United Kingdom vs Western Sahara
Western Sahara is 10% larger than United Kingdom.
United KingdomWestern SaharaUnited Kingdom moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
0.91×
United Kingdom is 0.91× the area of Western Sahara. Put the other way, Western Sahara is 1.1× the size of United Kingdom.
 United Kingdom |  Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaWestern Sahara: 1.1× the area | 242,495 km²#78 of 194 | 266,000 km² |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited Kingdom: 114× the population | 69,487,000#22 of 194 · 2025 | 612,0002021 |
| DensityUnited Kingdom: 125× the density | 287 / km²#31 of 194 | 2.3 / km² |
| Urban population | 83%#35 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.55 per woman#130 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Population growth | +0.30%#144 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Birth rate | 9.9 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Death rate | 9.7 per 1,000#41 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Children under 15 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| People over 65 | 19.7%#33 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Net migration | +5.6 per 1,000#17 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Refugees abroad | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | — |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancy | 81.4 years#34 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Infant mortality | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Doctors | 3.30 per 1,000#53 of 178 · 2023 | — |
| University enrolment | 80.4%#24 of 145 · 2023 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.946#12 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $54,550#19 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $4T2025 | — |
| Income group | High income | — |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $64,606#26 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +1.4%#145 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +3.9%#60 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 4.7%#101 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Extreme poverty | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2021 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 32.4#99 of 149 · 2021 | — |
| Jobs in agriculture | 0.9% of jobs#172 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in industry | 15.9% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in services | 83.2% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Foreign investment | 0.9% of GDP#136 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 30.6% of GDP#101 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 2.4% of GDP#45 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 96%#25 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptions | 122 per 100#76 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 14% of land#137 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| CO₂ per person | 4.22 t a year#57 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energy | 12.2%#130 of 190 · 2021 | — |
| Access to electricity | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | 9.5 µg/m³#157 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Protected land | 28.4% of land#41 of 191 · 2025 | — |
| Arable land | 25.3% of land#38 of 190 · 2024 | — |
| Water stress | 14.4%#75 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 1,220 mm#73 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | +0.29#80 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Control of corruption | +1.53#17 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2021 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Status disputed |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm | —legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ until his death in May 2016; current President Brahim GHALI elected in July 2016; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976 when Spain withdrew, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; Morocco between 1980 and 1987 built a fortified sand berm delineating the roughly 75% of Western Sahara west of the barrier that currently is controlled by Morocco; guerrilla activities continued sporadically until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6 September 1991 (Security Council Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) |
| Member of | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 | — |
| Capital | London | — |
| Currency | Pound sterling (GBP) | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
| Official languages | English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Scots, British Sign Language, Ulster Scots | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC, summer time UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +44 | +212 |
| Region | Northern Europe, Europe | Northern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. United Kingdom sits at about 54° N and is stretched to 2.9× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why United Kingdom looks so much bigger than it is next to Western Sahara. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is United Kingdom bigger than Western Sahara?
- No. United Kingdom is 9% smaller than Western Sahara. United Kingdom covers 242,495 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does United Kingdom fit into Western Sahara?
- About 1.1 times: Western Sahara has 1.1× the area of United Kingdom.
- Why do United Kingdom and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. United Kingdom is drawn about 2.9× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why United Kingdom looks so much bigger than it really is next to Western Sahara. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, United Kingdom or Western Sahara?
- United Kingdom: 69,487,000 people against 612,000. Density: United Kingdom 287 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².