An interactive chart showing that, in 2006, student loan debt stood at around $500 billion but grew to about $1.8 trillion by 2023. Also on the chart are three other types of consumer debt, namely, auto loans, credit cards, and “other.” While these three types all increased over time, they did not rise at the same rate as student loans. For instance, credit cards and auto loans were each hovering around $800 billion in 2006, which was significantly above student loans. But student loans had surpassed both auto loans and credit cards by 2011. In 2023, when student loan debt was close to $1.8 trillion, auto loans were around $1.4 trillion, credit cards were around $1.2 trillion, and other consumer debt was $400 billion.