Figure: Federal Government Debt Held by the Public, 1960-2007

Data are plotted as a curve and are expressed as a percent of nominal GDP. The curve starts in 1960 at about 45 percent and generally declines until 1974, when it reaches a value of just less than 25 percent. The curve then generally rises and reaches a peak of almost 50 percent in 1993; it declines until 2001, when it reaches a value of just less than 35 percent. The curve then generally rises, reaching a little more than 35 percent in 2007.