Federal Budget Infographics for Fiscal Year 2025

CBO Publications

Published March 30th, 2026

Detected March 30th, 2026

Summary

CBO published four budget infographics showing federal budget results for fiscal year 2025. The government ran a budget deficit of $1.8 trillion (5.8% of GDP), with net interest costs totaling $970 billion. Social Security and Medicare accounted for the majority of mandatory spending and more than one-third of all federal spending.

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What changed

The CBO released four infographics on March 30, 2026, providing a detailed look at the federal budget in fiscal year 2025. Key figures include a $1.8 trillion deficit (5.8% of GDP, compared to a 50-year average of 3.8%), $970 billion in net interest costs (3.2% of GDP—more than double the 2021 level), and Social Security and Medicare exceeding discretionary spending combined. The four infographics cover the budgetary overview, mandatory spending, discretionary spending, and revenues.

This is an informational publication with no compliance requirements or deadlines. No action is required from regulated entities. The data may be useful for financial analysts, policymakers, and researchers tracking federal fiscal trends, but the infographics do not impose new obligations or reporting requirements on any sector.

Source document (simplified)

CBO Releases Infographics About the Federal Budget in Fiscal Year 2025

Posted by Dan Ready on March 30, 2026 Each year, CBO releases a set of four budget infographics that provide a detailed look at the past fiscal year as well as broader trends over the past few decades. Today, CBO published the latest infographics showing the federal budget results for fiscal year 2025.

These infographics help people understand how much the federal government spends and takes in each year and what programs and revenue sources account for the largest portions of those budgetary flows.

As highlighted in the first infographic, the government ran a budget deficit of $1.8 trillion in 2025, which is equal to 5.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP)—much higher than the average of 3.8 percent over the past 50 years. The government's net interest costs totaled $970 billion in 2025. As a percentage of GDP, net interest costs amounted to 3.2 percent in 2025, more than twice the level seen in 2021.

The first two infographics (which feature the budgetary overview and mandatory spending) show that Social Security and Medicare accounted for the majority of mandatory spending and more than one-third of all federal spending in 2025; combined, those two programs eclipsed discretionary spending, which is presented in the third infographic. Outlays for nondefense programs accounted for more than half of the discretionary total. Revenues (shown in the fourth infographic) were slightly higher, as a percentage of GDP, than they averaged over the past 20 years.

You can view the infographics for 2025 below, including an interactive version of the one about the overall federal budget:

Dan Ready is an analyst in CBO's Budget Analysis Division.