| Rank | Country | million $ | Debt - external |
| World | 68,750,000 |  $68.75 trillion (31 December 2011 est.) $64.46 trillion (31 December 2010 est.) note: this figure is the sum total of all countries' external debt, both public and private |
| European Union | 16,080,000 |  $16.08 trillion (30 June 2011) $13.72 trillion (30 June 2010) |
1 | United States | 14,710,000 | $14.71 trillion (30 June 2011) $13.98 trillion (30 June 2010) note: approximately 4/5ths of US external debt is denominated in US dollars; foreign lenders have been willing to hold US dollar denominated debt instruments because they view the dollar as the world's reserve currency |
2 | United Kingdom | 9,836,000 | $9.836 trillion (30 June 2011) $8.981 trillion (30 June 2010) |
3 | France | 5,633,000 | $5.633 trillion (30 June 2011) $4.698 trillion (30 June 2010) |
4 | Germany | 5,624,000 | $5.624 trillion (30 June 2011) $4.713 trillion (30 June 2010) |
5 | Japan | 2,719,000 | $2.719 trillion (30 June 2011) $2.441 trillion (30 September 2010) |
6 | Italy | 2,684,000 | $2.684 trillion (30 June 2011 est.) $2.223 trillion (30 June 2010 est.) |
7 | Netherlands | 2,655,000 |  $2.655 trillion (30 June 2011) $3.733 trillion (31 December 2009) |
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This page was last updated on 2 February, 2012 |
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