notable Milestones:

1835: Only period when the U.S. fully paid off its debt 2.

2020: COVID-19 relief spiked the deficit to 16% of GDP 2.

2024: Debt surpassed $36 trillion, with a $316 billion monthly deficit (May 2025) 1012.

Table: Historical Debt Mileston