United Kingdom at its true size
United Kingdom covers 242,495 km², number 78 of 194 countries by area. Home to 69,487,000 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 2.9× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 242,495 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 69,487,000 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 287 per km² |
| Capital | London |
| Local time in London | |
| Time zone | UTC, summer time UTC+1 IANA |
| Currency | Pound sterling (GBP) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Scots, British Sign Language, Ulster Scots |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Northern Europe, Europe |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | NATOOECDG7G20 |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +44 |
| Codes | GB · GBR · 826 |
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Where United Kingdom ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#22 of 19469 million people#3 of 44 in Europe
- Population density#31 of 194287 people per km²#7 of 44 in Europe
- Urban population#35 of 19283% urban#13 of 43 in Europe
- Fertility rate#130 of 1921.55 births per woman#8 of 43 in Europe
- Population growth#144 of 192+0.30% a year#18 of 43 in Europe
- Birth rate#144 of 1929.9 births per 1,000 people#6 of 43 in Europe
- Death rate#41 of 1929.7 deaths per 1,000 people#26 of 43 in Europe
- Children under 15#142 of 19217.0% under 15#5 of 43 in Europe
- People over 65#33 of 19219.7% aged 65 and over#30 of 43 in Europe
- Net migration#17 of 192+5.6 per 1,000 people#8 of 43 in Europe
- Refugees abroad#155 of 1900.01 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#24 of 41 in Europe
Health & education
- Life expectancy#34 of 19281.4 years#23 of 43 in Europe
- Infant mortality#150 of 1914.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#10 of 42 in Europe
- Doctors#53 of 1783.30 doctors per 1,000 people#35 of 41 in Europe
- University enrolment#24 of 14580.4% gross enrolment#15 of 43 in Europe
- Human Development Index#12 of 190an index of 0.946#11 of 42 in Europe
Economy
- GNI per capita#19 of 185$54,550 a person#13 of 41 in Europe
- Internet users#25 of 18496% online#14 of 43 in Europe
- GDP per capita (PPP)#26 of 184$64,606 a person#16 of 41 in Europe
- GDP growth#145 of 187+1.4% a year#24 of 42 in Europe
- Inflation#60 of 176+3.9% a year#13 of 40 in Europe
- Unemployment#101 of 1784.7% of the labour force#25 of 39 in Europe
- Extreme poverty#107 of 1490.4% under $3.00 a day#15 of 39 in Europe
- Income inequality (Gini)#99 of 149a Gini index of 32.4#15 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in agriculture#172 of 1780.9% of jobs#37 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in industry#130 of 17815.9% of jobs#36 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in services#7 of 17883.2% of jobs#3 of 39 in Europe
- Foreign investment#136 of 1840.9% of GDP#26 of 41 in Europe
- Exports#101 of 16830.6% of GDP#38 of 40 in Europe
- Military spending#45 of 1552.4% of GDP#14 of 39 in Europe
- Mobile subscriptions#76 of 191122 subscriptions per 100 people#26 of 43 in Europe
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#57 of 1854.22 tonnes a person#26 of 37 in Europe
- Forest area#137 of 19214% forest#37 of 43 in Europe
- Renewable energy#130 of 19012.2% renewable#35 of 41 in Europe
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 43 in Europe
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#157 of 1919.5 µg/m³#27 of 42 in Europe
- Protected land#41 of 19128.4% of the land protected#14 of 42 in Europe
- Arable land#38 of 19025.3% of the land arable#18 of 42 in Europe
- Water stress#75 of 17614.4% of its available fresh water#14 of 38 in Europe
- Precipitation#73 of 1801,220 mm a year#5 of 37 in Europe
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of the United Kingdom’s area, lit up on the map →
- Uganda1.01×United Kingdom and Uganda are almost exactly the same size.
- Guinea0.99×United Kingdom and Guinea are almost exactly the same size.
- Ghana1.02×United Kingdom and Ghana are almost exactly the same size.
- Romania1.02×United Kingdom and Romania are almost exactly the same size.
- Laos1.02×United Kingdom and Laos are almost exactly the same size.
- Ecuador0.94×United Kingdom is 6% smaller than Ecuador.
How many times does United Kingdom fit into…
- Russia: about 70 times
- Canada: about 41 times
- United States: about 41 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes United Kingdom shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Thames334 km
Summits
- Queen Mary's Peak2,062 m
- Ben Nevis1,345 m
- Snowdon1,085 m
- Soufrière Hills1,050 m
- Mount Usborne705 m
Lakes
- Lough Neagh392 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside United Kingdom. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about United Kingdom
- How big is United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom covers 242,495 km², which makes it number 78 of 194 countries by area. About 69,487,000 people live there (2025), 287 per km².
- Is United Kingdom bigger than Uganda?
- United Kingdom and Uganda are almost exactly the same size. United Kingdom: 242,495 km²; Uganda: 241,038 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort United Kingdom?
- At about 54° latitude, Mercator stretches United Kingdom to roughly 2.9× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Which countries border United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom shares a land border with Ireland.