United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - the island of Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
United Kingdom as the 2023 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 171 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was born of the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, which previously had been distinct states joined in a personal union, under the 1701 Acts of Union. The island of Ireland, also joined via a personal union, 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 on 23 June 2016 voted by 52 to 48 percent to leave the EU. The UK became the only country to depart the EU on 31 January 2020, after prolonged negotiations on EU-UK economic and security relationships had been hammered out.
Geography
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
17 fieldsLand useshare of 243,610 sq km
2 notes
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
Climate
- temperate;
- moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current;
- more than one-half of the days are overcast
Natural resources
coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land
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
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
People and Society
38 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2023 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2023 est.)
Male · female(2020)
Ethnic groups(2011 est.)
Religions(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.)
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
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 (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate
- total:
- 3.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
- male:
- 4.3 deaths/1,000 live births
- female:
- 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Major infectious diseases
note: on 31 August 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an updated Travel Alert for polio in Europe; the United Kingdom is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV);
vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus ; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine;
the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine
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.)
Environment
11 fieldsLand use(2018 est.)
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
Climate
- temperate;
- moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current;
- more than one-half of the days are overcast
Urbanization
- urban population:
- 84.6% of total population (2023)
- rate of urbanization:
- 0.8% annual rate of change (2020-25 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.)
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.)
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.)
Government
Parliamentary constitutional monarchy; King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); Prime Minister Rishi SUNAK (Conservative) (since 25 October 2022)
23 fieldsHouse of Commons, 650 seatsseats by party
Composition: men 425, women 225, percent of women 34.6%; total Parliament percent of women 31.3%
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)
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:
- 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
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)
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)
Constitution
- history:
- uncoded; 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
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 descent only:
- at least one parent must be a citizen of the United Kingdom
- dual citizenship recognized:
- yes
- residency requirement for naturalization:
- 5 years
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022);
- Heir Apparent Prince WILLIAM (son of the king, born 21 June 1982);
- note - 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
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Rishi SUNAK (Conservative) (since 25 October 2022)
- 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: 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)
Legislative branch
- description:
- bicameral Parliament consists of:; ; 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)
- House of Lords (membership not fixed; as of October 2023, 778 lords were eligible to participate in the work of the House of Lords - 663 life peers, 90 hereditary peers, and 25 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
- elections:
- ; House of Commons - last held on 12 December 2019 (next to be held no later than 28 January 2025)
- 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)
- election results:
- House of Lords - composition - men 552, women 226, percent of women 29%;
- House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Conservative 54.9%, Labor 30.8%, SNP 6.8%, Lib Dems 2.2%, DUP 1.2%, Sinn Fein 1.1%, Plaid Cymru .6%, other 2.5%;
- seats by party - Conservative 365, Labor 202, SNP 48, Lib Dems 11, DUP 8, Sinn Fein 7, Plaid Cymru 4, other 5;
- composition - men 425, women 225, percent of women 34.6%;
- total Parliament percent of women 31.3%
Judicial branch
- highest court(s):
- 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 [Rishi SUNAK]
- Democratic Unionist Party or DUP (Northern Ireland) [Sir Jeffrey DONALDSON]
- Green Party of England and Wales or Greens [Carla DENYER and Adrian RAMSAY]
- Labor (Labour) Party [Sir Keir STARMER]
- Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems) [Sir Ed DAVEY]
- Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Llyr GRUFFYDD]
- Scottish National Party or SNP [Humza YOUSAF]
- Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Mary Lou MCDONALD]
- Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Colum EASTWOOD]
- UK Independence Party or UKIP [Neil HAMILTON]
- Ulster Unionist Party or UUP (Northern Ireland) [Doug BEATTIE]
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, UNHRC, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UN Security Council (permanent), UNSOM, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Karen Elizabeth PIERCE (since 8 April 2020)
- chancery:
- 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 588-6500
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 588-7870
- email address and website:
- [email protected]; https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-washington
- consulate(s) general:
- Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
- consulate(s):
- Orlando (FL), San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Jane HARTLEY (since 19 July 2022)
- 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
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 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)
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
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)
Economy
34 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2017 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
By end use% of GDP · (2017 est.)
Budget(2020 est.)
Economic overview
- high-income, diversified non-EU European economy;
- sixth-largest importer and exporter;
- global financial and diplomatic leader;
- nominal consumption-led growth;
- high inflation and increased interest rates eroding purchasing power despite real wage growth
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.
Agricultural products
wheat, milk, barley, sugar beets, 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
Average household expenditures
- on food:
- 8.1% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
- on alcohol and tobacco:
- 3.2% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
Public debt
195.39% of GDP (2020 est.) · 160.02% of GDP (2019 est.) · 157.8% of GDP (2018 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
Current account balance
-$62.941 billion (2021 est.) · -$87.814 billion (2020 est.) · -$80.779 billion (2019 est.)
Exports
$874.5 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars; $791.7 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars; $893.1 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Imports
$898.719 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars; $783.438 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars; $939.349 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$194.181 billion (31 December 2021 est.) · $180.054 billion (31 December 2020 est.) · $173.569 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
Exchange rates
British pounds (GBP) per US dollar - 0.727 (2021 est.) · 0.78 (2020 est.) · 0.783 (2019 est.) · 0.75 (2018 est.) · 0.777 (2017 est.)
Energy
12 fieldsElectrification% of population · (2021)
Installed generating capacity, 113.153 million kW(2020 est.)
Nuclear energy
- Number of operational nuclear reactors:
- 9 (2023)
- Number of nuclear reactors under construction:
- 2
- Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors:
- 5.88GW (2023)
- Percent of total electricity production:
- 14.8% (2021)
- Percent of total energy produced:
- 8% (2021)
- Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down:
- 8
Coal
- production:
- 2.892 million metric tons (2020 est.)
- consumption:
- 9.401 million metric tons (2020 est.)
- exports:
- 1.309 million metric tons (2020 est.)
- imports:
- 5.537 million metric tons (2020 est.)
- proven reserves:
- 26 million metric tons (2019 est.)
Petroleum
- total petroleum production:
- 890,400 bbl/day (2021 est.)
- refined petroleum consumption:
- 1,578,100 bbl/day (2019 est.)
- crude oil and lease condensate exports:
- 818,200 bbl/day (2018 est.)
- crude oil and lease condensate imports:
- 891,700 bbl/day (2018 est.)
- crude oil estimated reserves:
- 2.5 billion barrels (2021 est.)
Natural gas
- production:
- 32.48 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
- consumption:
- 75.7 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
- exports:
- 6.873 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
- imports:
- 51,050,178,000 cubic meters (2021 est.)
- proven reserves:
- 180.661 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
398.084 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
- from coal and metallurgical coke:
- 23.5 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
- from petroleum and other liquids:
- 216.237 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
- from consumed natural gas:
- 158.346 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
Communications
8 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(2020–21 est.)
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)
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)
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
Transportation
13 fieldsMerchant marine, 1,174 ships by type(2022)
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Networkskm
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
Airports - with unpaved runways
189
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length;
airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
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)
Ports and terminals
- major seaport(s):
- Dover, Felixstowe, Immingham, Liverpool, London, Southampton, Teesport (England);
- Forth Ports (Scotland);
- Milford Haven (Wales)
- oil terminal(s):
- Fawley Marine terminal, Liverpool Bay terminal (England); Braefoot Bay terminal, Finnart oil terminal, Hound Point terminal (Scotland)
- container port(s) (TEUs):
- Felixstowe (3,700,000), London (3,111,000), Southampton (1,871,081) (2021)
- LNG terminal(s) (import):
- Dragon, Isle of Grain, South Hook, Teesside
Transportation - note
note 1: 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
note 2: the UK operates one PC 3 or 4 class medium icebreaker in the South Atlantic in support of operations in Antarctica
- note - PC indicates a Polar Class vessel:
- PC 3 - year-round operation in second-year ice which may include multi-year ice inclusions (ice thickness up to 2.5 m);
- PC 4 - year-round operation in thick first-year ice which may include old ice inclusions (ice thickness up to 120 cm)
Military and Security
United Kingdom Armed Forces (aka British Armed Forces, aka His Majesty's Armed Forces): British Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force (2023)
7 fieldsPersonnel strengthsone square, 1,000 people · (2023)
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 (2023)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
- the inventory of the British military is comprised of a mix of domestically produced and imported Western weapons systems;
- in recent years, the US has been the leading supplier of armaments to the UK;
- 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 (2023)
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 (2023)
note 1: women made up over 11% of the military's full-time personnel in 2023
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
Military deployments
- approximately 1,000 Brunei;
- approximately 400 Canada (BATUS);
- approximately 2,500 Cyprus (250 for UNFICYP);
- approximately 1,000 Estonia (NATO);
- approximately 1,200 Falkland Islands;
- approximately 200 Germany;
- 570 Gibraltar;
- more than 1,000 Middle East (counter-ISIS campaign);
- up to 350 Kenya (BATUK);
- 150 Poland (NATO) (2023)
note: in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, some NATO countries, including the UK, have sent additional troops and equipment to the battlegroups deployed in NATO territory in eastern Europe;
as of 2023, UK had about 8,000 troops deployed in various countries in Europe supporting NATO and European security through exercises and task forces, including in Estonia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, and North Macedonia
Military - note
the British military is a highly regarded, experienced, and professional force with 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; it is also 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 Baltic and Scandinavian countries able 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, 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 Army is divided into a Field Army and a Home Command; the Field Army has three divisions, including one comprised of light forces and designed for expeditionary operations, a heavy division considered the heart of the British Army with armored and mechanized brigades, and a specialized division that brings together special operations, intelligence, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and information operations capabilities; the Army also has some independent brigades and aviation forces
the Royal Navy is a blue water capable force that conducts operations globally, with a sustained presence in the Baltic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean seas, the Middle East, and the South Atlantic Ocean, and increasingly in the Pacific Ocean; its missions include preventing conflict, providing security and protecting UK interests, particularly the UK’s reliance on maritime trade, building international partnerships and assisting with international relations, and providing humanitarian assistance;
the Navy is organized into a surface fleet, a submarine service, a fleet air arm, marines, and a fleet auxiliary, which is a civilian support branch that provides logistical and operational support to military operations; the heart of the surface fleet are two aircraft carriers, the largest and most advanced warships ever built for the Royal Navy, which serve as the fleet’s flagships;
the carriers are complemented by six destroyers and 14 frigates, as well as two large amphibious assault ships and flotillas of patrol and mine warfare vessels; the Navy also has nine attack submarines and four ballistic missile submarines that form the UK's strategic nuclear deterrent force;
the air arm has advanced US-made multirole fighter aircraft, as well as anti-submarine capable of helicopters; the Royal Marines have an amphibious infantry/commando brigade and special forces
the Royal Air Force also conducts operations globally and has a wide variety of aircraft types and capabilities, including fighter, surface attack, airborne early warning and control, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, reconnaissance, signals intelligence, maritime patrol, air-to-air refueling, and transport organized into groups, stations, and squadrons; it has a mix of more than 150 modern European- and US-made multirole fighter aircraft
in addition, the British military has a Space Command (established in 2021) 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; it established a joint service National Cyber Force in 2020;
in 2019, the UK formed the joint service Strategic Command to develop and manage the British military's medical services, training and education, defense intelligence, and information systems, as well as joint overseas operations; national-level special forces (UK Special Forces, UKSF) also fall under the Strategic Command
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 (2023)
Space
3 fieldsSpace 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) (2023)
Space launch site(s)
- preparing commercial space ports at SaxaVord (Shetland Islands) and Sutherland (Cornwall);
- a 2021 national space strategy called for additional space launch facilities in Argyll, Prestwick, Outer Hebrides (Scotland), and Snowdonia (Wales) (2023)
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 an extensive commercial space sector that produces SLVs, SLV components, satellites, satellite subcomponents and sensors, and other space-related technologies;
- the UK’s space sector generates revenues of over $20 billion per year (2023)
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 Appendix S
Terrorism
1 fieldTerrorist group(s)
- Continuity Irish Republican Army;
- Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS);
- New Irish Republican Army;
- al-Qa'ida
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
Transnational Issues
3 fieldsDisputes - international
- UK-Argentina :
- UK rejects sovereignty talks requested by Argentina, which still claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- UK-Argentina-Chile :
- the UK’s territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim
- UK-Denmark :
- the UK, Iceland, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm;
- Iceland, Norway, and the Faroe Islands signed an agreement in 2019 extending the Faroe Islands’ northern continental shelf area
- UK (Gibraltar)-Spain :
- 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;
- London and Madrid reached a temporary agreement at the end of 2020 that allowed Gibraltar to be part of the passport-free Schengen zone;
- talks are expected to continue in 2022
- UK-Mauritius-Seychelles :
- 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
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);
- 248,260 (Ukraine) (as of 21 November 2023)
- stateless persons:
- 5,483 (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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “United Kingdom.” The World Factbook 2023. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/united-kingdom/2023.