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Europe :: United Kingdom

- ## Introduction :: UNITED KINGDOM

- Background:
  The United Kingdom has historically played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith in the 19th century, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two world wars and the Irish Republic's withdrawal from the union. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council and a founding member of NATO and the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy. The UK is also an active member of the EU, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999. The latter was suspended until May 2007 due to wrangling over the peace process, but devolution was fully completed in March 2010.

- ## Geography :: UNITED KINGDOM

- 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
  Geographic coordinates:
  54 00 N, 2 00 W
  Map references:
  Europe
  Area:
  total: 243,610 sq km
  land: 241,930 sq km
  water: 1,680 sq km
  note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
  country comparison to the world: 80
  Area - comparative:
  twice the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oregon
  Area comparison map:
  Land boundaries:
  total: 443 km
  border countries (1): Ireland 443 km
  Coastline:
  12,429 km
  Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 12 nm
  exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
  continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries
  Climate:
  temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
  Terrain:
  mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast
  Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: The Fens -4 m
  highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
  Natural resources:
  coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land
  Land use:
  agricultural land: 71%
  arable land 25.1%; permanent crops 0.2%; permanent pasture 45.7%
  forest: 11.9%
  other: 17.1% (2011 est.)
  Irrigated land:
  2,280 sq km (2005)
  Total renewable water resources:
  147 cu km (2011)
  Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
  total: 13.03 cu km/yr (58%/33%/9%)
  per capita: 213.2 cu m/yr (2008)
  Natural hazards:
  winter windstorms; floods
  Environment - current issues:
  continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; by 2005 the government reduced the amount of industrial and commercial waste disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and recycled or composted at least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015
  Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
  signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
  Geography - note:
  lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters

- ## People and Society :: UNITED KINGDOM

- Nationality:
  noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural)
  adjective: British
  Ethnic groups:
  white 87.2%, black/African/Caribbean/black British 3%, Asian/Asian British: Indian 2.3%, Asian/Asian British: Pakistani 1.9%, mixed 2%, other 3.7% (2011 est.)
  Languages:
  English
  note: the following are recognized regional languages: Scots (about 30% of the population of Scotland), Scottish Gaelic (about 60,000 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 in Cornwall) (2012 est.)
  Religions:
  Christian (includes Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 59.5%, Muslim 4.4%, Hindu 1.3%, other 2%, unspecified 7.2%, none 25.7% (2011 est.)
  Population:
  64,088,222 (July 2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 23
  Age structure:
  0-14 years: 17.37% (male 5,706,871/female 5,424,654)
  15-24 years: 12.41% (male 4,060,480/female 3,891,262)
  25-54 years: 40.91% (male 13,344,087/female 12,873,234)
  55-64 years: 11.58% (male 3,675,565/female 3,746,483)
  65 years and over: 17.73% (male 5,086,919/female 6,278,667) (2015 est.)
  population pyramid:
  Dependency ratios:
  total dependency ratio: 55.1%
  youth dependency ratio: 27.6%
  elderly dependency ratio: 27.6%
  potential support ratio: 3.6% (2015 est.)
  Median age:
  total: 40.4 years
  male: 39.2 years
  female: 41.6 years (2015 est.)
  Population growth rate:
  0.54% (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 155
  Birth rate:
  12.17 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 161
  Death rate:
  9.35 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 60
  Net migration rate:
  2.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 40
  Urbanization:
  urban population: 82.6% of total population (2015)
  rate of urbanization: 0.88% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
  Major urban areas - population:
  LONDON (capital) 10.313 million; Manchester 2.646 million; Birmingham 2.515 million; Glasgow 1.223 million; Southampton/Portsmouth 882,000; Liverpool 870,000 (2015)
  Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
  15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
  25-54 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
  55-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
  Infant mortality rate:
  total: 4.38 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 4.8 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 3.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 187
  Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 80.54 years
  male: 78.37 years
  female: 82.83 years (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 33
  Total fertility rate:
  1.89 children born/woman (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 140
  Contraceptive prevalence rate:
  84%
  note: percent of women aged 16-49 (2008/09)
  Health expenditures:
  9.1% of GDP (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 30
  Physicians density:
  2.81 physicians/1,000 population (2013)
  Hospital bed density:
  2.9 beds/1,000 population (2011)
  Drinking water source:
  improved:
  urban: 100% of population
  rural: 100% of population
  total: 100% of population
  unimproved:
  urban: 0% of population
  rural: 0% of population
  total: 0% of population (2015 est.)
  Sanitation facility access:
  improved:
  urban: 99.1% of population
  rural: 99.6% of population
  total: 99.2% of population
  unimproved:
  urban: 0.9% of population
  rural: 0.4% of population
  total: 0.8% of population (2015 est.)
  HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.33% (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 81
  HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  126,700 (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 36
  HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  fewer than 600 (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 82
  Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
  29.8% (2014)
  country comparison to the world: 43
  Education expenditures:
  6% of GDP (2011)
  country comparison to the world: 36
  School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
  total: 16 years
  male: 16 years
  female: 17 years (2012)
  Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
  total: 21%
  male: 23.8%
  female: 17.9% (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 52

- ## Government :: UNITED KINGDOM

- Country name:
  conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales
  conventional short form: United Kingdom
  abbreviation: UK
  Government type:
  constitutional monarchy and Commonwealth realm
  Capital:
  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
  note: applies to the United Kingdom proper, not to its overseas dependencies or territories
  Administrative divisions:
  England: 27 two-tier counties, 32 London boroughs and 1 City of London or Greater London, 36 metropolitan districts, 56 unitary authorities (including 4 single-tier counties*)
  two-tier counties: Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Worcestershire
  London boroughs and City of London or Greater London: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, City of London, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster
  metropolitan districts: Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Bury, Calderdale, Coventry, Doncaster, Dudley, Gateshead, Kirklees, Knowlsey, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham, Salford, Sandwell, Sefton, Sheffield, Solihull, South Tyneside, St. Helens, Stockport, Sunderland, Tameside, Trafford, Wakefield, Walsall, Wigan, Wirral, Wolverhampton
  unitary authorities: Bath and North East Somerset, Blackburn with Darwen, Bedford, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, City of Bristol, Central Bedfordshire, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cornwall, Darlington, Derby, Durham County*, East Riding of Yorkshire, Halton, Hartlepool, Herefordshire*, Isle of Wight*, Isles of Scilly, City of Kingston upon Hull, Leicester, Luton, Medway, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset, Northumberland*, Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth, Reading, Redcar and Cleveland, Rutland, Shropshire, Slough, South Gloucestershire, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent, Swindon, Telford and Wrekin, Thurrock, Torbay, Warrington, West Berkshire, Wiltshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, York
  Northern Ireland: 5 borough councils, 4 district councils, 2 city councils
  borough councils: Antrim and Newtownabbey; Ards and North Down; Armagh, Banbridge, and Craigavon; Causeway Coast and Glens; Mid and East Antrim
  district councils: Derry and Strabane; Fermanagh and Omagh; Mid Ulster; Newry, Murne, and Down
  city councils: Belfast; Lisburn and Castlereagh
  Scotland: 32 council areas
  council areas: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, The Scottish Borders, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian
  Wales: 22 unitary authorities
  unitary authorities: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea, The Vale of Glamorgan, Torfaen, Wrexham
  Dependent areas:
  Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
  Independence:
  12 April 1927 (Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act establishes current name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland); notable earlier dates: 927 (minor English kingdoms united); 3 March 1284 (enactment of the Statute of Rhuddlan uniting England and Wales); 1536 (Act of Union formally incorporates England and Wales); 1 May 1707 (Acts of Union formally unite England and Scotland as Great Britain); 1 January 1801 (Acts of Union formally unite Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland); 6 December 1921 (Anglo-Irish Treaty formalizes partition of Ireland; six counties remain part of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland)
  National holiday:
  the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday
  Constitution:
  unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice; note - recent additions include the Human Rights Act of 1998, the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011, and the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 (2011)
  Legal system:
  common law system; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998
  International law organization participation:
  accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
  Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
  Executive branch:
  chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948)
  head of government: Prime Minister David CAMERON (since 11 May 2010)
  cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
  elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes the prime minister; David Cameron (Conservative) assumed office 11 May 2010
  Legislative branch:
  description: bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Lords (774 seats - membership not fixed; consists of 662 life peers, 86 hereditary peers, and 26 clergy - as of September 2015; members appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister and non-party political members recommended by the House of Lords Appointments Commission) and the House of Commons (650 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by first-past-the-post vote to serve 5-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier)
  elections: House of Lords - no elections (note - in 1999, as provided by the House of Lords Act, elections were held in the House of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers who would remain there; elections are held only as vacancies in the hereditary peerage arise); House of Commons - last held on 8 May 2015 (next to be held by May 2020)
  election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Conservative 36.8%, Labor 30.5%, UKIP 12.7%, Lib Dems 7.9%, SNP 4.7%, Greens 3.8%, other 3.6%; seats by party - Conservative 330, Labor 232, SNP 56, Lib Dems 8, DUP 8, Sinn Fein 4, Plaid Cymru 3, SDLP 3, Ulster Unionist Party 2, UKIP 1, Greens 1, other 2
  Judicial branch:
  highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 12 justices including the court president and deputy president); note - the Supreme Court was established by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and implemented in October 2009, replacing the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords as the highest court in the United Kingdom
  judge selection and term of office: judge candidates selected by an independent committee of several judicial commissions, followed by their recommendations to the prime minister, and appointed by Her Majesty The Queen; justices appointed during period of good behavior
  subordinate courts: England and Wales - Court of Appeal (civil and criminal divisions); High Court; Crown Court; County Courts; Magistrates' Courts; Scotland - Court of Sessions; Sheriff Courts; High Court of Justiciary; tribunals; Northern Ireland - Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland; High Court; county courts; magistrates' courts; specialized tribunals
  Political parties and leaders:
  Alliance Party (Northerm Ireland) [David FORD]
  Conservative Party [David CAMERON]
  Democratic Unionist Party or DUP (Northern Ireland) [Peter ROBINSON]
  Green Party of England and Wales or Greens [Natalie BENNETT]
  Labor Party [Jeremy CORBYN]
  Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems) [Tim FARRON]
  Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Leanne WOOD]
  Respect Party [George GALLOWAY]
  Scottish National Party or SNP [Nicola STURGEON]
  Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]
  Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Alasdair MCDONNELL]
  Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Mike NESBITT]
  UK Independence Party or UKIP [Nigel FARAGE]
  Political pressure groups and leaders:
  Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
  Confederation of British Industry
  National Farmers' Union
  Trades Union Congress
  International organization participation:
  ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, C, CBSS (observer), CD, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNMISS, UNRWA, UNSC (permanent), UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
  Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Peter John WESTMACOTT (since 17 January 2012)
  chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500
  FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870
  consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
  consulate(s): Orlando (FL)
  Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Matthew Winthrop BARZUN (since 27 November 2013)
  embassy: 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1K 6AH; note - a new embassy is scheduled to open by the end of 2017 in the Nine Elms area of Wandsworth
  mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040
  telephone: [44] (0) 20 7499-9000
  FAX: [44] (0) 20 7629-9124
  consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh
  Flag description:
  blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, and British overseas territories
  National symbol(s):
  lion (Britain in general); lion, Tudor rose, oak (England); lion, unicorn, thistle (Scotland); dragon, daffodil, leek (Wales); shamrock, flax (Northern Ireland); national colors: red, white, blue (Britain in general); red, white (England); blue, white (Scotland); red, white, green (Wales)
  National anthem:
  name: "God Save the Queen"
  lyrics/music: unknown
  note: in use since 1745; by tradition, the song serves as both the national and royal anthem of the United Kingdom; it is known as either "God Save the Queen" or "God Save the King," depending on the gender of the reigning monarch; it also serves as the royal anthem of many Commonwealth nations

- ## Economy :: UNITED KINGDOM

- Economy - overview:
  The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is the third largest economy in Europe after Germany and France. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with less than 2% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil resources, but its oil and natural gas reserves are declining and the UK has been a net importer of energy since 2005. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, are key drivers of British GDP growth. Manufacturing, meanwhile, has declined in importance but still accounts for about 10% of economic output.
  In 2008, the global financial crisis hit the economy particularly hard, due to the importance of its financial sector. Falling home prices, high consumer debt, and the global economic slowdown compounded Britain's economic problems, pushing the economy into recession in the latter half of 2008 and prompting the then BROWN (Labour) government to implement a number of measures to stimulate the economy and stabilize the financial markets. Facing burgeoning public deficits and debt levels, in 2010 the CAMERON-led coalition government (between Conservatives and Liberal Democrats) initiated an austerity program, which aimed to lower London's budget deficit from about 11% of GDP in 2010 to nearly 1% by 2015. The CAMERON government raised the value added tax from 17.5% to 20% in 2011. It has pledged to reduce the corporation tax rate to 20% by 2015. However, the deficit still remains one of the highest in the G7, standing at 6.0% in 2014.
  In 2012, weak consumer spending and subdued business investment weighed on the economy, however, in 2013 GDP grew 1.7% and in 2014, 2.6%, accelerating unexpectedly because of greater consumer spending and a recovering housing market.
  The Bank of England (BoE) implemented an asset purchase program of �375 billion (approximately $586 billion) as of December 2014. During times of economic crisis, the BoE coordinates interest rate moves with the European Central Bank, but Britain remains outside the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).
  GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $2.549 trillion (2014 est.)
  $2.485 trillion (2013 est.)
  $2.445 trillion (2012 est.)
  note: data are in 2014 US dollars
  country comparison to the world: 11
  GDP (official exchange rate):
  $2.945 trillion (2014 est.)
  GDP - real growth rate:
  2.6% (2014 est.)
  1.7% (2013 est.)
  1.7% (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 101
  GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $39,500 (2014 est.)
  $38,500 (2013 est.)
  $37,900 (2012 est.)
  note: data are in 2014 US dollars
  country comparison to the world: 44
  Gross national saving:
  12.2% of GDP (2014 est.)
  12.5% of GDP (2013 est.)
  12.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 146
  GDP - composition, by end use:
  household consumption: 64.8%
  government consumption: 19.5%
  investment in fixed capital: 17.1%
  investment in inventories: 0.6%
  exports of goods and services: 28.4%
  imports of goods and services: -30.3%
  (2014 est.)
  GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
  agriculture: 0.6%
  industry: 20.6%
  services: 78.8%
  (2014 est.)
  Agriculture - products:
  cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish
  Industries:
  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
  Industrial production growth rate:
  0.7% (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 119
  Labor force:
  32.62 million (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 19
  Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture: 1.3%
  industry: 15.2%
  services: 83.5% (2014 est.)
  Unemployment rate:
  6.2% (2014 est.)
  7.6% (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 59
  Population below poverty line:
  15% (2013 est.)
  Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 1.7%
  highest 10%: 31.1% (2012)
  Distribution of family income - Gini index:
  32.4 (2012)
  33.4 (2010)
  country comparison to the world: 106
  Budget:
  revenues: $936.2 billion
  expenditures: $1.106 trillion (2014 est.)
  Taxes and other revenues:
  32.9% of GDP (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 37
  Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
  -6% of GDP (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 160
  Public debt:
  79.1% of GDP (2014 est.)
  74.2% of GDP (2013 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 intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental 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
  country comparison to the world: 24
  Fiscal year:
  6 April - 5 April
  Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  1.5% (2014 est.)
  2.6% (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 83
  Central bank discount rate:
  0.5% (31 December 2014)
  0.5% (31 December 2013)
  country comparison to the world: 144
  Commercial bank prime lending rate:
  4.4% (31 December 2014 est.)
  4.37% (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 161
  Stock of narrow money:
  $114.2 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $108.6 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 37
  Stock of broad money:
  $3.567 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $3.491 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 6
  Stock of domestic credit:
  $3.812 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $3.699 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 6
  Market value of publicly traded shares:
  $3.019 trillion (31 December 2012 est.)
  $2.903 trillion (31 December 2011)
  $3.107 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 6
  Current account balance:
  -$162.2 billion (2014 est.)
  -$119.9 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 192
  Exports:
  $503.4 billion (2014 est.)
  $476.6 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 11
  Exports - commodities:
  manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco
  Exports - partners:
  Germany 10.8%, US 10.4%, Netherlands 8.1%, Switzerland 7.2%, France 6.5%, Ireland 6.4%, Belgium 4.5% (2014)
  Imports:
  $802.1 billion (2014 est.)
  $824.4 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 6
  Imports - commodities:
  manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs
  Imports - partners:
  Germany 14.9%, China 9%, Netherlands 7.8%, US 6.5%, France 6.1%, Belgium 5.2%, Italy 4.1% (2014)
  Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $109.1 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  $108.8 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 27
  Debt - external:
  $8.795 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
  $8.572 trillion (31 December 2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 3
  Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
  $1.446 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $1.37 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 3
  Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
  $1.884 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $1.815 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 3
  Exchange rates:
  British pounds (GBP) per US dollar -
  0.6003 (2014 est.)
  0.6391 (2013 est.)
  0.63 (2012 est.)
  0.624 (2011 est.)
  0.6472 (2010 est.)

- ## Energy :: UNITED KINGDOM

- Electricity - production:
  335 billion kWh (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 12
  Electricity - consumption:
  303.8 billion kWh (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 12
  Electricity - exports:
  2.72 billion kWh (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 36
  Electricity - imports:
  20.5 billion kWh (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 10
  Electricity - installed generating capacity:
  76.44 million kW (31 December 2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 13
  Electricity - from fossil fuels:
  76% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 100
  Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
  11.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 15
  Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
  4.8% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 128
  Electricity - from other renewable sources:
  8% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 41
  Crude oil - production:
  816,300 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 24
  Crude oil - exports:
  526,600 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 20
  Crude oil - imports:
  567,200 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 11
  Crude oil - proved reserves:
  2.961 billion bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 31
  Refined petroleum products - production:
  1.306 million bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 16
  Refined petroleum products - consumption:
  1.328 million bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 16
  Refined petroleum products - exports:
  511,900 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 13
  Refined petroleum products - imports:
  445,300 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 9
  Natural gas - production:
  38.34 billion cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 24
  Natural gas - consumption:
  71.68 billion cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 10
  Natural gas - exports:
  9.915 billion cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 20
  Natural gas - imports:
  48.38 billion cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 7
  Natural gas - proved reserves:
  241 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 44
  Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
  568.3 million Mt (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 11

- ## Communications :: UNITED KINGDOM

- Telephones - fixed lines:
  total subscriptions: 33.24 million
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 52 (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 9
  Telephones - mobile cellular:
  total: 78.5 million
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 123 (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 20
  Telephone system:
  general assessment: technologically advanced domestic and international system
  domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems
  international: country code - 44; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and US; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers (2011)
  Broadcast media:
  public service broadcaster, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world; BBC operates multiple TV networks with regional and local TV service; a mixed system of public and commercial TV broadcasters along with satellite and cable systems provide access to hundreds of TV stations throughout the world; BBC operates multiple national, regional, and local radio networks with multiple transmission sites; a large number of commercial radio stations, as well as satellite radio services are available (2008)
  Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 206, FM 696, shortwave 3 (2008)
  Television broadcast stations:
  940 (2008)
  Internet country code:
  .uk
  Internet users:
  total: 57.3 million
  percent of population: 89.9% (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 10

- ## Transportation :: UNITED KINGDOM

- Airports:
  460 (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 18
  Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 271
  over 3,047 m: 7
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 29
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 89
  914 to 1,523 m: 80
  under 914 m: 66 (2013)
  Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 189
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
  914 to 1,523 m: 26
  under 914 m:
  160 (2013)
  Heliports:
  9 (2013)
  Pipelines:
  condensate 502 km; condensate/gas 9 km; gas 28,603 km; liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 5,256 km; oil/gas/water 175 km; refined products 4,919 km; water 255 km (2013)
  Railways:
  total: 30,858.5 km
  broad gauge: 303 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland)
  standard gauge: 30,555.5 km 1.435-m gauge (5,357 km electrified) (2014)
  country comparison to the world: 17
  Roadways:
  total: 394,428 km
  paved: 394,428 km (includes 3,519 km of expressways) (2009)
  country comparison to the world: 17
  Waterways:
  3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2009)
  country comparison to the world: 31
  Merchant marine:
  total: 504
  by type: bulk carrier 33, cargo 76, carrier 4, chemical tanker 58, container 178, liquefied gas 6, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 66, petroleum tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 31, vehicle carrier 25
  foreign-owned: 271 (Australia 1, Bermuda 6, China 7, Denmark 43, France 39, Germany 59, Hong Kong 12, Ireland 1, Italy 3, Japan 5, Netherlands 1, Norway 32, Sweden 28, Taiwan 11, Tanzania 1, UAE 8, US 14)
  registered in other countries: 308 (Algeria 15, Antigua and Barbuda 1, Argentina 2, Australia 5, Bahamas 18, Barbados 6, Belgium 2, Belize 4, Bermuda 14, Bolivia 1, Brunei 2, Cabo Verde 1, Cambodia 1, Cayman Islands 2, Comoros 1, Cook Islands 2, Cyprus 7, Georgia 5, Gibraltar 6, Greece 6, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 33, Indonesia 2, Italy 2, Liberia 22, Liberia 32, Luxembourg 5, Malta 21, Marshall Islands 12, Marshall Islands 3, Moldova 3, Nigeria 2, NZ 1, Panama 37, Panama 5, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 6, Thailand 6, Tonga 1, US 4, unknown 1) (2010)
  country comparison to the world: 22
  Ports and terminals:
  major seaport(s): Dover, Felixstowe, Immingham, Liverpool, London, Southampton, Teesport (England); Forth Ports (Scotland); Milford Haven (Wales)
  oil terminals: Fawley Marine terminal, Liverpool Bay terminal (England); Braefoot Bay terminal, Finnart oil terminal, Hound Point terminal (Scotland)
  container port(s) (TEUs): Felixstowe (3,248,592), London (1,932,000), Southampton (1,324,581)
  LNG terminal(s) (import): Isle of Grain, Milford Haven, Teesside

- ## Military :: UNITED KINGDOM

- Military branches:
  Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force (2013)
  Military service age and obligation:
  16-33 years of age (officers 17-28) for voluntary military service (with parental consent under 18); no conscription; women serve in military services, but are excluded from ground combat positions and some naval postings; must be citizen of the UK, Commonwealth, or Republic of Ireland; reservists serve a minimum of 3 years, to age 45 or 55; 17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service by Nepalese citizens in the Brigade of Gurkhas; 16-34 years of age for voluntary military service by Papua New Guinean citizens (2012)
  Manpower available for military service:
  males age 16-49: 14,856,917
  females age 16-49: 14,307,316 (2010 est.)
  Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 16-49: 12,255,452
  females age 16-49: 11,779,679 (2010 est.)
  Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
  male: 383,989
  female: 365,491 (2010 est.)
  Military expenditures:
  2.49% of GDP (2012)
  2.48% of GDP (2011)
  2.49% of GDP (2010)
  country comparison to the world: 28

- ## Transnational Issues :: UNITED KINGDOM

- Disputes - international:
  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; Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory); in 2001, the former inhabitants of the archipelago, evicted 1967 - 1973, were granted U.K. 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 United Kingdom created the world's largest marine protection area around the Chagos islands prohibiting the extraction of any natural resources therein; UK rejects sovereignty talks requested by Argentina, which still claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm
  Refugees and internally displaced persons:
  refugees (country of origin): 11,583 (Eritrea); 11,510 (Iran); 9,467 (Zimbabwe); 9,039 (Afghanistan); 8,509 (Somalia); 5,669 (Pakistan) (2014)
  stateless persons: 16 (2014)
  Illicit drugs:
  producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and synthetic drugs; money-laundering center

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