Talk:National debt of the United States
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"COVID-19 pandemic and 2021 spendings" sub-heading
Other than the spelling error ('spendings' instead of 'spending,' maybe non-native English or bot submission?), the article referenced as evidence has been updated & also doesn't support the statements present (references May report not included in article released in April and updated in June, numerical totals of expected spending are different). This isn't adding anything meaningful & doesn't promote any embellishment like a stub would. This sub-heading should be removed or reworked as a symbolic link to a separate wiki entry specifically covering the 2020 & 2021 pandemic related spending by the U.S.A. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.31.221.103 (talk) 11:54, 29 September 2021 (UTC)
Implemented. Section has been re-written into history section. Peripteros (talk) 18:35, 14 May 2026 (UTC)
Debt as a percentage of GDP
The article currently expresses debt as a percentage of GDP in several places. For example, "debt held by the public was estimated at 96.19% of GDP.
" This can be misleading, as percents are usually used for fractions where 100% is the maximum or has special significance. It seems to me that it would be better to say "0.9619 years of GDP
" or "0.9619 times GDP
". Would anyone object to me making that change throughout the article?
I know the percentage notation is common in economic literature, but since Wikipedia is aimed at a general audience, I think it would be valuable to adjust how we write this number to help clarify its meaning to the noneconomist. And here's at least one source that calls out the problem with the percentage notation: Sheard, Pault. "Beware The Government Debt-To_GDP Ratio". NDTV Profit. Retrieved 2026-02-11. Justin Kunimune (talk) 15:17, 14 February 2026 (UTC)
- I may object to this change as unduly complex. Nearly all sources on the topic – both technical and non-technical – has it expressed in % terms. Percentage notation is preferred. Peripteros (talk) 18:46, 14 May 2026 (UTC)
Deficit numbers
shows surpluses for some years in the 1990s, which our chart does not. Is there an error or can this be explained by different accounting methods? The 1990s surpluses are frequently cited, so I think due weight indicates they be depicted, with less common accounting methods mentioned secondarily? -- Beland (talk) 15:21, 16 April 2026 (UTC)