United Kingdom - GB - GBR - GBR - Europe

Last updated: April 23, 2025

United Kingdom Images

Built on the site of a 6th century monastery, St. David's Church in Wales in the United Kingdom served as a religious and intellectual center on the western Welsh coast and remains a pilgrimage site.
The Houses of Parliament building in Westminster, London, United Kingdom, is home to the famous clock tower that houses “Big Ben.” The bell was named for Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw the latter stages of the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament after the 1834 fire.
Tower Bridge over the River Thames in London, United Kingdom, gets its name from the nearby Tower of London. Opened in 1894, it has become an iconic symbol of the city.
The statue of Winston Churchill on the grounds of the Houses of Parliament building (Westminster Palace) in London, United Kingdom.
The first Westminster Abbey in London, United Kingdom, was built in the 1040s by King Edward (later St. Edward the Confessor), who enlarged an existing small Benedictine monastery established at the site in A.D. 960. To distinguish it from St. Paul’s Cathedral (the east minster), also in London, it became known as “west minster.” In the mid-13th century, King Henry III built much of the present-day building.
The London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe (135 m; 443 ft). The Eye carries 32 egg-shaped passenger capsules, each of which can hold 25 people.
A view from the Golden Gallery, the highest point of the outer dome of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, England, United Kingdom. This Anglican place of worship sits on Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the city. Sir Christopher Wren designed the present structure, which dates to the 17th century and is generally considered to be the fifth St. Paul's Cathedral on the site.
The Royal Albert Hall in London, England, United Kingdom.
The Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens in London, England, United Kingdom, is situated to the north of the Royal Albert Hall. Queen Victoria commissioned it in memory of her beloved husband, Prince Albert, and it opened in 1872.
London City Hall (on the left) in the United Kingdom is home to the Greater London Authority, which consists of the Mayor of London and a 25-member London Assembly.
Buckingham Palace is the official residence and administrative headquarters for the monarch of the United Kingdom. The first Duke of Buckingham had the original townhouse built in 1703, and King George III purchased the house in 1761. Queen Victoria was the first sovereign to make the enlarged palace her residence in 1837. The palace now has 775 rooms that include 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms.
The Merchant Adventurers' Hall used to be one of the most important buildings in York, United Kingdom. Built in 1357 as a gathering place for merchants to conduct business and socialize, the Hall is the country's largest timber-framed building that is still used for its original purpose.
Bootham Bar (meaning "gatehouse") is part of the ancient city walls of York, United Kingdom, and has some of the oldest surviving stonework in the city, dating to the 11th century A.D. It was built on the site of the northwestern gate of Eboracum, the earlier Roman settlement. This view shows York Minster, the city's famous cathedral, in the background.
A view of the towers on the western side of York Minster in the United Kingdom. Construction on this Gothic cathedral, one of the largest in northern Europe, began in 1220, but it was not completed until 1472.
The Shambles, formerly an open-air meat market in York, United Kingdom, is now a popular tourist destination lined with shops.
HMS Warrior, a museum ship docked in Portsmouth Harbor, England, United Kingdom. This first armor-plated, iron-hulled warship built for the British Royal Navy was completed in 1861. In its day, Warrior was the largest, fastest, most heavily armed and armored warship in the world, powered by sail and steam-driven propeller.
A view of the starboard side of HMS Victory, Lord Nelson's flagship from the Battle of Trafalgar, in drydock in Portsmouth Harbor, England, United Kingdom.
Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, was built between 1705 and 1724 in the English Baroque style. It is one of the largest houses in England and the only non-royal country house in England that is officially called a palace. The palace is the birthplace and ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill.
The Palm House at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England, United Kingdom, is the largest Victorian glasshouse in the world and was built in 1844.
The physical representation of the line dividing the eastern and western hemispheres of the Earth at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England, United Kingdom. On 22 October 1884, the International Meridian Conference meeting in Washington, D.C., adopted Greenwich as the initial longitudinal meridian.
The Anglican Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in the United Kingdom, with the longest nave (pictured) of any Gothic cathedral in Europe. The cathedral, founded in 1079, is the burial site of English writer Jane Austen.
Although no longer in general use, the red phone booth was once a staple of the British communications system. This one is on a back street in Harrogate, England, United Kingdom.
On April 23, 1564, William Shakespeare was born in this house on Stratford-upon-Avon, England, United Kingdom. In 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway and the young couple lived in this house with their children and his parents.
Anne Hathaway's Cottage, near Stratford-upon-Avon, England, United Kingdom, is a spacious 12-room house where Anne -- William Shakespeare's wife -- was raised.
Windsor Castle in Berkshire County in the United Kingdom is the largest inhabited castle in the world. Dating to the 11th century, it is one of the principal official residences of the British monarch.
The Cathedral of Saint Mary in Salisbury, England, was consecrated in 1258 and has the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom. The Anglican cathedral holds the oldest working clock in the world (built 1386).
The White Cliffs of Dover are on the English coastline next to the Strait of Dover (part of the English Channel). The cliffs are made of chalk and stretch for 13 km (8 mi).
The Christopher Foxley-Norris Memorial Wall is part of the Battle of Britain Memorial in Folkstone, United Kingdom. The wall contains the names of air crew who flew at least one sortie with the Royal Air Force during the battle in 1940.
The Great Bath at Aquae Sulis (modern-day Bath) in England, United Kingdom. The water from the hot spring is colorless, but algae causes the green hue.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric stone circle located on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom.
Spanning the Severn River near Ironbridge, England, United Kingdom, is the world’s first iron bridge. The bridge opened in 1781 and remained in use until 1934.
A view from the top of a section of Hadrian's Wall in England, United Kingdom. Named for the Roman emperor who ordered its construction, the wall extends across northern Britain from Wallsend in the east to Solway Firth in the west and took over six years to build, beginning in A.D. 122.
The Standing Stones of Callanish on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, United Kingdom, date to between 2900 and 2600 B.C.
A view of the entranceway to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, United Kingdom. The doorway is flanked by bronze statues of Robert the Bruce on the left and William Wallace (aka Braveheart) on the right. They were added in 1929 on the 600th anniversary of Bruce's death.
Saint Margaret's Chapel was built around 1130 and is the oldest building in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.
A section of the Scottish National War Memorial building in Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, United Kingdom.
The entrance to Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland. The castle's name comes from the Celtic words "haly" and "ruid," meaning "Holy Cross," and it is the official Scottish residence of the British monarch.
Leeds Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St. Anne, is the Roman Catholic cathedral for the Diocese of Leeds in England, United Kingdom.
Stone marking the spot where the knights of King Henry II murdered Thomas Becket for opposing the king. Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170 and was canonized as a saint.
The highland cow ("heilan coo" in the Scots dialect) is a Scottish breed of rustic cattle that originated in the Highlands and the Outer Hebrides.
This statue in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a tribute to Greyfriar’s Bobby, a Skye terrier who was a constant companion to his owner John Gray. When Gray died in 1858, Bobby refused to leave his master’s grave until his own death 14 years later, and the statue is near the Greyfriar's Kirkyard where both are buried.
The Giant's Causeway ("Clochán an Aifir" in Irish) consists of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. As the lava cooled, cracks occurred in a hexagonal pattern, leaving pillarlike structures. The geological formation is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland.
Built on the site of a 6th century monastery, St. David's Church in Wales in the United Kingdom served as a religious and intellectual center on the western Welsh coast and remains a pilgrimage site.
The Houses of Parliament building in Westminster, London, United Kingdom, is home to the famous clock tower that houses “Big Ben.” The bell was named for Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw the latter stages of the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament after the 1834 fire.

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United Kingdom Factbook Data

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Matthew PALMER (since January 2025)

embassy: 33 Nine Elms Lane, London, SW11 7US

mailing address: 8400 London Place, Washington DC 20521-8400

telephone: [44] (0) 20-7499-9000

FAX: [44] (0) 20-7891-3845

email address and website:
SCSLondon@state.gov

https://uk.usembassy.gov/

consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh

Age structure

0-14 years: 16.7% (male 5,872,937/female 5,592,665)

15-64 years: 63.9% (male 22,062,643/female 21,702,401)

65 years and over: 19.3% (2024 est.) (male 6,069,865/female 7,158,544)

This is the population pyramid for United Kingdom. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.

For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page.

Geographic coordinates

54 00 N, 2 00 W

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Natural hazards

winter windstorms; floods

Area - comparative

twice the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oregon

twice the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oregon

Military service age and obligation

some variations by service, but generally 16-36 years of age for enlisted (with parental consent under 18) and 18-29 for officers; minimum length of service 4 years; women serve in all military services including combat roles; conscription abolished in 1963 (2024)

note 1: women made up 11.7% of the military's full-time personnel in 2024

note 2: the British military allows Commonwealth nationals who are current UK residents and have been in the country for at least 5 years to apply; it also accepts Irish citizens

note 3: the British Army has continued the historic practice of recruiting Gurkhas from Nepal to serve in the Brigade of Gurkhas; the British began to recruit Nepalese citizens (Gurkhas) into the East India Company Army during the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816); the Gurkhas subsequently were brought into the British Indian Army and by 1914, there were 10 Gurkha regiments, collectively known as the Gurkha Brigade; following the partition of India in 1947, an agreement between Nepal, India, and Great Britain allowed for the transfer of the 10 regiments from the British Indian Army to the separate British and Indian armies; four of the regiments were transferred to the British Army, where they have since served continuously as the Brigade of Gurkhas

Background

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was created when the Kingdoms of England and Scotland -- which previously had been distinct states under a single monarchy -- were joined under the 1707 Acts of Union. The island of Ireland was incorporated under the 1800 Acts of Union, while Wales had been part of the Kingdom of England since the 16th century. The United Kingdom has historically played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. The 18th and 19th centuries saw the rapid expansion of the British Empire despite the loss of the Thirteen Colonies, and at its zenith in the early 20th century, the British Empire stretched over one fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw two World Wars seriously deplete the UK's strength and the Irish Republic withdraw from the union. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council and a founding member of NATO and the Commonwealth of Nations, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy. The devolved Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1998.

The UK was an active member of the EU after its accession in 1973, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union. However, motivated in part by frustration at a remote bureaucracy in Brussels and massive migration into the country, UK citizens in 2016 voted by 52 to 48 percent to leave the EU. On 31 January 2020, the UK became the only country to depart the EU -- a move known as "Brexit" -- after prolonged negotiations on EU-UK economic and security relationships.

Environment - current issues

air pollution improved but remains a concern, particularly in the London region; soil pollution from pesticides and heavy metals; decline in marine and coastal habitats brought on by pressures from housing, tourism, and industry

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Military expenditures

2.3% of GDP (2024 est.)
2.3% of GDP (2023)
2.3% of GDP (2022)
2.3% of GDP (2021)
2.4% of GDP (2020)

Population below poverty line

18.6% (2017 est.)

note: % of population with income below national poverty line

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3% (2021 est.)

highest 10%: 24.6% (2021 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Exports - commodities

cars, gold, gas turbines, packaged medicine, crude petroleum (2023)

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Exports - partners

USA 14%, China 8%, Germany 8%, Netherlands 7%, Ireland 7% (2023)

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

Administrative divisions

England: 24 two-tier counties, 32 London boroughs and 1 City of London or Greater London, 36 metropolitan districts, 59 unitary authorities (including 4 single-tier counties*);

two-tier counties: Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Worcestershire

London boroughs and City of London or Greater London: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, City of London, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster

metropolitan districts: Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Bury, Calderdale, Coventry, Doncaster, Dudley, Gateshead, Kirklees, Knowlsey, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham, Salford, Sandwell, Sefton, Sheffield, Solihull, South Tyneside, St. Helens, Stockport, Sunderland, Tameside, Trafford, Wakefield, Walsall, Wigan, Wirral, Wolverhampton

unitary authorities: Bath and North East Somerset; Bedford; Blackburn with Darwen; Blackpool; Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Bracknell Forest; Brighton and Hove; City of Bristol; Buckinghamshire; Central Bedfordshire; Cheshire East; Cheshire West and Chester; Cornwall; Darlington; Derby; Dorset; Durham County*; East Riding of Yorkshire; Halton; Hartlepool; Herefordshire*; Isle of Wight*; Isles of Scilly; City of Kingston upon Hull; Leicester; Luton; Medway; Middlesbrough; Milton Keynes; North East Lincolnshire; North Lincolnshire; North Northamptonshire; North Somerset; Northumberland*; Nottingham; Peterborough; Plymouth; Portsmouth; Reading; Redcar and Cleveland; Rutland; Shropshire; Slough; South Gloucestershire; Southampton; Southend-on-Sea; Stockton-on-Tees; Stoke-on-Trent; Swindon; Telford and Wrekin; Thurrock; Torbay; Warrington; West Berkshire; West Northamptonshire; Wiltshire; Windsor and Maidenhead; Wokingham; York

Northern Ireland: 5 borough councils, 4 district councils, 2 city councils;

borough councils: Antrim and Newtownabbey; Ards and North Down; Armagh City, Banbridge, and Craigavon; Causeway Coast and Glens; Mid and East Antrim

district councils: Derry City and Strabane; Fermanagh and Omagh; Mid Ulster; Newry, Murne, and Down

city councils: Belfast; Lisburn and Castlereagh

Scotland: 32 council areas;

council areas: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, The Scottish Borders, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian

Wales: 22 unitary authorities;

unitary authorities: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea, The Vale of Glamorgan, Torfaen, Wrexham

Agricultural products

milk, wheat, sugar beets, barley, potatoes, chicken, rapeseed, pork, beef, oats (2023)

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Military and security forces

United Kingdom Armed Forces (aka British Armed Forces, aka His Majesty's Armed Forces): British Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force (2024)

Budget

revenues: $1.136 trillion (2022 est.)

expenditures: $1.291 trillion (2022 est.)

note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Capital

name: London

geographic coordinates: 51 30 N, 0 05 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

time zone note: the time statements apply to the United Kingdom proper, not to its crown dependencies or overseas territories

etymology: the name derives from the Roman settlement of Londinium, established on the current site of London around A.D. 43; the original meaning of the name is uncertain

Imports - commodities

cars, gold, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, natural gas (2023)

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Climate

temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast

Coastline

12,429 km

Constitution

history: uncoded; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

amendment process: proposed as a bill for an Act of Parliament by the government, by the House of Commons, or by the House of Lords; passage requires agreement by both houses and by the monarch (Royal Assent)

Dependent areas

Anguilla; Bermuda; British Indian Ocean Territory; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; Pitcairn Islands; Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Turks and Caicos Islands (12)

Exchange rates

British pounds (GBP) per US dollar -

Exchange rates:
0.805 (2023 est.)
0.811 (2022 est.)
0.727 (2021 est.)
0.78 (2020 est.)
0.783 (2019 est.)

Executive branch

chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022)

head of government: Prime Minister Keir STARMER (Labor) (since 5 July 2024)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister

elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes the prime minister; election last held on 12 December 2019 (next to be held no later than 28 January 2025)

note 1: in addition to serving as the UK head of state, the British sovereign is the constitutional monarch for 14 additional Commonwealth countries (these 15 states are each referred to as a Commonwealth realm)

note 2: King CHARLES succeeded his mother, Queen ELIZABETH II, after serving as Prince of Wales (heir apparent) for over 64 years - the longest such tenure in British history

Flag description

blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, and British overseas territories

Roadways

total: 416,461 km (2022)

Illicit drugs

a major consumer and transshipment point, though not a source, for illicit drugs; among the highest consumer of heroin and cocaine in Europe; one of the largest markets for cannabis; a major source of precursor or essential chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics

Independence

no official date of independence: 927 (minor English kingdoms unite); 3 March 1284 (enactment of the Statute of Rhuddlan uniting England and Wales); 1536 (Act of Union formally incorporates England and Wales); 1 May 1707 (Acts of Union formally unite England, Scotland, and Wales as Great Britain); 1 January 1801 (Acts of Union formally unite Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland); 6 December 1921 (Anglo-Irish Treaty formalizes partition of Ireland; six counties remain part of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland); 12 April 1927 (Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act establishes current name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

Industries

machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, other consumer goods

Waterways

3,200 km (2009) (620 km used for commerce)

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 12 justices, including the court president and deputy president)

judge selection and term of office: judge candidates selected by an independent committee of several judicial commissions, then recommended to the prime minister, and appointed by the monarch; justices serve for life

subordinate courts: England and Wales: Court of Appeal (civil and criminal divisions); High Court; Crown Court; County Courts; Magistrates' Courts; Scotland: Court of Sessions; Sheriff Courts; High Court of Justiciary; tribunals; Northern Ireland: Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland; High Court; county courts; magistrates' courts; specialized tribunals

Land boundaries

total: 499 km

border countries (1): Ireland 499 km

Land use

agricultural land: 69.6% (2022 est.)

arable land: 24.8% (2022 est.)

permanent crops: 0.2% (2022 est.)

permanent pasture: 44.6% (2022 est.)

forest: 13.3% (2022 est.)

other: 17.2% (2022 est.)

Legal system

common law system; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998

Legislative branch

legislature name: UK Parliament

legislative structure: bicameral

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

International organization participation

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, C, CBSS (observer), CD, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UN Security Council (permanent), UNSOM, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

National holiday

the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday

Nationality

noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural)

adjective: British

Natural resources

coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land

Geography - note

lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel (the Channel Tunnel or Chunnel); because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters

Economic overview

high-income, non-EU European economy; global financial center and dominant service sector; sluggish growth from stringent monetary policy, reduced business investment, low productivity and participation rates; fiscal austerity in face of high public debt

Pipelines

502 km condensate, 9 km condensate/gas, 28,603 km gas, 59 km liquid petroleum gas, 5,256 km oil, 175 km oil/gas/water, 4,919 km refined products, 255 km water (2013)

Political parties

Alliance Party or APNI (Northern Ireland)
Conservative and Unionist Party
Democratic Unionist Party or DUP (Northern Ireland)
Green Party of England and Wales or Greens
Labor (Labour) Party
Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems)
Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru)
Reform UK
Scottish National Party or SNP
Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland)
Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland)
Traditional Unionist Voice or TUV
UK Independence Party or UKIP
Ulster Unionist Party or UUP (Northern Ireland)
Workers Party of Great Britian

Railways

total: 16,390 km (2020) 6,167 km electrified

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: UK’s telecom market remains one of the largest in Europe, characterized by competition, affordable pricing, and its technologically advanced systems; mobile penetration above the EU average; government to invest in infrastructure and 5G technologies with ambition for a fully-fibered nation by 2033; operators expanded the reach of 5G services in 2020; super-fast broadband available to about 95% of customers; London is developing smart city technology, in collaboration with private, tech, and academic sectors (2021)

domestic: fixed-line is 48 per 100 and mobile-cellular is 120 per 100 (2021)

international: country code - 44; Landing points for the GTT Atlantic, Scotland-Northern Ireland -1, & -2, Lanis 1,-2, &-3, Sirius North, BT-MT-1, SHEFA-2, BT Highlands and Islands Submarine Cable System, Northern Lights, FARICE-1, Celtic Norse, Tampnet Offshore FOC Network, England Cable, CC-2, E-LLan, Sirius South, ESAT -1 & -2, Rockabill, Geo-Eirgrid, UK-Netherlands-14, Circle North & South, Ulysses2, Conceto, Farland North, Pan European Crossing, Solas, Swansea-Bream, GTT Express, Tata TGN-Atlantic & -Western Europe, Apollo, EIG, Glo-1, TAT-14, Yellow, Celtic, FLAG Atlantic-1, FEA, Isle of Scilly Cable, UK-Channel Islands-8 and SeaMeWe-3 submarine cables providing links throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, and US; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers (2019)

Terrain

mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast

Government type

parliamentary constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Country name

conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - the island of Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales

conventional short form: United Kingdom

abbreviation: UK

etymology: the name United Kingdom is self-descriptive; the name Britain probably derives from the Celtic word pretani, meaning "painted people;" the designation of Great Britain for England, Scotland, and Wales dates back to medieval times and was used to distinguish the island from Little Britain, or Brittany, in modern France; the name Ireland evolved from the Gaelic name Eriu, which is possibly derived from the Old Celtic iveriu, meaning "good land"

Location

Western Europe, islands - including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland - between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea; northwest of France

Map references

Europe

Irrigated land

718 sq km (2018)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Peter MANDELSON (since 25 February 2025)

chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500

FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870

email address and website:
ukin.washington@fcdo.gov.uk

https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-washington

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

Internet users

percent of population: 95% (2022 est.)

Internet country code

.uk

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 21,904 (Iran), 15,615 (Eritrea), 11,371 (Sudan), 12,155 (Syria), 10,259 (Afghanistan), 8,009 (Pakistan), 7,699 (Iraq) (mid-year 2022); 255,060 (Ukraine) (as of 12 March 2024)

stateless persons: 5,483 (2022)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$3.381 trillion (2023 est.)

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Credit ratings

Fitch rating: AA- (2020)

Moody's rating: Aaa (2020)

Standard & Poors rating: AA (2016)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

Total renewable water resources

147 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 17 years

male: 17 years

female: 18 years (2020)

Urbanization

urban population: 84.6% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.8% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Broadcast media

public service broadcaster, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world; BBC operates multiple TV networks with regional and local TV service; a mixed system of public and commercial TV broadcasters along with satellite and cable systems provide access to hundreds of TV stations throughout the world; BBC operates multiple national, regional, and local radio networks with multiple transmission sites; a large number of commercial radio stations, as well as satellite radio services are available (2018)

Drinking water source

improved:

urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

unimproved:

urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

National anthem

name: "God Save the King"

lyrics/music: unknown

note: in use since 1745; by tradition, the song serves as both the national and royal anthem of the UK; it is known as either "God Save the Queen" or "God Save the King," depending on the gender of the reigning monarch; it also serves as the royal anthem of many Commonwealth nations

This is an audio of the National Anthem for United Kingdom. The national anthem is generally a patriotic musical composition - usually in the form of a song or hymn of praise - that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions, or struggles of a nation or its people. National anthems can be officially recognized as a national song by a country's constitution or by an enacted law, or simply by tradition. Although most anthems contain lyrics, some do not.

Major urban areas - population

9.648 million LONDON (capital), 2.791 million Manchester, 2.665 million Birmingham, 1.929 million West Yorkshire, 1.698 million Glasgow, 952,000 Southampton/Portsmouth (2023)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Physician density

3.3 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

Hospital bed density

2.5 beds/1,000 population (2019)

National symbol(s)

lion (Britain in general); lion, Tudor rose, oak (England); lion, unicorn, thistle (Scotland); dragon, daffodil, leek (Wales); shamrock, flax (Northern Ireland); national colors: red, white, blue (Britain in general); red, white (England); blue, white (Scotland); red, white, green (Wales)

Mother's mean age at first birth

29 years (2018 est.)

note: data represents England and Wales only

Contraceptive prevalence rate

76.1% (2010/12)

note: percent of women aged 16-49

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 61.1% (2023 est.)

government consumption: 20.5% (2023 est.)

investment in fixed capital: 17.6% (2023 est.)

investment in inventories: -0.4% (2023 est.)

exports of goods and services: 31.7% (2023 est.)

imports of goods and services: -32.2% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 57.7

youth dependency ratio: 27.8

elderly dependency ratio: 29.8

potential support ratio: 3.4 (2021 est.)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the United Kingdom

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Population distribution

the core of the population lies in and around London, with significant clusters found in central Britain around Manchester and Liverpool, in the Scottish lowlands between Edinburgh and Glasgow, southern Wales in and around Cardiff, and far eastern Northern Ireland centered on Belfast

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas: 99.9%

electrification - rural areas: 100%

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 20 (2020)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 794

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 165,388,610 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 6,198,370,000 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Sanitation facility access

improved:

urban: 99.8% of population

rural: 99.8% of population

total: 99.8% of population

unimproved:

urban: 0.2% of population

rural: 0.2% of population

total: 0.2% of population (2020 est.)

Ethnic groups

White 87.2%, Black/African/Caribbean/black British 3%, Asian/Asian British: Indian 2.3%, Asian/Asian British: Pakistani 1.9%, mixed 2%, other 3.7% (2011 est.)

Religions

Christian (includes Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 59.5%, Muslim 4.4%, Hindu 1.3%, other 2%, unspecified 7.2%, none 25.7% (2011 est.)

Languages

English

note: the following are recognized regional languages: Scots (about 30% of the population of Scotland), Scottish Gaelic (about 60,000 speakers in Scotland), Welsh (about 20% of the population of Wales), Irish (about 10% of the population of Northern Ireland), Cornish (some 2,000 to 3,000 people in Cornwall) (2012 est.)

Imports - partners

China 13%, USA 11%, Germany 10%, France 5%, Norway 4% (2023)

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Communications - note

note 1: the British Library claims to be the largest library in the world with well over 150 million items and in most known languages; it receives copies of all books produced in the UK or Ireland, as well as a significant proportion of overseas titles distributed in the UK; in addition to books (print and digital), holdings include: journals, manuscripts, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, videos, maps, prints, patents, and drawings

note 2: on 1 May 1840, the United Kingdom led the world with the introduction of postage stamps; the Austrian Empire had examined the idea of an "adhesive tax postmark" for the prepayment of postage in 1835; while the suggestion was reviewed in detail, it was rejected for the time being; other countries (including Austria) soon followed the UK's example with their own postage stamps; by the 1860s, most countries were issuing stamps; originally, stamps had to be cut from sheets; the UK issued the first postage stamps with perforations in 1854

Elevation

highest point: Ben Nevis 1,345 m

lowest point: The Fens -4 m

mean elevation: 162 m

Transportation - note

begun in 1988 and completed in 1994, the Channel Tunnel (nicknamed the Chunnel) is a 50.5-km (31.4-mi) rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover that runs from Folkestone, Kent, England to Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais in northern France; it is the only fixed link between the island of Great Britain and mainland Europe

Current health expenditure

11.3% of GDP (2022)

Literacy

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 138,000 Regular Forces (75,000 Army including the Gurkhas; 32,000 Navy including the Royal Marines; 31,000 Air Force) (2025)

note: the military also maintains approximately 40-45,000 reserves and other personnel on active duty

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the inventory of the British military is comprised mostly of domestically produced weapons and equipment, with a smaller mix of some imported Western weapons systems, particularly from the US; the UK defense industry is capable of producing a wide variety of air, land, and sea weapons systems and is one of the world's top weapons suppliers; it also cooperates with other European countries and the US in the research and development of weapons systems (2024)

Military deployments

the British military has more than 8,000 personnel on permanent or long-term rotational deployments around the globe in support of NATO, UN, or other commitments and agreements; key deployments include approximately 1,000 in Brunei, approximately 2,500 in Cyprus (includes 250 for UNFICYP), approximately 900-1,000 in Estonia (NATO), over 1,000 in the Falkland Islands, 500-600 in Gibraltar, and more than 1,000 in the Middle East; its air and naval forces conduct missions on a global basis; the British military also participates in large scale NATO exercises, including providing some 16,000 personnel for the 6-month 2024 Steadfast Defender exercise (2024)

Terrorist group(s)

Terrorist group(s): Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA); Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); al-Qa'ida; Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA)

note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

Military - note

the British military has a long history, a global presence, and a wide range of missions and responsibilities; these responsibilities include protecting the UK, its territories, national interests, and values, preventing conflict, providing humanitarian assistance, participating in international peacekeeping, building relationships, and fulfilling the UK’s alliance and treaty commitments; in addition to its role in the UN, the UK is a leading member of NATO and has made considerable military contributions to NATO missions in such places as Afghanistan, the Baltics, and Iraq, as well the Baltic and Mediterranean seas and the waters of the North Atlantic

the UK is a member of the Five Power Defense Arrangements (FPDA), a series of mutual assistance agreements reached in 1971 embracing Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK; in 2014, the UK led the formation of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a pool of high-readiness military forces from the Baltic and Scandinavian countries intended to respond to a wide range of contingencies both in peacetime and in times of crisis or conflict; the UK military also has strong bilateral ties with a variety of foreign militaries, particularly the US, with which it has a mutual defense treaty; British and US military forces have routinely operated side-by-side across a wide range of operations; other close military relationships include Australia, France, Germany, and the Netherlands; in 2010, for example, France and the UK signed a declaration on defense and security cooperation that included greater military interoperability and a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF), a deployable, combined Anglo-French military force for use in a wide range of crisis scenarios, up to and including high intensity combat operations

the British Armed Forces were formed in 1707 as the armed forces of the Kingdom of Great Britain when England and Scotland merged under the terms of the Treaty of Union; while the origins of the armed forces of England and Scotland stretch back to the Middle Ages, the first standing armies for England and Scotland were organized in the 1600s while the navies were formed in the 1500s; the Royal Marines were established in 1755; the Royal Air Force was created in April 1918 by the merger of the British Army's Royal Flying Corps and the Admiralty's Royal Naval Air Service (2024)

Total water withdrawal

municipal: 6.23 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial: 1.01 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural: 1.18 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 31.567 million tons (2014 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually: 8,602,008 tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 27.3% (2015 est.)

Average household expenditures

on food: 8.7% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco: 3% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

Air pollutants

particulate matter emissions: 9.52 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions: 379.02 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions: 49.16 megatons (2020 est.)

National heritage

total World Heritage Sites: 33 (28 cultural, 4 natural, 1 mixed); note - includes one site in Bermuda

selected World Heritage Site locales: Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast (n); Ironbridge Gorge (c); Stonehenge, Avebury, and Associated Sites (c); Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd (c); Blenheim Palace (c); City of Bath (c); Tower of London (c); St Kilda (m); Maritime Greenwich (c); Old and New Towns of Edinburgh (c); Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (c); The English Lake District (c)

Child marriage

women married by age 18: 0.1% (2020 est.)

Coal

production: 1.568 million metric tons (2023 est.)

consumption: 7.372 million metric tons (2023 est.)

exports: 981,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

imports: 6.633 million metric tons (2023 est.)

proven reserves: 26 million metric tons (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels: 36.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

nuclear: 13.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

solar: 4.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

wind: 30.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

hydroelectricity: 1.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

biomass and waste: 12.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Natural gas

production: 34.029 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

consumption: 63.553 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

exports: 15.842 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

imports: 45.226 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

proven reserves: 180.661 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

total petroleum production: 753,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption: 1.406 million bbl/day (2024 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves: 2.5 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.8 (2024 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

50.7% (2023 est.)

Remittances

0.13% of GDP (2023 est.)
0.13% of GDP (2022 est.)
0.11% of GDP (2021 est.)

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Nuclear energy

Number of operational nuclear reactors: 9 (2025)

Number of nuclear reactors under construction: 2 (2025)

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 5.88GW (2025 est.)

Percent of total electricity production: 12.5% (2023 est.)

Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down: 36 (2025)

Space program overview

has a comprehensive space program and is active across all areas of the space sector outside of launching humans into space, including satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs)/rockets and their components, space probes, satellites and satellite subcomponents, space sensors, spaceports, and various other space-related technologies; as a founding member of the European Space Agency (ESA), it is heavily involved in ESA programs and has bi-lateral relations with many members; is a close partner of the US NASA and since 2016 has forged over 350 relationships with international organizations across nearly 50 developing countries; has a large commercial space sector that produces SLVs, SLV components, satellites, satellite subcomponents and sensors, and other space-related technologies; the UK has a space industrial plan, and the UKSA has provided funding to encourage and support commercial space projects (2024)

note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in the Space Programs reference guide

Space launch site(s)

Spaceport 1 (Outer Hebrides, Scotland; operational 2023); Spaceport Machrihanish (Argyll, Scotland; operational 2024); Glasgow Prestwick (South Ayrshire, Scotland; operational 2024 for horizontal launches); Spaceport Snowdonia (Gwynedd, Wales; operational 2024); SaxaVord UK Spaceport (Unst, Shetland Islands; operational 2023); Sutherland Spaceport (Sutherland, Scotland; operational 2024); Sutherland, Scotland (Cornwall Airport Newquay, Cornwall; operational 2023 for horizontal launches) (2024)

Space agency/agencies

UK Space Agency (UKSA; established in 2010); the UKSA replaced the British National Space Center (BNSC; organized in 1985); UK Space Command (formed 2021) (2024)

Geoparks

total global geoparks and regional networks: 9

global geoparks and regional networks: Black Country; Cuilcagh Lakelands (includes Ireland); English Riviera; Fforest Fawr; GeoMôn; Mourne Gullion Strangford; North Pennines AONB; North-West Highlands; Shetland (2023)

Ports

total ports: 185 (2024)

large: 7

medium: 24

small: 67

very small: 86

size unknown: 1

ports with oil terminals: 67

key ports: Aberdeen, Barrow-in-Furness, Barry, Belfast, Blyth, Bristol, Cardiff, Dundee, Falmouth Harbour, Glasgow, Greenock, Grimsby, Immingham, Kingston-upon-Hull, Leith, Lerwick, Liverpool, London, Londonderry, Lyness, Manchester, Milford Haven, Newport, Peterhead, Plymouth, Portland Harbour, Portsmouth Harbour, Southampton, Sunderland, Teesport, Tynemouth

Legislative branch - lower chamber

chamber name: House of Commons

number of seats: 650 (all directly elected)

electoral system: plurality/majority

scope of elections: full renewal

term in office: 5 years

most recent election date: 7/4/2024

parties elected and seats per party: Labour Party (411); Conservative Party (121); Liberal Democrats (72); Other (46)

percentage of women in chamber: 40.5%

expected date of next election: July 2029

Legislative branch - upper chamber

chamber name: House of Lords

number of seats: 800 (all appointed)

scope of elections: Full renewal

most recent election date: 4/13/2015 to 4/16/2015

parties elected and seats per party: National Congress Party (NCP) (323); Others (44); Democratic Unionist Party (25); Other (34)

percentage of women in chamber: 31%

note: the number of total seats in the House of Lords does not include ineligible members or members on leave of absence

Labor force

35.193 million (2023 est.)

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 12.5% (2023 est.)

male: 14.5% (2023 est.)

female: 10.5% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Net migration rate

2.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Median age

total: 40.8 years (2024 est.)

male: 40.1 years

female: 41.5 years

Debt - external

(2019)

Maternal mortality ratio

10 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$177.915 billion (2023 est.)
$176.41 billion (2022 est.)
$194.181 billion (2021 est.)

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Public debt

138.19% of GDP (2023 est.)

note: central government debt as a % of GDP

Total fertility rate

1.63 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate

4.06% (2023 est.)
3.73% (2022 est.)
4.83% (2021 est.)

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Population

total: 68,459,055 (2024 est.) United Kingdom

male: 34,005,445

female: 34,453,610

Carbon dioxide emissions

340.94 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from coal and metallurgical coke: 17.093 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids: 197.133 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from consumed natural gas: 126.713 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Area

total : 243,610 sq km

land: 241,930 sq km

water: 1,680 sq km

note 1: the percentage area breakdown of the four UK countries is: England 53%, Scotland 32%, Wales 9%, and Northern Ireland 6%

note 2: includes Rockall and the Shetland Islands, which are part of Scotland

Taxes and other revenues

27.32% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$3.728 trillion (2023 est.)
$3.715 trillion (2022 est.)
$3.544 trillion (2021 est.)

note: data in 2021 dollars

Airports

1,057 (2025)

Infant mortality rate

total: 3.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male: 4.2 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 84.3 million (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 121 (2022 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

32.4 (2021 est.)

note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6.79% (2023 est.)
7.92% (2022 est.)
2.52% (2021 est.)

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

Current account balance

-$66.448 billion (2023 est.)
-$70.962 billion (2022 est.)
-$13.852 billion (2021 est.)

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Real GDP per capita

$54,500 (2023 est.)
$54,800 (2022 est.)
$52,900 (2021 est.)

note: data in 2021 dollars

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 28.2 million (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 41 (2023 est.)

Tobacco use

total: 15.4% (2020 est.)

male: 17.3% (2020 est.)

female: 13.5% (2020 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

27.8% (2016)

Energy consumption per capita

94.28 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Death rate

9.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Birth rate

10.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Electricity

installed generating capacity: 114.749 million kW (2023 est.)

consumption: 262.166 billion kWh (2023 est.)

exports: 9.449 billion kWh (2023 est.)

imports: 33.212 billion kWh (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses: 28.961 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 868 (2023)

by type: bulk carrier 34, container ship 46, general cargo 62, oil tanker 13, other 713

note: includes Channel Islands (total fleet 2; general cargo 1, other 1); excludes Isle of Man

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Imports

$1.09 trillion (2023 est.)
$1.1 trillion (2022 est.)
$923.549 billion (2021 est.)

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

Exports

$1.071 trillion (2023 est.)
$1.041 trillion (2022 est.)
$916.573 billion (2021 est.)

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

Heliports

139 (2025)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 26.627 million (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 39 (2023 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita

total: 9.8 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer: 3.53 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine: 3.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits: 2.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols: 0.61 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 82.2 years (2024 est.)

male: 80.1 years

female: 84.4 years

Real GDP growth rate

0.34% (2023 est.)
4.84% (2022 est.)
8.67% (2021 est.)

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Industrial production growth rate

-0.07% (2023 est.)

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 0.6% (2023 est.)

industry: 17.5% (2023 est.)

services: 72.5% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Revenue from forest resources

0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from coal

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Education expenditures

5.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

0.45% (2024 est.)

Sources: