Market context
Sovereign debt, in context.
Debt levels are important economic context, but they do not provide a simple instruction to buy any asset. The two measures below are published by different national statistical systems and are shown separately rather than forced onto a shared scale.
Counter-view
The relationship between sovereign debt levels and the gold price is debated among economists and is not a reliable predictor.
The ONS figure is a UK public-sector net-debt ratio. The Treasury figure is a US total-public-debt amount. They measure different things and should not be compared as if they were the same statistic.
UK gilt-market definitions and nominal amounts outstanding are available from the UK Debt Management Office. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
United Kingdom
Public sector net debt / GDP
94.1%
Public sector net debt excluding public sector banks, at the end of July 2026.
ONS · July 2026 ↗United States
Total public debt outstanding
$40.08tn
Total outstanding public debt reported for 27 August 2026; rounded from the published daily figure.
U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data · 27 Aug 2026 ↗United Kingdom
Public sector net debt excluding public sector banks
% of GDP · separate scale
29.5% → 94.1%
+64.6 percentage points since 2000
The UK series is a debt-to-GDP ratio; the US series is a nominal dollar amount. They are shown separately and should not be compared as if they were the same measure. Historical observations are not a forecast.