The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Kingdom fits inside the United States 40 times.
United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 60% longer than the United Kingdom’s.
United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 4,845 m above the United Kingdom’s.
United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 4.9 times as many people as the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 7.7 times as densely populated as the United States.
United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 1.3 cm taller than in the United States.
United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
The United Kingdom and the United States are practically level.
United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 1.8 years older than in the United States.
United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United States have 0.1 more children on average than in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 18% in the United States.
United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United States 8.7.
United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
The United Kingdom and the United States are practically level.
United Kingdom: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 7.7 times the size of the United Kingdom’s.
United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 39% more per person than the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in the United Kingdom (Gini 9.4 points higher).
United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 4.2% in the United States.
United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, the United Kingdom 2.3%.
United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 1.1× the United Kingdom’s.
United Kingdom: 89% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 2.3 times as much on health per person as the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Kingdom live 2.5 years longer than in the United States.
United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United States is 34% more likely to die before turning one than in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 12% more doctors per person than the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 29% in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the United States smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 0.12 points higher than in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 9% more alcohol than in the United States.
United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 45% more meat per person than the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 513 kcal more food per person per day than the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United States put in 266 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 0.42 years longer than in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Kingdom welcomed 2.6 times as many tourists per resident as the United States (2019).
United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 95% in the United States.
United Kingdom: 95% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The United Kingdom and the United States are practically level.
United Kingdom: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 80% in the United States.
United Kingdom: 83% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Kingdom has 122 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113.
United Kingdom: 122 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 9.2 times as long as the United Kingdom’s.
United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 61% more passengers per resident than those from the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 13% of the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 3.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States.
United Kingdom: 52% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Kingdom carries 17% more fine dust than in the United States.
United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5.2 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 5.9 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United States is on average 0.4 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 26% more rain than the United States.
United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the United Kingdom bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. The United Kingdom fits inside the United States 40 times.
Which has more people, the United Kingdom or the United States?
The United States has 4.9 times as many people as the United Kingdom (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the United Kingdom or the United States?
People in the United Kingdom live 2.5 years longer than in the United States. Life expectancy at birth is 81.4 years in the United Kingdom and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in the United Kingdom or the United States?
Men in the United Kingdom are 1.3 cm taller than in the United States (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
