The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Philippines is 23% bigger than the United Kingdom
Philippines: 300,000 km² (2024) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The Philippines’ coastline is 2.9 times as long as the United Kingdom’s
Philippines: 36,289 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Philippines’ highest peak towers 1,609 m above the United Kingdom’s
Philippines: 2,954 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 69% of the United Kingdom, versus 43% of the Philippines
Philippines: 42.7% (2024) · United Kingdom: 69.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Philippines has 68% more people than the United Kingdom
Philippines: 117 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Philippines is 36% more densely populated than the United Kingdom
Philippines: 392 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 13.0 cm taller than in the Philippines
Philippines: 165.2 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 9.8 cm taller than in the Philippines
Philippines: 154.1 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 14 years older than in the Philippines
Philippines: 25.3 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Philippines have 0.3 more children on average than in the United Kingdom
Philippines: 1.89 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 5.7% in the Philippines
Philippines: 5.7% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The United Kingdom hosts 946 times as many refugees per resident as the Philippines
Philippines: 0.0088 per 1,000 (2025) · United Kingdom: 8.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the Philippines 0.1
Philippines: 0.1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2026)
How many official languages?
The Philippines has 2 official languages, the United Kingdom 1
Philippines: 2 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 8.2 times the size of the Philippines’
Philippines: $487 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 5.1 times as much per person as the Philippines
Philippines: Int$12,577 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the Philippines than in the United Kingdom (Gini 6.9 points higher)
Philippines: 39.3 (2023) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
5.3% of people in the Philippines live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.4% in the United Kingdom
Philippines: 5.3% (2023) · United Kingdom: 0.4% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 2.2% in the Philippines
Philippines: 2.2% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, the Philippines 1.3%
Philippines: 1.3% (2025) · United Kingdom: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The United Kingdom’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, the Philippines’ 14%
Philippines: 14.4% (2024) · United Kingdom: 26.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 2.7× the Philippines’
Philippines: 33% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 30 times as much on health per person as the Philippines
Philippines: $194 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the United Kingdom live 11 years longer than in the Philippines
Philippines: 69.9 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Philippines is 5.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Kingdom
Philippines: 21.7 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 4.2 times as many doctors per person as the Philippines
Philippines: 0.8 per 1,000 (2021) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United Kingdom has 2.5 times as many hospital beds per person as the Philippines
Philippines: 1 per 1,000 (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the United Kingdom is 3.1 times that in the Philippines
Philippines: 3.1 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 9.7% in the Philippines
Philippines: 9.7% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in the Philippines smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom
Philippines: 19.9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 0.49 points higher than in the Philippines
Philippines: 6.21 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 71% more alcohol than in the Philippines
Philippines: 6.1 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 2.5 times as much meat per person as the Philippines
Philippines: 33.6 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 452 kcal more food per person per day than the Philippines
Philippines: 2,983 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the Philippines put in 573 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom
Philippines: 2,096 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 3.5 years longer than in the Philippines
Philippines: 10 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Kingdom welcomed 24 times as many tourists per resident as the Philippines (2019)
Philippines: 0.02 (2022) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United Kingdom has 29 more World Heritage sites than the Philippines (35 against 6)
Philippines: 6 (2026) · United Kingdom: 35 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United Kingdom has won 1,025 Olympic medals, the Philippines 18
Philippines: 18 (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,025 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 67% in the Philippines
Philippines: 67% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United Kingdom is 83% faster than in the Philippines
Philippines: 166 Mbps (2026) · United Kingdom: 303 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United Kingdom have electricity, versus 95% in the Philippines
Philippines: 94.8% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 56% in the Philippines
Philippines: 56% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Kingdom has 122 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Philippines 115
Philippines: 115 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 32 times as long as the Philippines’
Philippines: 509 km (2016) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 4.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Philippines
Philippines: 0.36 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 25% of the Philippines, but only 13% of the United Kingdom
Philippines: 24.8% (2024) · United Kingdom: 13.5% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Kingdom emits 3 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Philippines
Philippines: 1.5 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 23% in the Philippines
Philippines: 23.3% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Philippines carries 2.6 times as much fine dust as in the United Kingdom
Philippines: 23.1 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.9 times as likely to be murdered in the Philippines as in the United Kingdom
Philippines: 4.3 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Philippines are 3.5 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom
Philippines: 13.8 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Philippines is on average 16.4 °C warmer than the United Kingdom
Philippines: 26.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Philippines gets 2.8 times as much rain as the United Kingdom
Philippines: 3,001 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is the Philippines bigger than the United Kingdom?
The Philippines is larger. The Philippines is 23% bigger than the United Kingdom.
Which has more people, the Philippines or the United Kingdom?
The Philippines has 68% more people than the United Kingdom (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Philippines or the United Kingdom?
People in the United Kingdom live 11 years longer than in the Philippines. Life expectancy at birth is 69.9 years in the Philippines and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in the Philippines or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 13.0 cm taller than in the Philippines (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
