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United Kingdom

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland · Northern Europe

Position of United Kingdom on a world map

At a glance

CapitalLondon
Most common first languageEnglish91.1% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languageNoneno language has de jure status here
Currencypound sterling
Drives on theleft
Highest pointBen Nevis1,344 m
Biggest category of goods exportedmanufactured goods61% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports58.7%of everything sold abroad, 2025
TerritoryEntirely islandsno part on a continental mainland · archipelago
Internet domain.uk

Facts about United Kingdom

The industrial revolution began there in the 1700s.

Source: Britannica, Industrial Revolution · checked 2026-08-08

United Kingdom is the only country whose postage stamps do not carry its name.

Source: Universal Postal Union convention; UK exempt as first issuer · checked 2026-08-08

United Kingdom installed the world's first cash machine.

Source: historicengland.org.uk · checked 2026-08-08

United Kingdom uses the oldest national currency still in continuous circulation today.

Source: forex.com · checked 2026-08-08

United Kingdom by the numbers

Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.

MeasureValueRank
PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year.69.5m (2025)22nd
of 209
GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices.$4.00tn (2025)5th
of 203
Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory.242k km² (2023)79th
of 209
Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations.$81.8bn (2024)6th
of 151
Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined.$1.22tn (2025)4th
of 180
Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents.84.1m (2024)24th
of 205
Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive.32.2k km² (2023)88th
of 203
Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture.170k km² (2023)53rd
of 206
CO₂ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes.292 Mt (2024)20th
of 198
Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them.57.9m (2025)16th
of 209
Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed.81.4 years (2024)42nd
of 209
GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population.$57,602 (2025)26th
of 205
Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months.95.5% (2024)26th
of 191
InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods.3.9% (2025)65th
of 182
UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one.4.7% (2025)106th
of 185
Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas.83.3% (2025)45th
of 209
Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates.1.55 (2024)140th
of 209
Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces.2.28% of GDP (2024)46th
of 155
Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies.62.5% of GDP (2025)123rd
of 183
CO₂ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population.4.21 t (2024)64th
of 198
Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1.0.946 (2023)14th
of 193

Land borders

🇮🇪 Ireland

United Kingdom shares these with other countries

Drives on the left 60Is made up entirely of islands 58Is an archipelago 39Has a coast and land neighbours 115Has english as its most common first language 13Is a constitutional monarchy 40Is a member of nato 30Is a member of the g20 19Is a member of the g7 7Mainly exports manufactured goods 83Earns most of its export income from services 48Is in northern europe 12

United Kingdom in the Daily Ceteris

Questions from the daily puzzle where the answer is United Kingdom.

Which country is credited with starting the Industrial Revolution?

From roughly 1760 to 1830 industrialisation was almost entirely a British affair — steam engines, mechanised textile mills and cheap iron arrived there decades before anywhere else. Britain took the lead so seriously that it banned the export of machinery and the emigration of skilled workers to stop rivals copying it. source

Which country installed the world's first cash machine?

The first ATM opened at a Barclays branch in Enfield, north London, on 27 June 1967, unveiled by the sitcom actor Reg Varney. Plastic cards did not exist yet — customers fed in paper vouchers coated in mildly radioactive carbon-14 so the machine could recognise them. source

In which country is more of the world's currency bought and sold than anywhere else?

London handles about 38% of all foreign-currency trading, roughly twice the United States' share and far more than Britain's size would suggest. Time zone is the reason: the London day overlaps Asian mornings and American afternoons, so it is the one place open for both. source

Which country uses the oldest national currency still in continuous circulation today?

The pound has been Britain's unit of account since Anglo-Saxon King Offa's reign in the 8th century, its name recalling an actual pound weight of silver. Continuity of a currency's name is no guarantee of stable value — today's pound buys a tiny fraction of what it did even a century ago. source

Keep going

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Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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