The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Singapore fits inside the United Kingdom 335 times.
Singapore: 728 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 64 times as long as Singapore’s.
Singapore: 193 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United Kingdom’s highest peak towers 1,179 m above Singapore’s.
Singapore: 166 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 11 times as many people as Singapore.
Singapore: 6.11 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Singapore is 30 times as densely populated as the United Kingdom.
Singapore: 8,511 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 4.7 cm taller than in Singapore.
Singapore: 173.5 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 2.6 cm taller than in Singapore.
Singapore: 161.3 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 4.7 years older than in Singapore.
Singapore: 35.1 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Kingdom have 0.6 more children on average than in Singapore.
Singapore: 0.97 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 14% in Singapore.
Singapore: 14.2% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Singapore none.
Singapore: 0 (2025) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
Singapore has 4 official languages, the United Kingdom 1.
Singapore: 4 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 6.6 times the size of Singapore’s.
Singapore: $604 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Singapore produces 2.5 times as much per person as the United Kingdom.
Singapore: Int$163,354 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Singapore: no data · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 2.8% in Singapore.
Singapore: 2.8% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Singapore spends 2.8% of its GDP on the military, the United Kingdom 2.3%.
Singapore: 2.8% (2024) · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Singapore’s.
Singapore: 60% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 49% more on health per person than Singapore.
Singapore: $3,922 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Singapore live 2 years longer than in the United Kingdom.
Singapore: 83.3 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 86% more likely to die before turning one than in Singapore.
Singapore: 2.2 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 16% more doctors per person than Singapore.
Singapore: 2.8 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 17% in Singapore.
Singapore: 16.8% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
14% of adults in Singapore smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom.
Singapore: 13.8% (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 0.11 points higher than in Singapore.
Singapore: 6.59 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 4.8 times as much alcohol as in Singapore.
Singapore: 2.2 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Singapore: no data · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Singapore: no data · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Singapore put in 760 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
Singapore: 2,283 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 1.5 years longer than in Singapore.
Singapore: 12 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Singapore welcomed 3.9 times as many tourists per resident as the United Kingdom (2019).
Singapore: 2.16 (2024) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 94% in Singapore.
Singapore: 94% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Singapore and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Singapore: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
100% of people in Singapore live in cities, versus 83% in the United Kingdom.
Singapore: 100% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Singapore has 171 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122.
Singapore: 171 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Singapore: no data · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Singapore fly 4.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from the United Kingdom.
Singapore: 7.77 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 21% of Singapore, but only 13% of the United Kingdom.
Singapore: 20.9% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Singapore emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in the United Kingdom.
Singapore: 9.2 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 5.5% in Singapore.
Singapore: 5.5% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Singapore carries 39% more fine dust than in the United Kingdom.
Singapore: 12.2 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 16 times as likely to be murdered in the United Kingdom as in Singapore.
Singapore: 0.1 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United Kingdom are 26% deadlier than in Singapore.
Singapore: 1.9 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Singapore: no data · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Singapore: no data · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Singapore bigger than the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom is larger. Singapore fits inside the United Kingdom 335 times.
Which has more people, Singapore or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 11 times as many people as Singapore (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Singapore or the United Kingdom?
People in Singapore live 2 years longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 83.3 years in Singapore and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Singapore or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 4.7 cm taller than in Singapore (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
