United Kingdom

Parliamentary Constitutional MonarchyPop69.5MGDP (PPP)$3.6TCI80Beta CP−1.9↓Beta

Some figures reconciled across multiple sources via Civica's methodology (v0.2 BETA). Methodology →

United Kingdom

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Overview

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.

Geography

Area

Land: 241,930 sq km
Note: 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
Water: 1,680 sq km
Total: 243,610 sq km

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

Land Use

Other: 14.7% (2023 est.)
Forest: 13.4% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: 70.3% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 25% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0.2% (2023 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 45.2% (2023 est.)

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
Coastline: 12,429 km

Elevation

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

Irrigated land: 718 sq km (2018)
Map references: Europe

Land Boundaries

Total: 499 km
Border countries: Ireland 499 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

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
Natural resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land
Area comparative: twice the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oregon
Geographic coordinates: 54 00 N, 2 00 W
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

People & Society

Languages: English
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.)

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
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female

Birth rate: 10.76 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate: 9.25 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Median Age

Male: 40.1 years
Total: 40.9 years (2025 est.)
Female: 41.5 years

Population

Male: 34,145,455
Total: 68,751,311 (2025 est.)
Female: 34,605,856

Nationality

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

Tobacco Use

Male: 13.3% (2025 est.)
Total: 11.5% (2025 est.)
Female: 9.8% (2025 est.)

Urbanization

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

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.)

Child Marriage

Women married BY age 18: 0% (2021)

Dependency Ratios

Total dependency ratio: 56.7 (2025 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 26 (2025 est.)
Potential support ratio: 3.3 (2025 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 30.7 (2025 est.)

Physician density: 3.3 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

Health Expenditure

Health expenditure (as % of GDP): 11.3% of GDP (2022)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget): 20.7% of national budget (2022 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density: 2.4 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.64 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Drinking Water Source

Improved: rural: rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: total: total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: urban: urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: rural: rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: total: total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: urban: urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Education Expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP): 5.9% of GDP (2021 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 11.8% national budget (2021 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

Male: 4.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Total: 3.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
Female: 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Population growth rate: 0.4% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate: 0.8 (2025 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

Life Expectancy at Birth

Male: 80.1 years
Female: 84.4 years
Total population: 82.2 years (2024 est.)

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

Sanitation Facility Access

Improved: rural: rural: 99.8% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: total: total: 99.8% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: urban: urban: 99.8% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: rural: rural: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: total: total: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: urban: urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)

Alcohol Consumption Per Capita

Beer: 3.53 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine: 3.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Total: 9.8 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.)

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)
Obesity adult prevalence rate: 27.8% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth: 29 years (2018 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15 49): 49.7% (2021 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 0.6% (2019 est.)

School Life Expectancy (Primary to Tertiary Education)

Male: 17 years (2022 est.)
Total: 18 years (2022 est.)
Female: 18 years (2022 est.)

Government

Civica · structure

How power is organised

ExecutiveLegislativeJudicial

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)

history: the official name is the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union Jack; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags

Capital

Name: London
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
Time zone note: the time statements apply to the United Kingdom proper, not to its crown dependencies or overseas territories
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
Geographic coordinates: 51 30 N, 0 05 W

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

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

Constitution

History: uncoded; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Amendment process: proposed as a bill for an Act of Parliament by the government, by the House of Commons, or by the House of Lords; passage requires agreement by both houses and by the monarch (Royal Assent)

Country Name

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"
Abbreviation: UK
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

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 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)
Legal system: common law system; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998
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)
Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Judicial Branch

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

Executive Branch

Note: 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
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022)
Head of government: Prime Minister Keir STARMER (since 5 July 2024)
Election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes the prime minister

National holiday: the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday
National color(s): red, white, blue (all of Britain); red, white (England); blue, white (Scotland); red, white, green (Wales)

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)

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

Legislative Branch

Legislature name: UK Parliament
Legislative structure: bicameral

National Anthem(s)

Title: "God Save the King"
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
Lyrics/music: unknown

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

Legislative Branch Lower Chamber

Chamber name: House of Commons
Term in office: 5 years
Number of seats: 650 (all directly elected)
Electoral system: plurality/majority
Scope of elections: full renewal
Most recent election date: 7/4/2024
Expected date of next election: July 2029
Percentage of women in chamber: 40.5%
Parties elected and seats per party: Labour Party (411); Conservative Party (121); Liberal Democrats (72); Other (46)

Legislative Branch Upper Chamber

Note: note: the number of total seats in the House of Lords does not include ineligible members or members on leave of absence
Chamber name: House of Lords
Number of seats: 800 (all appointed)
Percentage of women in chamber: 31%
Parties elected and seats per party: Conservative Party (286); Labour Party (212); Liberal Democrats (76); Crossover (Independents) 180; other (6)

Diplomatic Representation in the US

Fax: [1] (202) 588-7870
Chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500
Chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires James ROSCOE (since 11 September 2025)
Consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
Email address and website: ukin.washington@fcdo.gov.uk

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

Diplomatic Representation from the US

Fax: [44] (0) 20-7891-3845
Embassy: 33 Nine Elms Lane, London, SW11 7US
Telephone: [44] (0) 20-7499-9000
Mailing address: 8400 London Place, Washington DC  20521-8400
Chief of mission: Ambassador Warren A. STEPHENS (since 21 May 2025)
Consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh
Email address and website: SCSLondon@state.gov

https://uk.usembassy.gov/

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

Legislature

UNITED KINGDOM · LOWER HOUSE

House of Commons

650 seats · hover a seat for the party

Total seats

650

Majority line

326

Largest party

Labour Party

Parties

All political parties15 parties · 650 seats · click to dim in hemicycle

Upper house

UNITED KINGDOM · UPPER HOUSE

House of Lords

800 seats · hover a seat for the party

Total seats

800

Majority line

401

Largest party

Conservative

Parties

All political parties5 parties · 800 seats · click to dim in hemicycle

Next election

Last: 2024

Leaders