United Kingdom: Facts and Figures - Facts and Figures

Official name

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Capital

London

Area

244,110 sq km

94,251 sq mi

Administrative divisions (population)

England

50,094,000 (2004 estimate)

Northern Ireland

1,710,000 (2004 estimate)

Scotland

5,078,000 (2004 estimate)

Wales

2,952,000 (2004 estimate)

Largest cities (population)

London

7,512,400 (2006 estimate)

Birmingham

976,400 (2001 estimate)

Leeds

715,500 (2001 estimate)

Glasgow

578,700 (2001 estimate)

Sheffield

513,100 (2001 estimate)

Bradford

467,900 (2001 estimate)

Edinburgh

449,000 (2001 estimate)

Liverpool

439,476 (2001)

Manchester

392,900 (2001 estimate)

Bristol

380,615 (2001)

Cardiff

305,200 (2001 estimate)

Belfast

277,200 (2001 estimate)

Newcastle upon Tyne

259,600 (2001 estimate)

Plymouth

241,000 (2001 estimate)

Swansea

223,200 (2001 estimate)

Southampton

217,600 (2001 estimate)

Aberdeen

211,300 (2001 estimate)

Dundee

150,250 (1996 estimate)

Newport

136,789 (1996 estimate)

Oxford

134,248 (2001)

Norwich

121,553 (2001)

Cambridge

108,879 (2001)

Londonderry

105,066 (2002)

Population

61,113,205 (2009 estimate)

Population growth rate

0.28 per cent (2009 estimate)

Population density

253 persons per sq km (2009 estimate)

655 persons per sq mi (2009 estimate)

Urbanization

Per cent urban

89 per cent (2005 estimate)

Per cent rural

11 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total

79 years (2009 estimate)

Female

81.6 years (2009 estimate)

Male

76.5 years (2009 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

5 deaths per 1,000 live births (2009 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total

99 per cent (1995)

Female

Not available

Male

Not available

Ethnic divisions

White

94 per cent

Indian

2 per cent

Pakistani

1 per cent

Black and other

3 per cent

Languages

English (official), Welsh (official), French (official on Channel Islands), Scots, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, Angloromani

Religions

Anglican, Roman Catholic, Muslim, other Protestant, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish, other

Type of government

Constitutional monarchy

Independence

January 1, 1801 (United Kingdom established)

Constitution

Unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Voting rights

Universal at age 18

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)

2,772,024 million (2007)

GDP per capita (US$)

45,442 (2007)

GDP by economic sector

GDP, agriculture

0.9 per cent (2007)

GDP, industry

23.1 per cent (2007)

GDP, services

76 per cent (2007)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue

1,055,678 million (2007)

Total expenditure

1,129,836 million (2007)

Monetary unit

1 pound sterling (£), consisting of 100 pence

Exports

Manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, chemicals, semi-finished goods, transport equipment, professional and scientific instruments, iron and steel products, foodstuff

Imports

Manufactured goods, machinery, semi-finished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals, plastics, clothing, footwear, paper products

Major trading partners for exports

United States, Germany, France, Netherlands, Ireland

Major trading partners for imports

United States, Germany, France, Netherlands, Japan

Industries

Production machinery, including machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railway equipment, ships, aircraft, and motor vehicles and parts; electronic and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other consumer goods

Agriculture

Principal crops: wheat, barley, potatoes, sugar beet, vegetables, fruits; livestock products: poultry, sheep, cattle, milk, meat, eggs, wool

Natural resources

Coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.