"If an economy (gross domestic product) is growing "faster than the growth of national debt held by the public (both domestic and foreign), what will be its impact on the national debt? The debt as a percentage of GDP will increase, and hence the burden of the debt will decrease. The debt as a percentage of GDP will decrease, and hence the burden of the debt will increase. The burden of the debt on the annual budget will become smaller as long as interest rates are low. The burden of the debt on the annual budget will become smaller as long as interest rates are high.