U.S. federal debt limit 2021

On December 16, 2021, the federal debt limit of the United States of America was raised to 31.4 trillion U.S. dollars. Just three months prior, in October 2021, the federal debt limit was at 28.9 trillion U.S. dollars. In 2017, the federal debt limit was about 20.5 trillion U.S. dollars.

Statutory limits on Federal debt of the United States from 1940 to 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Year	Debt limit in billion U.S. dollars
2021 (December)	31,381.5
2021 (October)	28,881.5
2021 (August) - Reestablished	28,401.5
2019 (August) - Suspended******	21,987.7
2017 (September) - Suspended*****	20,456
2017 (March) - Suspended****	19,808.8
2015 (November) - Suspended***	18,113
2013 (February) - Suspended**	16,699.4
2011 (August)*	16,394
2010 (February)	14,294
2009 (December)	12,394
2008 (October)	11,315
2007 (September)	9,815
2006 (March)	8,965
2002 (June)	6,400
1996 (March)	5,500
1990 (November)	4,145
1985 (December)	2,078.7
1980 (December)	935.1
1975 (November)	595
1970 (June)	395
1965 (June)	328
1960 (June)	293
1954 (August)	281
1945 (April)	300
1940 (June)	49

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Release date

March 2022

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Region

United States

Survey time period

1940 to 2021

Supplementary notes

The fiscal year for the U.S. Government starts in Oct. 1. The annual amount of public debt outstanding is therefore drawn on September 30 each year.

Not all changes in debt limit could be covered in this statistic. Only selected years are shown to provide a general understanding.

* Effective after January 27, 2012.
**Suspended the existing debt limit from February 4, 2013, through May 18, 2013, and prospectively increased the limit to accommodate the increase in such debt outstanding as of May 19, 2013.
***Suspended the existing debt limit from November 2, 2015, through March 15, 2017, and prospectively increased the limit to accommodate the increase in such debt outstanding as of March 16, 2017.
**** Suspended the existing debt limit from September 8, 2017, through December 8, 2017, and prospectively increased the limit to accommodate the increase in such debt outstanding as of December 9, 2017.
***** Suspended the existing debt limit from February 9, 2018, through March 1, 2019, and prospectively increased the limit to accommodate the increase in such debt outstanding as of March 1, 2019.
******Suspended the existing debt limit from August 2, 2019, through July 31, 2021, and prospectively increased the limit to accommodate the increase in such debt outstanding as of July 31, 2021.

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