Map of United Kingdom | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: The United Kingdom has historically played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith in the 19th 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 Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1998.


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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

Geographic coordinates: 54 00 N, 2 00 W

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 243,610 km²
Land: 241,930 km²
Water: 1,680 km²
Comparative: twice the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries
Total: 499 km
Border countries: (1) Ireland 499 km

Coastline: 12,429 km

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

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

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

Elevation
Highest point: Ben Nevis 1,345 m
Lowest point: The Fens -4 m
Mean elevation: 162 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 71% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 25.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 45.7% (2018 est.)
Forest: 11.9% (2018 est.)
Other: 17.1% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 950 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 6.227 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 1.01 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 1.183 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 147 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Natural hazards: winter windstorms; floods

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


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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 Scotish lowlands between Endinburgh and Glasgow, southern Wales in and around Cardiff, and far eastern Northern Ireland centered on Belfast: 67.081 million United Kingdom (June 2020 est.)
Constituentcountriesbypercentageoftotalpopulation: England 84.3%
Scotland 8.1%
Wales 4.7%
Northern Ireland 2.8%
Growth rate: 0.48% (2021 est.)
Below poverty line: 18.6% (2017 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural)
Adjective: British

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.)

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.)

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.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.63% (male 5,943,435/female 5,651,780)
15-24 years: 11.49% (male 3,860,435/female 3,692,398)
25-54 years: 39.67% (male 13,339,965/female 12,747,598)
55-64 years: 12.73% (male 4,139,378/female 4,234,701)
65 years and over: 18.48% (male 5,470,116/female 6,681,311) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 57.1
Youth dependency ratio: 27.8
Elderly dependency ratio: 29.3
Potential support ratio: 3.4 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 40.6 years
Male: 39.6 years
Female: 41.7 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.48% (2021 est.)

Birth rate: 11.77 births/1000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate: 9.41 deaths/1000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.47 migrant(s)/1000 population (2021 est.)

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 Scotish lowlands between Endinburgh and Glasgow, southern Wales in and around Cardiff, and far eastern Northern Ireland centered on Belfast

Urbanization
Urban population: 84.2% of total population (2021)
Rate of urbanization: 0.8% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 9.426 million LONDON (capital), 2.750 million Manchester, 2.626 million Birmingham, 1.902 million West Yorkshire, 1.681 million Glasgow, 936,000 Southampton/Portsmouth (2021)

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
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 10.53 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 379.02 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 49.16 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 29 years (2018 est.)
Note: data represent England and Wales only

Maternal mortality ratio: 7 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.27 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 4.82 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.69 deaths/1000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81.3 years
Male: 79.02 years
Female: 83.7 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.86 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 76.1% (2010/12)
Note: percent of women aged 16-49

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 100% of population
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 0% of population
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 10% (2018)

Physicians density: 2.81 physicians/1000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density: 2.5 beds/1000 population (2019)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 100% of population
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 0% of population
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases
Respiratorydiseases: Covid-19 (see note) (2020)
Note: widespread ongoing transmission of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is occurring throughout the UK; as of 6 October 2021, the UK has reported a total of 7,967,989 cases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 27.8% (2016)

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: 5.2% of GDP (2018)

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 17 years
Male: 17 years
Female: 18 years (2019)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 11.2%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 13%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 9.2% (2019 est.)


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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: self-descriptive country name; the designation 'Great Britain,' in the sense of 'Larger Britain,' dates back to medieval times and was used to distinguish the island from 'Little Britain,' or Brittany in modern France; the name Ireland derives from the Gaelic 'Eriu,' the matron goddess of Ireland (goddess of the land)

Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

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
Timezone 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

Administrative divisions

Dependent areas: (12) 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

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)

National holiday: the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday

Constitution
History: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Amendments: 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); many previous, last in 2020 -  The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020, European Union (Future Relationship) Act 2020 (2021)

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

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descentonly: at least one parent must be a citizen of the United Kingdom
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948)
Head of government: Prime Minister Boris JOHNSON (Conservative) (since 24 July 2019)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
Elections and 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 by 2 May 2024)
Note: in addition to serving as the UK head of state, the British sovereign is the constitutional monarch for 15 additional Commonwealth countries (these 16 states are each referred to as a Commonwealth realm)

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament consists of:
House of Lords (membership not fixed; as of October 2021, 787 lords were eligible to participate in the work of the House of Lords - 673 life peers, 88 hereditary peers, and 26 clergy; members are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister and non-party political members recommended by the House of Lords Appointments Commission); note - House of Lords total does not include ineligible members or members on leave of absence
House of Commons (650 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority popular vote to serve 5-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier)
Elections: House of Lords - no elections; note - in 1999, as provided by the House of Lords Act, elections were held in the House of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers who would remain; elections held only as vacancies in the hereditary peerage arise)
House of Commons - last held on 12 December 2019 (next to be held by 2 May 2024)
Election results: House of Lords - composition - men 579, women 217, percent of women 27.3%
House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Conservative 43.6%, Labor 32.1%, Lib Dems 11.6%, SNP 3.9%, Greens 2.7%, Brexit Party 2.0%, other 4.1%; seats by party - Conservative 365, Labor 202, SNP 48, Lib Dems 11, DUP 8, Sinn Fein 7, Plaid Cymru 4, other 9; composition - men 430, women 220, percent of women 34%; total Parliament percent of women 30.2%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of 12 justices, including the court president and deputy president); note - the Supreme Court was established by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and implemented in 2009, replacing the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords as the highest court in the United Kingdom
Judge selection and term of office: judge candidates selected by an independent committee of several judicial commissions, followed by their recommendations 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

Political parties and leaders: Alliance Party (Northern Ireland) [Naomi LONG] 
Conservative and Unionist Party [Boris JOHNSON]
Democratic Unionist Party or DUP (Northern Ireland) [Jeffrey DONALDSON]
Green Party of England and Wales or Greens [Sian BERRY and Jonathan BARTLEY]
Labor (Labour) Party [Sir Keir STARMER]
Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems) [Ed Davey]
Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Adam PRICE]
Scottish National Party or SNP [Nicola STURGEON]
Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Mary Lou MCDONALD]
Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Colum EASTWOOD]
Ulster Unionist Party or UUP (Northern Ireland) [Robin SWANN]
UK Independence Party or UKIP [Pat MOUNTAIN, interim leader]

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, MINUSMA, 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, UNRWA, UN Security Council (permanent), UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Karen Elizabeth PIERCE (since 8 April 2020)
In the us chancery: 3,100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 588-6,500
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 588-7,870
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Philip T. REEKER (since 1 August 2021)
From the us embassy: 33 Nine Elms Lane, London, SW11 7US
From the us mailing address: 8,400 London Place, Washington DC  20,521-8,400
From the us telephone: [44] (0) 20-7,499-9,000
From the us FAX: [44] (0) 20-7,891-3,845
From the us email address and website:

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

National symbols: 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)

National anthem
Name: God Save the Queen
Lyrics and 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

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: 1.26% (2019 est.)

1.25% (2018 est.)

1.74% (2017 est.)

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 65.8% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 18.3% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 17.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.2% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 30.2% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -31.5% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.7% (2017 est.)
Industry: 20.2% (2017 est.)
Services: 79.2% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: wheat, milk, barley, sugar beet, potatoes, rapeseed, poultry, oats, pork, beef

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

Industrial production growth rate: 3.4% (2017 est.)

Labor force: 35.412 million (2020 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 1.3%
By occupation industry: 15.2%
By occupation services: 83.5% (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate: 3.17% (2019 est.)

2.51% (2018 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 11.2%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 13%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 9.2% (2019 est.)

Population below poverty line: 18.6% (2017 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 34.8 (2016 est.)

33.4 (2010)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.7%
Highest 10: 31.1% (2012)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.028 trillion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: $1.079 trillion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: $-1.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 39.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt: 87.5% of GDP (2017 est.)
Note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

Revenue
From forest resources forest revenues: 0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: 6 April - 5 April

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.7% (2019 est.)

2.4% (2018 est.)

2.6% (2017 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: -$121.921 billion (2019 est.)

-$104.927 billion (2018 est.)

Exports: $741.95 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)

$879.92 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

$882.65 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Partners: United States 15%, Germany 10%, China 7%, Netherlands 7%, France 7%, Ireland 6% (2019)
Commodities: cars, gas turbines, gold, crude petroleum, packaged medicines (2019)

Imports: $752.77 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)

$914.96 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

$916.4 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Partners: Germany 13%, China 10%, United States 8%, Netherlands 7%, France 6%, Belgium 5% (2019)
Commodities: gold, cars, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $150.8 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$129.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Debt external: $8,721,590,000,000 (2019 est.)

$8,696,559,000,000 (2018 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
Production: 318.2 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption: 309.2 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports: $2.153 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports: 19.7 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 97.06 million kW (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 50% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 9% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 2% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources: 39% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 1 million bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil exports: 710,600 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil imports: 907,100 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves: 2.069 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 1.29 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products consumption: 1.584 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports: 613,800 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports: 907,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 42.11 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption: 79.17 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Exports: $11.27 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports: 47 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Proven reserves: 176 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 32.078 million (2020)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47.25 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 79.007 million (2020)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 116.4 (2020 est.)

Telephone system

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)

Internet
Country code: .uk
Users total: 65.32 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 94.82% (2020 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 27,490,258 (2020)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 40.49 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures: 2.32% of GDP (2020 est.)

2.1% of GDP (2019)

2.11% of GDP (2018)

2.09% of GDP (2017)

2.08% of GDP (2016)

Military and security forces: British Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force (2021)

note - in 2021 the UK formed a joint service Space Command staffed by Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel, as well as civilians and key members of the commercial sector to manage space operations, training, and capabilities; in 2019, the UK formed the Strategic Command (formerly Joint Forces Command) to develop and manage the British military's medical services, training and education, defense intelligence, and information systems across the land, sea, air, space, and cyber domains; national-level special forces (UK Special Forces, UKSF) also fall under Strategic Command; in addition, the command manages joint overseas operations

Military service age and obligation: slight 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 military services including ground combat roles; conscription abolished in 1963 (2021)

Space program

Terrorist groups: Continuity Irish Republican Army; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); New Irish Republican Army
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 Appendix T


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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 mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: G

Airports
Total: 460 (2013)
With paved runways total: 271
With paved runways over 3047 m: 7
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 29
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 89
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 80
With paved runways under 914 m: 66 (2013)
With unpaved runways total: 189
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 26
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 160 (2013)

Heliports: 9 (2013)

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)

Railways
Total: 16,837 km (2015)
Standard gauge: 16,534 km 1.435-m gauge (5,357 km electrified) (2015)
Broadgauge: 303 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland) (2015)

Roadways
Total: 394,428 km (2009)
Paved: 394,428 km (includes 3,519 km of expressways) (2009)

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

Merchant marine
Total: 1,249
By type: bulk carrier 140, container ship 59, general cargo 109, oil tanker 84, other 857 (2021)

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Dover, Felixstowe, Immingham, Liverpool, London, Southampton, Teesport (England); Forth Ports (Scotland); Milford Haven (Wales)
Oil terminals: Fawley Marine terminal, Liverpool Bay terminal (England); Braefoot Bay terminal, Finnart oil terminal, Hound Point terminal (Scotland)
Container ports teus: Felixstowe (3,584,000), London (2,790,000), Southampton (1,924,847) (2019)
Lng terminals import: Isle of Grain, Milford Haven, Teesside


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Disputes international: in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any 'shared sovereignty' arrangement between the UK and Spain; the Government of Gibraltar insisted on equal participation in talks between the two countries; Spain disapproved of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory); in 2001, the former inhabitants of the archipelago, evicted 1967 - 1973, were granted UK citizenship and the right of return, followed by Orders in Council in 2004 that banned rehabitation, a High Court ruling reversed the ban, a Court of Appeal refusal to hear the case, and a Law Lords' decision in 2008 denied the right of return; in addition, the UK created the world's largest marine protection area around the Chagos islands prohibiting the extraction of any natural resources therein; UK rejects sovereignty talks requested by Argentina, which still claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 20,433 (Iran), 14,016 (Eritrea), 10,994 (Sudan), 10,919 (Syria), 9,351 (Afghanistan), 8,350 (Pakistan), 6,399 (Iraq), 5,338 (Sri Lanka) (2020)
Stateless persons: 4,662 (2020)

Illicit drugs: consumer and transit country for illicit drugs; cocaine and heroin consumption rates among Europe’s highest; criminal organizations engage in domestic drug trafficking and financial crimes; drug use remains linked to serious violence; major source of precursor chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics