Escalation: National Debt Exceeds GDP for First Time

As of March 31, publicly held federal debt was $31.265 trillion and the trailing 12‑month GDP was $31.216 trillion. That yields a debt‑to‑GDP ratio of 100.2%.

The ratio has risen from 99.5% at the end of the last fiscal year on Sept. 30. The government is spending about $1.33 for every dollar it collects, and annual deficits near 6% of GDP are adding to the debt.

The debt crossing 100% of GDP marks a threshold long viewed as unlikely and puts the burden on a course toward matching or exceeding the post‑World‑War‑II record.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources