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.

Area
Total: 243,610 km²
Land: 241,930 km²
Water: 1,680 km²
Note 1: England covers 53% of the area, Scotland 32%, Wales 9%, and Northern Ireland 6%
Note 2: includes Rockall and the Shetland Islands, which are part of Scotland
Comparative: twice the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oregon

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 70.3% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 25% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.2% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 45.2% (2023 est.)
Forest: 13.4% (2023 est.)
Other: 14.7% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 718 km² (2018)

Natural hazards: winter windstorms; floods

Geography
Note: lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km (22 mi) 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 (78 mi) from tidal waters

Population
Total: 68,459,055 (2024 est.)
Male: 34,005,445
Female: 34,453,610
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, in southern Wales in and around Cardiff, and in far-eastern Northern Ireland, centered on Belfast
Growth rate: 0.45% (2024 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.)

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)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 56.4 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 26.2 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 30.2 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 3.3 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 40.8 years (2024 est.)
Male: 40.1 years
Female: 41.5 years

Population growth rate: 0.45% (2024 est.)

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

Death rate: 9.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 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 Scottish lowlands between Edinburgh and Glasgow, in southern Wales in and around Cardiff, and in far-eastern Northern Ireland, centered on Belfast

Urbanization
Urban population: 84.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.8% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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)

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.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 8 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

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

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.2 years (2024 est.)
Male: 80.1 years
Female: 84.4 years

Total fertility rate: 1.63 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 0.6% (2019 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 4.2% (2024 est.); 4% (2023 est.); 3.8% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

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

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: 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
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

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 (12)

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

Executive branch
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022)
Head of government: Prime Minister Keir STARMER (since 5 July 2024)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
Election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes the prime minister
Note 1: in addition to serving as the UK head of state, the British sovereign is the constitutional monarch for 14 additional Commonwealth countries (each referred to as a 'Commonwealth realm')
Note 2: King CHARLES III 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

Legislative branch
Legislature name: UK Parliament
Legislative structure: bicameral

Flag description: blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white on top of the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is on top of the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland)

National anthem
Title: 'God Save the King'
Lyrics/music: unknown
History: in use since 1745; by tradition, the song serves as both the national and royal anthem; 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 for many Commonwealth nations

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 33 (28 cultural, 4 natural, 1 mixed); note - includes one site in Bermuda
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 1.1% (2024 est.); 0.4% (2023 est.); 4.8% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 1.1% (2024 est.); 0.4% (2023 est.); 4.8% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 61.3% (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: 32% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -33.1% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.6% (2024 est.)
Industry: 16.7% (2024 est.)
Services: 72.8% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

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: -0.5% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 35.359 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 4.2% (2024 est.); 4% (2023 est.); 3.8% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 4.2% (2024 est.); 4% (2023 est.); 3.8% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $1.211 trillion (2023 est.)
Expenditures: $1.442 trillion (2023 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 27.4% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Exports: $1.117 trillion (2024 est.); $1.078 trillion (2023 est.); $1.041 trillion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: cars, gold, gas turbines, packaged medicine, crude petroleum (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $1.158 trillion (2024 est.); $1.114 trillion (2023 est.); $1.1 trillion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: cars, gold, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, natural gas (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

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.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Access electrification - urban areas: 99.9%
Access electrification - rural areas: 100%
Generation sources fossil fuels: 36.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 13.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 4.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 30.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 1.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 12.6% of total installed capacity (2023 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.)

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.)

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.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 340.94 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 17.093 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 197.133 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 126.713 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 94.28 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 26.627 million (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 39 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 84.3 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 121 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 96% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 28.2 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 41 (2023 est.)

Military expenditures: 2.4% of GDP (2025 est.); 2.3% of GDP (2024 est.); 2.3% of GDP (2023 est.); 2.3% of GDP (2022 est.); 2.3% of GDP (2021 est.)

Airports: 1,057 (2025)

Heliports: 139 (2025)

Railways
Total: 16,390 km (2020) 6,167 km electrified

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