Interest on the National Debt
This data table is meant to show the waste in interest expenses on the US National Debt that the taxpayer is held accountable for per year. The rate is an average interest rate, since the rate actually changes throughout the year, and is calculated from the actual interest cost and national debt for that year. The US Treasury only keeps records from 1988 on.
* These numbers are based on accumulated interest expenses from the beginning of the fiscal year, October 1 and ending September 30.
(Last Updated: 5/17/23)
Source: US Department of the Treasury
| Year | National Debt | Annual Interest Rate | Interest Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | $2,602,337,712,041.16 | 8.2% | $214,145,028,847.73 |
| 1989 | $2,857,430,960,187.32 | 8.4% | $240,863,231,535.71 |
| 1990 | $3,233,313,451,777.25 | 8.2% | $264,852,544,615.90 |
| 1991 | $3,665,303,351,697.03 | 7.8% | $286,021,921,181.04 |
| 1992 | $4,064,620,655,521.66 | 7.2% | $292,361,073,070.74 |
| 1993 | $4,411,488,883,139.38 | 6.6% | $292,502,219,484.25 |
| 1994 | $4,692,749,910,013.32 | 6.3% | $296,277,764,246.26 |
| 1995 | $4,973,982,900,709.39 | 6.7% | $332,413,555,030.62 |
| 1996 | $5,224,810,939,135.73 | 6.6% | $343,955,076,695.15 |
| 1997 | $5,413,146,011,397.34 | 6.6% | $355,795,834,214.66 |
| 1998 | $5,526,193,008,897.62 | 6.6% | $363,823,722,920.26 |
| 1999 | $5,656,270,901,615.43 | 6.2% | $353,511,471,722.87 |
| 2000 | $5,674,178,209,886.86 | 6.4% | $361,997,734,302.36 |
| 2001 | $5,807,463,412,200.06 | 6.2% | $359,507,635,242.41 |
| 2002 | $6,228,235,965,597.16 | 5.3% | $332,536,958,599.42 |
| 2003 | $6,783,231,062,743.62 | 4.7% | $318,148,529,151.51 |
| 2004 | $7,379,052,696,330.32 | 4.4% | $321,566,323,971.29 |
| 2005 | $7,932,709,661,723.50 | 4.5% | $352,350,252,507.90 |
| 2006 | $8,506,973,899,215.23 | 4.8% | $405,872,109,315.83 |
| 2007 | $9,007,653,372,262.48 | 4.8% | $429,977,998,108.20 |
| 2008 | $10,024,724,896,912.49 | 4.5% | $451,154,049,950.63 |
| 2009 | $11,909,829,003,511.75 | 3.2% | $383,071,060,815.42 |
| 2010 | $13,561,623,030,891.79 | 3.1% | $413,954,825,362.17 |
| 2011 | $14,790,340,328,557.15 | 3.1% | $454,393,280,417.03 |
| 2012 | $15,744,360,700,064.85 | 2.3% | $359,796,008,919.49 |
| 2013 | $16,738,183,526,697.32 | 2.5% | $415,688,781,248.40 |
| 2014 | $17,824,071,380,733.82 | 2.4% | $430,812,121,372.05 |
| 2015 | $18,150,617,666,484.33 | 2.2% | $402,435,356,075.49 |
| 2016 | $19,573,444,713,936.79 | 2.2% | $432,649,652,901.12 |
| 2017 | $20,244,900,016,053.51 | 2.3% | $458,542,287,311.80 |
| 2018 | $21,606,948,383,546.28 | 2.4% | $523,017,301,446.12 |
| 2019 | $22,027,424,114,818.60 | 2.6% | $574,587,783,463.63 |
| 2020 | $26,945,391,194,615.15 | 1.9% | $522,767,299,265.34 |
| 2021 | $28,428,918,570,048.68 | 2.0% | $562,388,232,682.17 |
| 2022 | $30,928,911,613,306.70 | 2.3% | $718,745,810,096.93 |
| 2023 | *$31,457,107,100,707.40 | *1.5% | *$460,256,373,138.74 |
Update?
Hey Wes,
I’m 7yrs late, but just updated the chart. lol Sorry! This is/was a hobby that had to take a back seat for a while. I keep the site open and use my domain for e-mails, but updating is done sporadically, these days, sadly. 🙁
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