01
Physical geography
Mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast.
Local timeLondon ·
Europe / Northern Europe · Card 054
United Kingdom
United Kingdom is a country in Northern Europe. Its capital is London.
Find United Kingdom
● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
At a glance
- Capital
- London
- Languages
- English
- Currency
- British pound (GBP)
- Population
- 69.5 million2025 · World Bank
- Area
- 242,900 km²93,784.18 square miles
- Union
- 1707 / 1801Great Britain in 1707; union with Ireland in 1801.
United Kingdom in context
Europe and its surrounding regions. The dot marks London; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapGeography & languages
02
Languages
Languages used in public life include English.
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Location
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.
Flag
Blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white on top of the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is on top of the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland)
History & status
The 1707 union of England and Scotland formed Great Britain. Union with Ireland took effect in 1801. Most of Ireland left in 1922, leaving the present territorial core of the UK. The UK withdrew from the European Union in 2020.
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England and Scotland unite as Great Britain
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Union with Ireland creates the United Kingdom
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The UK leaves the European Union
Economy
Main activities
Services, including finance, professional services, education and health, account for much activity. Manufacturing includes aerospace, pharmaceuticals and vehicles. Regional economies differ, and the UK also has agriculture, energy and creative industries.
Industry and production
machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, other consumer goods
Population & economic trends
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population, 1970–2025
Millions of people69.52025 · millions of people
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
View data table
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 55,663,250 | 55.663 |
| 1980 | 56,314,216 | 56.314 |
| 1990 | 57,247,586 | 57.248 |
| 2000 | 58,892,514 | 58.893 |
| 2010 | 62,766,365 | 62.766 |
| 2020 | 66,740,000 | 66.740 |
| 2025 | 69,487,000 | 69.487 |
Real GDP, 1990–2025
Trillions of constant 2015 US dollars3.42025 · trillions of constant 2015 US dollars
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
View data table
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Trillions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,721,504,098,260 | 1.722 |
| 1991 | 1,699,254,695,039 | 1.699 |
| 1992 | 1,721,255,429,796 | 1.721 |
| 1993 | 1,781,335,634,495 | 1.781 |
| 1994 | 1,869,572,508,479 | 1.870 |
| 1995 | 1,935,631,814,547 | 1.936 |
| 1996 | 1,986,246,961,912 | 1.986 |
| 1997 | 2,083,175,521,751 | 2.083 |
| 1998 | 2,150,801,957,624 | 2.151 |
| 1999 | 2,214,131,432,954 | 2.214 |
| 2000 | 2,314,307,169,244 | 2.314 |
| 2001 | 2,369,642,769,659 | 2.370 |
| 2002 | 2,410,140,612,988 | 2.410 |
| 2003 | 2,487,711,377,293 | 2.488 |
| 2004 | 2,545,576,004,983 | 2.546 |
| 2005 | 2,616,614,241,853 | 2.617 |
| 2006 | 2,673,913,418,492 | 2.674 |
| 2007 | 2,752,283,449,985 | 2.752 |
| 2008 | 2,750,923,500,693 | 2.751 |
| 2009 | 2,624,727,410,660 | 2.625 |
| 2010 | 2,684,060,544,651 | 2.684 |
| 2011 | 2,706,913,649,066 | 2.707 |
| 2012 | 2,748,282,336,998 | 2.748 |
| 2013 | 2,795,510,733,841 | 2.796 |
| 2014 | 2,883,853,723,652 | 2.884 |
| 2015 | 2,945,579,890,258 | 2.946 |
| 2016 | 3,010,574,705,731 | 3.011 |
| 2017 | 3,101,591,068,534 | 3.102 |
| 2018 | 3,149,707,010,748 | 3.150 |
| 2019 | 3,189,276,748,351 | 3.189 |
| 2020 | 2,868,821,517,197 | 2.869 |
| 2021 | 3,113,908,148,054 | 3.114 |
| 2022 | 3,274,265,196,937 | 3.274 |
| 2023 | 3,283,159,739,928 | 3.283 |
| 2024 | 3,318,626,965,007 | 3.319 |
| 2025 | 3,364,704,178,220 | 3.365 |
Human development
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
HDI · 20230.946Very High human developmentRank 13 of 193 · 2025 report
Human Development Index over time
19900.812
20000.870
20100.921
20200.930
20230.946
81.3 yearsLife expectancy at birth
13.5 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Government
A parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The monarch is head of state, and a prime minister leads the government. Parliament comprises the House of Commons and House of Lords. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved legislatures and governments with different powers.
Knowledge check
Three questions about United Kingdom.
QUESTION 1 OF 3
Which two chambers make up the UK Parliament?
Sources & notes
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.