Noun
sovereign debt (countable and uncountable, plural sovereign debts)
(economics) The amount of money outstanding that was borrowed by a government in order to finance expenditure not covered by taxation.
Synonyms: government debt, national debt, public debt
Comparing your family budget to the sovereign debt of the United States is a little like comparing two kindergartners tossing a paper airplane to the Apollo 11 mission. Matt Taibbi
But sovereign debt is a wider question not only in Europe but across the globe. While every country is a unique case, I think it's not an issue of countries acting on their own. We need a more coordinated strategy not only in Europe but around the world. George Papandreou
Spain is finding it very difficult to finance itself with sovereign debt risk premium so high. Mariano Rajoy