Iraq absent from top 20 US bond holders

Shafaq News – Baghdad / Washington

Iraq is no longer among the top 20 foreign holders of American Treasury securities, the US Treasury Department announced on Saturday.

In its September 2025 table, the department said Iraq’s holdings fell from $40.8B in 2023 to below $30B in 2024, leaving it outside the leading group.

Saudi Arabia ranked among the top holders with $131.7B, while the UAE held $107.8B. Japan remained the largest foreign holder at $1.151T, followed by the United Kingdom with $899B, China with $730B, the Cayman Islands with $438B, and Belgium with $428B.

In August 2023, the Treasury reported that Iraq had dropped one spot in the global ranking despite raising its bond holdings by $300M to $33B, placing 37th among 38 listed countries. Peru overtook Iraq at the time to claim 36th place.

Back then, Iraq was the fourth-largest Arab holder after Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait. At that point, Japan led the world with $1.105T, followed by China at $835B, the UK at $672B, Belgium at $332B, and Luxembourg at $331B.