United Kingdom

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

• 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

noun:

Briton(s), British (collective plural)

adjective:

British

total:

40.9 years (2025 est.)

male:

40.1 years

female:

41.5 years

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.)

total:

3.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

4.2 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

3.3 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

82.2 years (2024 est.)

male:

80.1 years

female:

84.4 years

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.)

total:

11.5% (2025 est.)

male:

13.3% (2025 est.)

female:

9.8% (2025 est.)

• air pollution in the London region;
• soil pollution from pesticides and heavy metals;
• decline in marine and coastal habitats from housing, tourism, and industry

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

urban population:

84.6% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

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

energy:

353.4 kt (2022-2024 est.)

agriculture:

1,030.2 kt (2019-2021 est.)

waste:

1,070.1 kt (2019-2021 est.)

other:

62 kt (2019-2021 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

30.771 million tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

34.2% (2022 est.)

municipal:

6.227 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

1.01 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

1.183 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

total global geoparks and regional networks:

10 (2025)

global geoparks and regional networks:

• Arran;
• Black Country;
• Cuilcagh Lakelands (includes Ireland);
• English Riviera;
• Fforest Fawr;
• GeoMôn;
• Mourne Gullion Strangford;
• North Pennines AONB;
• North-West Highlands;
• Shetland (2025)

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"

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

• 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)

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)

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

legislature name:

UK Parliament

legislative structure:

bicameral

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

chamber name:

House of Lords

number of seats:

800 (all appointed)

parties elected and seats per party:

• Conservative Party (286);
• Labour Party (212);
• Liberal Democrats (76);
• Crossover (Independents) 180;
• other (6)

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

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

• 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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Warren A. STEPHENS (since 21 May 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:

[email protected]; https://uk.usembassy.gov/

consulate(s) general:

Belfast, Edinburgh

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 incorporates England and Wales);
• 1 May 1707 (Acts of Union unite England, Scotland, and Wales as Great Britain);
• 1 January 1801 (Acts of Union 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 become Northern Ireland and remain part of the UK);
• 12 April 1927 (Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act establishes current name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

• lion (all of Britain);
• lion, Tudor rose, oak (England);
• lion, unicorn, thistle (Scotland);
• dragon, daffodil, leek (Wales);
• shamrock, flax (Northern Ireland)

• red, white, blue (all of Britain);
• red, white (England);
• blue, white (Scotland);
• red, white, green (Wales)

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

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)

• 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

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

total:

12.4% (2024 est.)

male:

14.9% (2024 est.)

female:

9.7% (2024 est.)

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

on food:

8.7% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

3% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

lowest 10%:

3% (2021 est.)

highest 10%:

24.6% (2021 est.)

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

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)

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.)

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.)

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.)

• public-service British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the largest broadcasting company in the world;
• BBC operates multiple TV networks with regional and local TV;
• mixed system of public and commercial TV broadcasters along with satellite and cable systems provide access to hundreds of international TV stations;
• BBC operates multiple national, regional, and local radio networks with multiple transmission sites;
• large number of commercial and satellite radio stations available (2018)

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

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

• the British military's inventory is comprised of domestically produced armaments and imported Western weapons systems, particularly from the US;
• the UK defense industry is capable of producing air, land, and sea weapons systems and is one of the world's top weapons suppliers;
• it also cooperates with other European countries, as well as Australia and the US, in the research and development of weapons systems (2025)

• 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)