Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Kingdom fits inside Spain 2.1 times
Spain: 505,981 km² (2024) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 2.5 times as long as Spain’s
Spain: 4,964 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Spain’s highest peak towers 2,373 m above the United Kingdom’s
Spain: 3,718 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 49% of Spain
Spain: 49.3% (2024) · United Kingdom: 69.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 41% more people than Spain
Spain: 49.4 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 2.9 times as densely populated as Spain
Spain: 99 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 2.1 cm taller than in Spain
Spain: 176.1 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 1.9 cm taller than in Spain
Spain: 162 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Spain is 5.1 years older than in the United Kingdom
Spain: 44.9 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Kingdom have 0.5 more children on average than in Spain
Spain: 1.1 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Spain are 65 or older, versus 20% in the United Kingdom
Spain: 21.6% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Spain hosts 24% more refugees per resident than the United Kingdom
Spain: 10.4 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, Spain 1.4
Spain: 1.4 (2026) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2026)
How many official languages?
Spain and the United Kingdom are practically level
Spain: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 2.1 times the size of Spain’s
Spain: $1.91 trillion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 8% more per person than Spain
Spain: Int$59,868 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Spain than in the United Kingdom (Gini 1 points higher)
Spain: 33.4 (2023) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Spain and the United Kingdom are practically level
Spain: 0.8% (2023) · United Kingdom: 0.4% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 10% in Spain, versus 4.7% in the United Kingdom
Spain: 10.4% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom and Spain are practically level
Spain: 2.1% (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, Spain’s 15%
Spain: 14.9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 26.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Spain’s
Spain: 65% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 89% more on health per person than Spain
Spain: $3,107 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Spain live 2.5 years longer than in the United Kingdom
Spain: 83.9 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 58% more likely to die before turning one than in Spain
Spain: 2.6 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Spain has 30% more doctors per person than the United Kingdom
Spain: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Spain has 20% more hospital beds per person than the United Kingdom
Spain: 2.9 per 1,000 (2023) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the United Kingdom is 35% higher than in Spain
Spain: 7.1 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 19% in Spain
Spain: 18.9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Spain smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom
Spain: 27.6% (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 0.15 points higher than in Spain
Spain: 6.54 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Spain drink 16% more alcohol than in the United Kingdom
Spain: 12.1 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Spain has 19% more meat per person than the United Kingdom
Spain: 100.8 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 57 kcal more food per person per day than Spain
Spain: 3,377 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Spain put in 115 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom
Spain: 1,638 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 2.7 years longer than in Spain
Spain: 10.8 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Spain welcomed 3.5 times as many tourists per resident as the United Kingdom (2019)
Spain: 1.92 (2024) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Spain has 15 more World Heritage sites than the United Kingdom (50 against 35)
Spain: 50 (2026) · United Kingdom: 35 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United Kingdom has won 1,025 Olympic medals, Spain 195
Spain: 195 (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,025 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
Spain and the United Kingdom are practically level
Spain: 96% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Spain is 7% faster than in the United Kingdom
Spain: 324 Mbps (2026) · United Kingdom: 303 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Spain and the United Kingdom are practically level
Spain: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 81% in Spain
Spain: 81% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Spain has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122
Spain: 130 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 1% longer than Spain’s
Spain: 15,963 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Spain fly 11% more passengers per resident than those from the United Kingdom
Spain: 1.91 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of Spain, but only 13% of the United Kingdom
Spain: 38.2% (2024) · United Kingdom: 13.5% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Spain emits 2% more CO₂ than someone in the United Kingdom
Spain: 4.6 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
56% of Spain’s electricity is renewable, versus 52% in the United Kingdom
Spain: 55.9% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Spain carries 14% more fine dust than in the United Kingdom
Spain: 10 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 62% more likely to be murdered in the United Kingdom than in Spain
Spain: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Spain are 59% deadlier than in the United Kingdom
Spain: 6.2 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Spain is on average 4.9 °C warmer than the United Kingdom
Spain: 14.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 61% more rain than Spain
Spain: 665 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 Spain bigger than the United Kingdom?
Spain is larger. The United Kingdom fits inside Spain 2.1 times.
Which has more people, Spain or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 41% more people than Spain (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Spain or the United Kingdom?
People in Spain live 2.5 years longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 83.9 years in Spain and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Spain or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 2.1 cm taller than in Spain (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
