Global Economic Collapse: Global Debt Surges Above $250 (5×5) Trillion as U.S., China Lead Way accounting for 60% (6) of new borrowing. Borrowing by governments, households and non-financial business now accounts for also 250% (5×5) of the world’s gross domestic product, and it’s growing faster than the global economy. Coincidence?

Ben Holland Bloomberg•November 14, 2019

Global debt hit a fresh record above $250 trillion in the first half of 2019, with China and the U.S. accounting for more than 60% of new borrowing, the Institute of International Finance said.

Borrowing by governments, households and non-financial business now accounts for also 250% of the world’s gross domestic product, and it’s growing faster than the global economy, the Washington-based IIF said in a report published Thursday.

In developed countries, it’s governments that account for the bulk of borrowing over the past decade, the IIF said. In emerging markets, companies have taken the lead — but more than half of corporate debt in those countries is likely held by state-owned businesses.

The report cited limits and risks attached to debt-fueled economic growth. It said that emerging markets that have increasingly relied on foreign-currency borrowing — including Turkey, Mexico and Chile — may be exposed to risks if growth slows further.

And it said that “high-debt countries that also have high exposure to climate risk” — like Japan, Singapore, Korea and the U.S. — may struggle with the rapid increase in funding that the fight against climate change will require.