Whose billions? How the national debt is organized and who makes money on it

Ukraine's public debt increased by $1 billion in a month. Overall, in May 2025, the total public and publicly guaranteed debt of Ukraine increased to $180.97 billion. The bulk of the public debt is external. It amounts to $134.48 billion, which is 74.3% of the total. The domestic debt is $46.48 billion .

Currently, the amount of public debt is just under 100% of GDP, while the International Monetary Fund predicts an increase in debt to 110% of GDP by the end of 2025.

What is public debt? Why does the US, with the largest public debt, have a better economy than Ukraine? Does public debt affect citizens and who makes money from it? Read about all this and much more in the material LIGA.net.