Economists' World Debt Clock

The Economist has a nice image of global debt levels. The debt recorded is public debt. For the United States this amount is about $8 trillion dollars. Our current national debt is about $13 trillion, this means $5 trillion is held about other government agencies. If you look at public debt as a percentage of GDP the United States is not nearly as bad as many other countries. This doesn't make it better, just not as bad.