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U.S. national debt surpasses economy for first time since World War II
By Eric Revell
Fox Business, New York
Thursday, April 30, 2026
The U.S. national debt has now surpassed the size of the U.S. economy, a historic threshold that hasn't been crossed since the conclusion of World War II.
Data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis today showed that the national debt held by the public reached $31.27 trillion as of March 31, while nominal gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at $31.22 trillion for the 12-month period ending in March.
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That pushed the debt held by the public as a percentage of GDP above 100%, meaning that the public debt is now larger than the the U.S. economy. Public debt as a share of GDP is a measure preferred by economists in assessing a country's government debt burden because it excludes debt held in government accounts.
With the latest data showing the public debt eclipsing the size of the U.S. economy, the federal government is quickly approaching the all-time record debt to GDP percentage of 106%, which was set in 1946 as the U.S. was in the process of demobilizing after the end of World War II. ...
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