Capital

Grossbritannien

name: London

geographic coordinates: 51 30 N, 0 05 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

time zone note: the time statements apply to the United Kingdom proper, not to its crown dependencies or overseas territories

etymology: the name derives from the Roman settlement of Londinium, established on the current site of London around A.D. 43; the original meaning of the name is uncertain

Citizenship

Grossbritannien

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the United Kingdom

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Legal system

Grossbritannien

common law system; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998

Suffrage

Grossbritannien

18 years of age; universal

Area

Grossbritannien

total: 243,610 sq km

land: 241,930 sq km

water: 1,680 sq km

note 1: the percentage area breakdown of the four UK countries is: England 53%, Scotland 32%, Wales 9%, and Northern Ireland 6%

note 2: includes Rockall and the Shetland Islands, which are part of Scotland

Land use

Grossbritannien

agricultural land: 71% (2018 est.)

arable land: 25.1% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 45.7% (2018 est.)

forest: 11.9% (2018 est.)

other: 17.1% (2018 est.)

Location

Grossbritannien

Western Europe, islands - including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland - between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea; northwest of France

Age structure

Grossbritannien

0-14 years: 16.91% (male 5,901,611/female 5,620,070)

15-64 years: 64.03% (male 21,997,962/female 21,628,742)

65 years and over: 19.06% (2023 est.) (male 5,953,187/female 7,036,912)

Birth rate

Grossbritannien

10.8 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Grossbritannien

9.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Grossbritannien

English

note: the following are recognized regional languages: Scots (about 30% of the population of Scotland), Scottish Gaelic (about 60,000 speakers in Scotland), Welsh (about 20% of the population of Wales), Irish (about 10% of the population of Northern Ireland), Cornish (some 2,000 to 3,000 people in Cornwall) (2012 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Grossbritannien

total population: 82.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 80 years

female: 84.2 years

Major urban areas - population

Grossbritannien

9.648 million LONDON (capital), 2.791 million Manchester, 2.665 million Birmingham, 1.929 million West Yorkshire, 1.698 million Glasgow, 952,000 Southampton/Portsmouth (2023)

Median age

Grossbritannien

total: 40.6 years (2023 est.)

male: 39.9 years

female: 41.4 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Grossbritannien

29 years (2018 est.)

note: data represents England and Wales only

Net migration rate

Grossbritannien

3.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Grossbritannien

the core of the population lies in and around London, with significant clusters found in central Britain around Manchester and Liverpool, in the Scottish lowlands between Edinburgh and Glasgow, southern Wales in and around Cardiff, and far eastern Northern Ireland centered on Belfast

Population growth rate

Grossbritannien

0.49% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Grossbritannien

1.63 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Grossbritannien

urban population: 84.6% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.8% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Grossbritannien

5.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Grossbritannien

total: 17 years

male: 17 years

female: 18 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Grossbritannien

-1.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Grossbritannien

9.12% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Grossbritannien

34.637 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Grossbritannien

18.6% (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

Grossbritannien

4.53% (2021 est.)

4.47% (2020 est.)

3.74% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Grossbritannien

195.39% of GDP (2020 est.)

160.02% of GDP (2019 est.)

157.8% of GDP (2018 est.)

note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Grossbritannien

2.52% (2021 est.)

0.99% (2020 est.)

1.74% (2019 est.)

Exports

Grossbritannien

$874.5 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$791.7 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$893.1 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - partners

Grossbritannien

United States 13%, Germany 9%, Netherlands 8%, Ireland 7%, Switzerland 6% (2021)

Imports

Grossbritannien

$898.719 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$783.438 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$939.349 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Grossbritannien

China 13%, Germany 11%, United States 8%, Netherlands 6%, Norway 5% (2021)

Airports

Grossbritannien

460 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Grossbritannien

total: 27,330,297 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 40 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Grossbritannien

total: 64.99 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 97% (2021 est.)

Railways

Grossbritannien

total: 16,390 km (2020) 6,167 km electrified

Roadways

Grossbritannien

total: 394,428 km (2009)

paved: 394,428 km (2009) (includes 3,519 km of expressways)

Telephones - fixed lines

Grossbritannien

total subscriptions: 33 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 48 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Grossbritannien

total subscriptions: 80 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 120 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Grossbritannien

3,200 km (2009) (620 km used for commerce)

Disputes - international

Grossbritannien

UK-Argentina: UK rejects sovereignty talks requested by Argentina, which still claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

UK-Argentina-Chile: the UK’s territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim

UK-Denmark: the UK, Iceland, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm; Iceland, Norway, and the Faroe Islands signed an agreement in 2019 extending the Faroe Islands’ northern continental shelf area

UK (Gibraltar)-Spain: in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement between the UK and Spain; the Government of Gibraltar insisted on equal participation in talks between the two countries; Spain disapproved of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; London and Madrid reached a temporary agreement at the end of 2020 that allowed Gibraltar to be part of the passport-free Schengen zone; talks are expected to continue in 2022

UK-Mauritius-Seychelles: Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory); in 2001, the former inhabitants of the archipelago, evicted 1967 - 1973, were granted UK citizenship and the right of return, followed by Orders in Council in 2004 that banned rehabitation, a High Court ruling reversed the ban, a Court of Appeal refusal to hear the case, and a Law Lords' decision in 2008 denied the right of return; in addition, the UK created the world's largest marine protection area around the Chagos Islands prohibiting the extraction of any natural resources therein