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United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Capital London
Languages English
Currency British pound
People 69.5 million (2025)
Neighbours 1 Greetings from
United Kingdom
2nd highest olympic medals (all time) 1,025 · #2 of 202 · 2026 edition 5th highest economy size (GDP) $4 trillion · #5 of 207 · 2025 6th highest nobel laureates per 10 million people 15.8 · #6 of 160 · 2026 GBR COUNTRYDUEL
Send this postcard Surprising facts about the United Kingdom The comparisons that stand out most against its neighbours, its region and the world median.
Picked for surprise among the United Kingdom’s neighbours, its region and the world median.
The United Kingdom among 213 countries & territories Each dot shows where the United Kingdom sits between the lowest and the highest value in the world; “See it” opens the full visual against the
world median. Higher is not automatically better.
Total area 243,610 km² 78th of 205 2024 Coastline 12,429 km 13th of 213 2026 edition Highest point 1,345 m 143rd of 213 2026 edition Forest cover 13.5% 145th of 207 2024 Farmland 69.2% 25th of 205 2024 Population 69.5 million 22nd of 210 2025 Population density 287 per km² 41st of 209 2025 Height of men 178.2 cm 38th of 196 2019 Height of women 163.9 cm 45th of 196 2019 Median age 39.8 years 48th of 213 2023 Fertility rate 1.55 children per woman 139th of 210 2024 Aged 65 and over 19.7% 38th of 210 2025 Refugees hosted per 1,000 residents 8.4 per 1,000 48th of 181 2025 Economy size (GDP) $4 trillion 5th of 207 2025 GDP per person (PPP) Int$64,607 32nd of 198 2025 Income inequality (Gini) 32.4 104th of 155 2021 Extreme poverty ($3.00 a day) 0.4% 101st of 142 2021 Unemployment 4.7% 107th of 186 2025 Health spending per person $5,860 17th of 193 2024 Military spending 2.4% 49th of 161 2025 Tax revenue (central government) 26.9% 9th of 150 2024 Life expectancy 81.4 years 42nd of 210 2024 Infant mortality 4.1 per 1,000 153rd of 194 2024 Doctors 3.3 per 1,000 54th of 190 2023 Hospital beds 2.4 per 1,000 79th of 158 2022 Suicide rate 9.6 per 100k 94th of 185 2023 Adult obesity 29.2% 71st of 195 2024 Smoking 12.8% 111th of 166 2024 Life satisfaction 6.69 30th of 163 2025 Alcohol consumption 10.4 litres 30th of 195 2023 Meat supply 84.4 kg 35th of 189 2023 Daily calories 3,435 kcal 29th of 189 2023 Working hours 1,523 hours 117th of 130 2023 Years of schooling 13.5 years 9th of 193 2023 Internet users 95% 29th of 208 2024 Fixed broadband download speed 303 Mbps 25th of 197 2026 Access to electricity 100% 1st of 209 2024 Urban population 83% 46th of 210 2025 Mobile subscriptions 122 82nd of 208 2024 CO₂ per person 4.5 t 70th of 203 2024 Renewable electricity 52% 66th of 201 2025 Air pollution (PM2.5) 8.8 µg/m³ 176th of 213 2024 Homicide rate 1.1 per 100k 110th of 160 2021 Road deaths 3.9 per 100k 178th of 185 2023 Average temperature 9.9°C 158th of 187 2016–2025 avg Rainfall 1,070 mm 88th of 187 2016–2025 avg Nobel laureates per 10 million people 15.8 6th of 160 2026 Railway network 16,179 km 17th of 133 2021 Air passengers per resident 1.71 34th of 165 2023 Tourists per resident 0.55 76th of 179 2024 Official languages 1 87th of 213 2026 Price level (US = 100) 89% 20th of 198 2025 World Heritage sites 35 8th of 195 2026 Olympic medals (all time) 1,025 2nd of 202 2026 edition
World twins The countries most like the United Kingdom across 12 indicators (GDP/person, Life exp., Median age, Fertility, Urban, Internet, Schooling, CO₂/person, Density, Temperature, Happiness, Obesity). Each indicator is standardised and compared by average distance; a resemblance, not a score.
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Natural rivals
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United Kingdom
vs Ireland