The duel
- 2.2× The median country fits inside the United Kingdom 2.2 times
- 9.4× The United Kingdom has 9.4 times as many people as the median country
- +6.8 years People in the United Kingdom live 6.8 years longer than in the median country
- 3.1× The United Kingdom produces 3.1 times as much per person as the median country
World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside the United Kingdom 2.2 times.
United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 28 times as long as the median country’s.
United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 990 m above the United Kingdom’s.
United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 9.4 times as many people as the median country.
United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 2.9 times as densely populated as the median country.
United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 4.7 cm taller than in the median country.
United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 3.4 cm taller than in the median country.
United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 8.7 years older than in the median country.
United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.4 more children on average than in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country 0.0.
United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
The United Kingdom and the median country are practically level.
United Kingdom: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 88 times the size of the median country’s.
United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 3.1 times as much per person as the median country.
United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in the United Kingdom (Gini 2 points higher).
United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
The median country and the United Kingdom are practically level.
United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, the median country 1.7%.
United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 2× the median country’s.
United Kingdom: 89% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 12 times as much on health per person as the median country.
United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Kingdom live 6.8 years longer than in the median country.
United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 3.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 2 times as many doctors per person as the median country.
United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 24% in the median country.
United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 0.86 points higher than in the median country.
United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 2.4 times as much alcohol as in the median country.
United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 50% more meat per person than the median country.
United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 497 kcal more food per person per day than the median country.
United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 452 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 3.6 years longer than in the median country.
United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Kingdom welcomed 60% more tourists per resident than the median country (2019).
United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 82% in the median country.
United Kingdom: 95% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The United Kingdom and the median country are practically level.
United Kingdom: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
United Kingdom: 83% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Kingdom has 122 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
United Kingdom: 122 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 7.6 times as long as the median country’s.
United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 7.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country.
United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 13% of the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Kingdom emits 52% more CO₂ than someone in the median country.
United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
United Kingdom: 52% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 89% more fine dust than in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2 times as likely to be murdered in the median country as in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 5.1 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 13.0 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 6% more rain than the median country.
United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the United Kingdom bigger than the median country?
The United Kingdom is larger. The median country fits inside the United Kingdom 2.2 times.
Which has more people, the United Kingdom or the median country?
The United Kingdom has 9.4 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the United Kingdom or the median country?
People in the United Kingdom live 6.8 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 81.4 years in the United Kingdom and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in the United Kingdom or the median country?
Men in the United Kingdom are 4.7 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
