{ "Introduction": { "Background": { "text": "

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was created when the Kingdoms of England and Scotland -- which previously had been distinct states under a single monarchy -- were joined under the 1707 Acts of Union. The island of Ireland was incorporated under the 1800 Acts of Union, while Wales had been part of the Kingdom of England since the 16th century. The United Kingdom has historically played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. The 18th and 19th centuries saw the rapid expansion of the British Empire despite the loss of the Thirteen Colonies, and at its zenith in the early 20th century, the British Empire stretched over one fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw two World Wars seriously deplete the UK's strength and the Irish Republic withdraw 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 of Nations, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy. The devolved Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1998.

The UK was an active member of the EU after its accession in 1973, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union. However, motivated in part by frustration at a remote bureaucracy in Brussels and massive migration into the country, UK citizens in 2016 voted by 52 to 48 percent to leave the EU. On 31 January 2020, the UK became the only country to depart the EU -- a move known as \"Brexit\" -- after prolonged negotiations on EU-UK economic and security relationships.

" } }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "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": { "text": "54 00 N, 2 00 W" }, "Map references": { "text": "Europe" }, "Area": { "total ": { "text": "243,610 sq km" }, "land": { "text": "241,930 sq km" }, "water": { "text": "1,680 sq km" }, "note": "note 1: the percentage area breakdown of the four UK countries is: England 53%, Scotland 32%, Wales 9%, and Northern Ireland 6%

note 2: includes Rockall and the Shetland Islands, which are part of Scotland" }, "Area - comparative": { "text": "twice the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oregon" }, "Land boundaries": { "total": { "text": "499 km" }, "border countries": { "text": "Ireland 499 km" } }, "Coastline": { "text": "12,429 km" }, "Maritime claims": { "territorial sea": { "text": "12 nm" }, "continental shelf": { "text": "as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries" }, "exclusive fishing zone": { "text": "200 nm" } }, "Climate": { "text": "temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast" }, "Terrain": { "text": "mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast" }, "Elevation": { "highest point": { "text": "Ben Nevis 1,345 m" }, "lowest point": { "text": "The Fens -4 m" }, "mean elevation": { "text": "162 m" } }, "Natural resources": { "text": "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": { "text": "71% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 25.1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 45.7% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "11.9% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "17.1% (2018 est.)" } }, "Irrigated land": { "text": "718 sq km (2018)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "the core of the population lies in and around London, with significant clusters found in central Britain around Manchester and Liverpool, in the Scottish lowlands between Edinburgh and Glasgow, southern Wales in and around Cardiff, and far eastern Northern Ireland centered on Belfast" }, "Natural hazards": { "text": "winter windstorms; floods" }, "Geography - note": { "text": "lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel (the Channel Tunnel or Chunnel); because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters" } }, "People and Society": { "Population": { "total": { "text": "68,459,055 United Kingdom" }, "male": { "text": "34,005,445" }, "female": { "text": "34,453,610 (2024 est.)" } }, "Nationality": { "noun": { "text": "Briton(s), British (collective plural)" }, "adjective": { "text": "British" } }, "Ethnic groups": { "text": "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": { "text": "English", "note": "note: the following are recognized regional languages: Scots (about 30% of the population of Scotland), Scottish Gaelic (about 60,000 speakers 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 people in Cornwall) (2012 est.)" }, "Religions": { "text": "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.)" }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { "text": "16.7% (male 5,872,937/female 5,592,665)" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "63.9% (male 22,062,643/female 21,702,401)" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "19.3% (2024 est.) (male 6,069,865/female 7,158,544)" } }, "Dependency ratios": { "total dependency ratio": { "text": "57.7" }, "youth dependency ratio": { "text": "27.8" }, "elderly dependency ratio": { "text": "29.8" }, "potential support ratio": { "text": "3.4 (2021 est.)" } }, "Median age": { "total": { "text": "40.8 years (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "40.1 years" }, "female": { "text": "41.5 years" } }, "Population growth rate": { "text": "0.45% (2024 est.)" }, "Birth rate": { "text": "10.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Death rate": { "text": "9.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Net migration rate": { "text": "2.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "the core of the population lies in and around London, with significant clusters found in central Britain around Manchester and Liverpool, in the Scottish lowlands between Edinburgh and Glasgow, southern Wales in and around Cardiff, and far eastern Northern Ireland centered on Belfast" }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "84.6% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.8% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Major urban areas - population": { "text": "9.648 million LONDON (capital), 2.791 million Manchester, 2.665 million Birmingham, 1.929 million West Yorkshire, 1.698 million Glasgow, 952,000 Southampton/Portsmouth (2023)" }, "Sex ratio": { "at birth": { "text": "1.05 male(s)/female" }, "0-14 years": { "text": "1.05 male(s)/female" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "1.02 male(s)/female" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "0.85 male(s)/female" }, "total population": { "text": "0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)" } }, "Mother's mean age at first birth": { "text": "29 years (2018 est.)", "note": "note: data represents England and Wales only" }, "Maternal mortality ratio": { "text": "10 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)" }, "Infant mortality rate": { "total": { "text": "3.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "4.2 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "female": { "text": "3.3 deaths/1,000 live births" } }, "Life expectancy at birth": { "total population": { "text": "82.2 years (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "80.1 years" }, "female": { "text": "84.4 years" } }, "Total fertility rate": { "text": "1.63 children born/woman (2024 est.)" }, "Gross reproduction rate": { "text": "0.8 (2024 est.)" }, "Contraceptive prevalence rate": { "text": "76.1% (2010/12)", "note": "note: percent of women aged 16-49" }, "Drinking water source": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 100% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 100% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 100% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 0% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 0% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 0% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Current health expenditure": { "text": "12% of GDP (2020)" }, "Physician density": { "text": "3 physicians/1,000 population (2020)" }, "Hospital bed density": { "text": "2.5 beds/1,000 population (2019)" }, "Sanitation facility access": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 99.8% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 99.8% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 99.8% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 0.2% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 0.2% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 0.2% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "27.8% (2016)" }, "Alcohol consumption per capita": { "total": { "text": "9.8 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "beer": { "text": "3.53 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "wine": { "text": "3.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "spirits": { "text": "2.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "other alcohols": { "text": "0.61 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" } }, "Tobacco use": { "total": { "text": "15.4% (2020 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "17.3% (2020 est.)" }, "female": { "text": "13.5% (2020 est.)" } }, "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": { "text": "NA" }, "Currently married women (ages 15-49)": { "text": "50.7% (2023 est.)" }, "Child marriage": { "women married by age 18": { "text": "0.1% (2020 est.)" } }, "Education expenditures": { "text": "5.5% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Literacy": { "total population": { "text": "NA" }, "male": { "text": "NA" }, "female": { "text": "NA" } }, "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": { "total": { "text": "17 years" }, "male": { "text": "17 years" }, "female": { "text": "18 years (2020)" } } }, "Environment": { "Environment - current issues": { "text": "air pollution improved but remains a concern, particularly in the London region; soil pollution from pesticides and heavy metals; decline in marine and coastal habitats brought on by pressures from housing, tourism, and industry" }, "Environment - international agreements": { "party to": { "text": "Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling" }, "signed, but not ratified": { "text": "none of the selected agreements" } }, "Climate": { "text": "temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "71% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 25.1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 45.7% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "11.9% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "17.1% (2018 est.)" } }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "84.6% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "0.8% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Revenue from forest resources": { "text": "0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Revenue from coal": { "text": "0% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Air pollutants": { "particulate matter emissions": { "text": "9.52 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)" }, "carbon dioxide emissions": { "text": "379.02 megatons (2016 est.)" }, "methane emissions": { "text": "49.16 megatons (2020 est.)" } }, "Waste and recycling": { "municipal solid waste generated annually": { "text": "31.567 million tons (2014 est.)" }, "municipal solid waste recycled annually": { "text": "8,602,008 tons (2015 est.)" }, "percent of municipal solid waste recycled": { "text": "27.3% (2015 est.)" } }, "Total water withdrawal": { "municipal": { "text": "6.23 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)" }, "industrial": { "text": "1.01 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)" }, "agricultural": { "text": "1.18 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)" } }, "Total renewable water resources": { "text": "147 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)" }, "Geoparks": { "total global geoparks and regional networks": { "text": "9" }, "global geoparks and regional networks": { "text": "Black Country; Cuilcagh Lakelands (includes Ireland); English Riviera; Fforest Fawr; GeoMôn; Mourne Gullion Strangford; North Pennines AONB; North-West Highlands; Shetland (2023)" } } }, "Government": { "Country name": { "conventional long form": { "text": "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - the island of Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales" }, "conventional short form": { "text": "United Kingdom" }, "abbreviation": { "text": "UK" }, "etymology": { "text": "self-descriptive country name; the designation \"Great Britain,\" in the sense of \"Larger Britain,\" dates back to medieval times and was used to distinguish the island from \"Little Britain,\" or Brittany in modern France; the name Ireland derives from the Gaelic \"Eriu,\" the matron goddess of Ireland (goddess of the land)" } }, "Government type": { "text": "parliamentary constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm" }, "Capital": { "name": { "text": "London" }, "geographic coordinates": { "text": "51 30 N, 0 05 W" }, "time difference": { "text": "UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)" }, "daylight saving time": { "text": "+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October" }, "time zone note": { "text": "the time statements apply to the United Kingdom proper, not to its crown dependencies or overseas territories" }, "etymology": { "text": "the name derives from the Roman settlement of Londinium, established on the current site of London around A.D. 43; the original meaning of the name is uncertain" } }, "Administrative divisions": { "text": "

England: 24 two-tier counties, 32 London boroughs and 1 City of London or Greater London, 36 metropolitan districts, 59 unitary authorities (including 4 single-tier counties*);

two-tier counties: Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, 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; Bedford; Blackburn with Darwen; Blackpool; Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Bracknell Forest; Brighton and Hove; City of Bristol; Buckinghamshire; Central Bedfordshire; Cheshire East; Cheshire West and Chester; Cornwall; Darlington; Derby; Dorset; 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 Northamptonshire; North Somerset; Northumberland*; Nottingham; Peterborough; Plymouth; 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; West Northamptonshire; 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 City, Banbridge, and Craigavon; Causeway Coast and Glens; Mid and East Antrim

district councils: Derry City 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": { "text": "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 (12)" }, "Independence": { "text": "no official date of independence: 927 (minor English kingdoms unite); 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, Scotland, and Wales 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); 12 April 1927 (Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act establishes current name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)" }, "National holiday": { "text": "the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday" }, "Legal system": { "text": "common law system; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998" }, "Constitution": { "history": { "text": "uncoded; partly statutes, partly common law and practice" }, "amendments": { "text": "proposed as a bill for an Act of Parliament by the government, by the House of Commons, or by the House of Lords; passage requires agreement by both houses and by the monarch (Royal Assent); many previous, last in 2020 -  The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020, European Union (Future Relationship) Act 2020" } }, "International law organization participation": { "text": "accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction" }, "Citizenship": { "citizenship by birth": { "text": "no" }, "citizenship by descent only": { "text": "at least one parent must be a citizen of the United Kingdom" }, "dual citizenship recognized": { "text": "yes" }, "residency requirement for naturalization": { "text": "5 years" } }, "Suffrage": { "text": "18 years of age; universal" }, "Executive branch": { "chief of state": { "text": "King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022)" }, "head of government": { "text": "Prime Minister Keir STARMER (Labor) (since 5 July 2024)" }, "cabinet": { "text": "Cabinet appointed by the prime minister" }, "elections/appointments": { "text": "the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes the prime minister; election last held on 12 December 2019 (next to be held no later than 28 January 2025)" }, "note": "note 1: in addition to serving as the UK head of state, the British sovereign is the constitutional monarch for 14 additional Commonwealth countries (these 15 states are each referred to as a Commonwealth realm)

note 2: King CHARLES succeeded his mother, Queen ELIZABETH II, after serving as Prince of Wales (heir apparent) for over 64 years - the longest such tenure in British history" }, "Legislative branch": { "legislature name": { "text": "UK Parliament" }, "legislative structure": { "text": "bicameral" } }, "Legislative branch - lower chamber": { "chamber name": { "text": "House of Commons" }, "number of seats": { "text": "650 (all directly elected)" }, "electoral system": { "text": "plurality/majority" }, "scope of elections": { "text": "full renewal" }, "term in office": { "text": "5 years" }, "most recent election date": { "text": "7/4/2024" }, "parties elected and seats per party": { "text": "Labour Party (411); Conservative Party (121); Liberal Democrats (72); Other (46)" }, "percentage of women in chamber": { "text": "40.5%" }, "expected date of next election": { "text": "July 2029" } }, "Legislative branch - upper chamber": { "chamber name": { "text": "House of Lords" }, "number of seats": { "text": "800 (all appointed)" }, "percentage of women in chamber": { "text": "30%" }, "note": "note: the number of total seats in the House of Lords does not include ineligible members or members on leave of absence" }, "Judicial branch": { "highest court(s)": { "text": "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 2009, replacing the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords as the highest court in the United Kingdom" }, "judge selection and term of office": { "text": "judge candidates selected by an independent committee of several judicial commissions, followed by their recommendations to the prime minister, and appointed by the monarch; justices serve for life" }, "subordinate courts": { "text": "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": { "text": "Alliance Party or APNI (Northern Ireland) 
Conservative and Unionist Party 
Democratic Unionist Party or DUP (Northern Ireland) 
Green Party of England and Wales or Greens 
Labor (Labour) Party 
Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems)
Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) 
Reform UK 
Scottish National Party or SNP 
Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) 
Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) 
Traditional Unionist Voice or TUV 
UK Independence Party or UKIP 
Ulster Unionist Party or UUP (Northern Ireland) 
Workers Party of Great Britian" }, "International organization participation": { "text": "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, 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, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UN Security Council (permanent), UNSOM, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC" }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { "text": "Ambassador Karen Elizabeth PIERCE (since 8 April 2020)" }, "chancery": { "text": "3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008" }, "telephone": { "text": "[1] (202) 588-6500" }, "FAX": { "text": "[1] (202) 588-7870" }, "email address and website": { "text": "
ukin.washington@fcdo.gov.uk

https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-washington" }, "consulate(s) general": { "text": "Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { "chief of mission": { "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Matthew PALMER (since January 2025)" }, "embassy": { "text": "33 Nine Elms Lane, London, SW11 7US" }, "mailing address": { "text": "8400 London Place, Washington DC  20521-8400" }, "telephone": { "text": "[44] (0) 20-7499-9000" }, "FAX": { "text": "[44] (0) 20-7891-3845" }, "email address and website": { "text": "
SCSLondon@state.gov

https://uk.usembassy.gov/" }, "consulate(s) general": { "text": "Belfast, Edinburgh" } }, "Flag description": { "text": "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)": { "text": "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": { "text": "\"God Save the King\"" }, "lyrics/music": { "text": "unknown" }, "note": "note: in use since 1745; by tradition, the song serves as both the national and royal anthem of the UK; 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" }, "National heritage": { "total World Heritage Sites": { "text": "33 (28 cultural, 4 natural, 1 mixed); note - includes one site in Bermuda" }, "selected World Heritage Site locales": { "text": "Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast (n); Ironbridge Gorge (c); Stonehenge, Avebury, and Associated Sites (c); Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd (c); Blenheim Palace (c); City of Bath (c); Tower of London (c); St Kilda (m); Maritime Greenwich (c); Old and New Towns of Edinburgh (c); Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (c); The English Lake District (c)" } } }, "Economy": { "Economic overview": { "text": "

high-income, non-EU European economy; global financial center and dominant service sector; sluggish growth from stringent monetary policy, reduced business investment, low productivity and participation rates; fiscal austerity in face of high public debt 

" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023": { "text": "$3.728 trillion (2023 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022": { "text": "$3.715 trillion (2022 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021": { "text": "$3.544 trillion (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: data in 2021 dollars" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { "Real GDP growth rate 2023": { "text": "0.34% (2023 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2022": { "text": "4.84% (2022 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2021": { "text": "8.67% (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency" }, "Real GDP per capita": { "Real GDP per capita 2023": { "text": "$54,500 (2023 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2022": { "text": "$54,800 (2022 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2021": { "text": "$52,900 (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: data in 2021 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { "text": "$3.381 trillion (2023 est.)", "note": "note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": { "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023": { "text": "6.79% (2023 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022": { "text": "7.92% (2022 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021": { "text": "2.52% (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: annual % change based on consumer prices" }, "Credit ratings": { "Fitch rating": { "text": "AA- (2020)" }, "Moody's rating": { "text": "Aaa (2020)" }, "Standard & Poors rating": { "text": "AA (2016)" }, "note": "note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained." }, "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": { "agriculture": { "text": "0.6% (2023 est.)" }, "industry": { "text": "17.5% (2023 est.)" }, "services": { "text": "72.5% (2023 est.)" }, "note": "note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data" }, "GDP - composition, by end use": { "household consumption": { "text": "61.1% (2023 est.)" }, "government consumption": { "text": "20.5% (2023 est.)" }, "investment in fixed capital": { "text": "17.6% (2023 est.)" }, "investment in inventories": { "text": "-0.4% (2023 est.)" }, "exports of goods and services": { "text": "31.7% (2023 est.)" }, "imports of goods and services": { "text": "-32.2% (2023 est.)" }, "note": "note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection" }, "Agricultural products": { "text": "milk, wheat, barley, sugar beets, potatoes, chicken, rapeseed, oats, pork, beef (2022)", "note": "note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage" }, "Industries": { "text": "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": { "text": "-0.07% (2023 est.)", "note": "note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency" }, "Labor force": { "text": "35.193 million (2023 est.)", "note": "note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work" }, "Unemployment rate": { "Unemployment rate 2023": { "text": "4.06% (2023 est.)" }, "Unemployment rate 2022": { "text": "3.73% (2022 est.)" }, "Unemployment rate 2021": { "text": "4.83% (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: % of labor force seeking employment" }, "Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)": { "total": { "text": "12.5% (2023 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "14.5% (2023 est.)" }, "female": { "text": "10.5% (2023 est.)" }, "note": "note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment" }, "Population below poverty line": { "text": "18.6% (2017 est.)", "note": "note: % of population with income below national poverty line" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": { "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2021": { "text": "32.4 (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality" }, "Average household expenditures": { "on food": { "text": "8.7% of household expenditures (2023 est.)" }, "on alcohol and tobacco": { "text": "3% of household expenditures (2023 est.)" } }, "Household income or consumption by percentage share": { "lowest 10%": { "text": "3% (2021 est.)" }, "highest 10%": { "text": "24.6% (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population" }, "Remittances": { "Remittances 2023": { "text": "0.13% of GDP (2023 est.)" }, "Remittances 2022": { "text": "0.13% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, "Remittances 2021": { "text": "0.11% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities" }, "Budget": { "revenues": { "text": "$1.136 trillion (2022 est.)" }, "expenditures": { "text": "$1.291 trillion (2022 est.)" }, "note": "note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated" }, "Public debt": { "Public debt 2023": { "text": "138.19% of GDP (2023 est.)" }, "note": "note: central government debt as a % of GDP" }, "Taxes and other revenues": { "text": "27.32% (of GDP) (2023 est.)", "note": "note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP" }, "Current account balance": { "Current account balance 2023": { "text": "-$66.448 billion (2023 est.)" }, "Current account balance 2022": { "text": "-$70.962 billion (2022 est.)" }, "Current account balance 2021": { "text": "-$13.852 billion (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars" }, "Exports": { "Exports 2023": { "text": "$1.071 trillion (2023 est.)" }, "Exports 2022": { "text": "$1.041 trillion (2022 est.)" }, "Exports 2021": { "text": "$916.573 billion (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars" }, "Exports - partners": { "text": "US 13%, Netherlands 9%, Germany 9%, China 8%, Ireland 7% (2022)", "note": "note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports" }, "Exports - commodities": { "text": "gold, cars, gas turbines, crude petroleum, packaged medicine (2022)", "note": "note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars" }, "Imports": { "Imports 2023": { "text": "$1.09 trillion (2023 est.)" }, "Imports 2022": { "text": "$1.1 trillion (2022 est.)" }, "Imports 2021": { "text": "$923.549 billion (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars" }, "Imports - partners": { "text": "China 12%, Germany 10%, US 10%, Norway 8%, Netherlands 5% (2022)", "note": "note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports" }, "Imports - commodities": { "text": "natural gas, cars, crude petroleum, gold, garments (2022)", "note": "note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": { "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023": { "text": "$177.915 billion (2023 est.)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022": { "text": "$176.41 billion (2022 est.)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021": { "text": "$194.181 billion (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars" }, "Exchange rates": { "Currency": { "text": "British pounds (GBP) per US dollar -" }, "Exchange rates 2023": { "text": "0.805 (2023 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2022": { "text": "0.811 (2022 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2021": { "text": "0.727 (2021 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2020": { "text": "0.78 (2020 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2019": { "text": "0.783 (2019 est.)" } } }, "Energy": { "Electricity access": { "electrification - total population": { "text": "100% (2022 est.)" }, "electrification - urban areas": { "text": "99.9%" }, "electrification - rural areas": { "text": "100%" } }, "Electricity": { "installed generating capacity": { "text": "111.02 million kW (2022 est.)" }, "consumption": { "text": "287.128 billion kWh (2022 est.)" }, "exports": { "text": "20.793 billion kWh (2022 est.)" }, "imports": { "text": "15.451 billion kWh (2022 est.)" }, "transmission/distribution losses": { "text": "26.125 billion kWh (2022 est.)" } }, "Electricity generation sources": { "fossil fuels": { "text": "41.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)" }, "nuclear": { "text": "13.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)" }, "solar": { "text": "4.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)" }, "wind": { "text": "25.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)" }, "hydroelectricity": { "text": "1.7% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)" }, "biomass and waste": { "text": "13.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)" } }, "Nuclear energy": { "Number of operational nuclear reactors": { "text": "9 (2023)" }, "Number of nuclear reactors under construction": { "text": "2 (2023)" }, "Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors": { "text": "5.88GW (2023 est.)" }, "Percent of total electricity production": { "text": "12.5% (2023 est.)" }, "Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down": { "text": "36 (2023)" } }, "Coal": { "production": { "text": "1.891 million metric tons (2022 est.)" }, "consumption": { "text": "8.568 million metric tons (2022 est.)" }, "exports": { "text": "691,000 metric tons (2022 est.)" }, "imports": { "text": "7.792 million metric tons (2022 est.)" }, "proven reserves": { "text": "26 million metric tons (2022 est.)" } }, "Petroleum": { "total petroleum production": { "text": "753,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)" }, "refined petroleum consumption": { "text": "1.397 million bbl/day (2023 est.)" }, "crude oil estimated reserves": { "text": "2.5 billion barrels (2021 est.)" } }, "Natural gas": { "production": { "text": "37.758 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)" }, "consumption": { "text": "70.141 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)" }, "exports": { "text": "23.475 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)" }, "imports": { "text": "56.501 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)" }, "proven reserves": { "text": "180.661 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)" } }, "Carbon dioxide emissions": { "total emissions": { "text": "353.407 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)" }, "from coal and metallurgical coke": { "text": "19.558 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)" }, "from petroleum and other liquids": { "text": "194.001 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)" }, "from consumed natural gas": { "text": "139.848 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)" } }, "Energy consumption per capita": { "Total energy consumption per capita 2022": { "text": "99.499 million Btu/person (2022 est.)" } } }, "Communications": { "Telephones - fixed lines": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "29.798 million (2022 est.)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "44 (2022 est.)" } }, "Telephones - mobile cellular": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "81.564 million (2022 est.)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "121 (2022 est.)" } }, "Telecommunication systems": { "general assessment": { "text": "UK’s telecom market remains one of the largest in Europe, characterized by competition, affordable pricing, and its technologically advanced systems; mobile penetration above the EU average; government to invest in infrastructure and 5G technologies with ambition for a fully-fibered nation by 2033; operators expanded the reach of 5G services in 2020; super-fast broadband available to about 95% of customers; London is developing smart city technology, in collaboration with private, tech, and academic sectors (2021)" }, "domestic": { "text": "fixed-line is 48 per 100 and mobile-cellular is 120 per 100 (2021)" }, "international": { "text": "country code - 44; Landing points for the GTT Atlantic, Scotland-Northern Ireland -1, & -2, Lanis 1,-2, &-3, Sirius North, BT-MT-1, SHEFA-2, BT Highlands and Islands Submarine Cable System, Northern Lights, FARICE-1, Celtic Norse, Tampnet Offshore FOC Network, England Cable, CC-2, E-LLan, Sirius South, ESAT -1 & -2, Rockabill, Geo-Eirgrid, UK-Netherlands-14, Circle North & South, Ulysses2, Conceto, Farland North, Pan European Crossing, Solas, Swansea-Bream, GTT Express, Tata TGN-Atlantic & -Western Europe, Apollo, EIG, Glo-1, TAT-14, Yellow, Celtic, FLAG Atlantic-1, FEA, Isle of Scilly Cable, UK-Channel Islands-8 and SeaMeWe-3 submarine cables providing links throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, 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 (2019)" } }, "Broadcast media": { "text": "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 (2018)" }, "Internet country code": { "text": ".uk" }, "Internet users": { "percent of population": { "text": "97% (2021 est.)" } }, "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": { "total": { "text": "27,330,297 (2020 est.)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "40 (2020 est.)" } }, "Communications - note": { "text": "

note 1: the British Library claims to be the largest library in the world with well over 150 million items and in most known languages; it receives copies of all books produced in the UK or Ireland, as well as a significant proportion of overseas titles distributed in the UK; in addition to books (print and digital), holdings include: journals, manuscripts, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, videos, maps, prints, patents, and drawings

note 2: on 1 May 1840, the United Kingdom led the world with the introduction of postage stamps; the Austrian Empire had examined the idea of an \"adhesive tax postmark\" for the prepayment of postage in 1835; while the suggestion was reviewed in detail, it was rejected for the time being; other countries (including Austria) soon followed the UK's example with their own postage stamps; by the 1860s, most countries were issuing stamps; originally, stamps had to be cut from sheets; the UK issued the first postage stamps with perforations in 1854

" } }, "Transportation": { "National air transport system": { "number of registered air carriers": { "text": "20 (2020)" }, "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": { "text": "794" }, "annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "165,388,610 (2018)" }, "annual freight traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "6,198,370,000 (2018) mt-km" } }, "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": { "text": "G" }, "Airports": { "text": "1,043 (2024)" }, "Heliports": { "text": "92 (2024)" }, "Pipelines": { "text": "502 km condensate, 9 km condensate/gas, 28,603 km gas, 59 km liquid petroleum gas, 5,256 km oil, 175 km oil/gas/water, 4,919 km refined products, 255 km water (2013)" }, "Railways": { "total": { "text": "16,390 km (2020) 6,167 km electrified" } }, "Roadways": { "total": { "text": "416,461 km (2022)" } }, "Waterways": { "text": "3,200 km (2009) (620 km used for commerce)" }, "Merchant marine": { "total": { "text": "868 (2023)" }, "by type": { "text": "bulk carrier 34, container ship 46, general cargo 62, oil tanker 13, other 713" }, "note": " note: includes Channel Islands (total fleet 2; general cargo 1, other 1); excludes Isle of Man" }, "Ports": { "total ports": { "text": "185 (2024)" }, "large": { "text": "7" }, "medium": { "text": "24" }, "small": { "text": "67" }, "very small": { "text": "86" }, "size unknown": { "text": "1" }, "ports with oil terminals": { "text": "67" }, "key ports": { "text": "Aberdeen, Barrow-in-Furness, Barry, Belfast, Blyth, Bristol, Cardiff, Dundee, Falmouth Harbour, Glasgow, Greenock, Grimsby, Immingham, Kingston-upon-Hull, Leith, Lerwick, Liverpool, London, Londonderry, Lyness, Manchester, Milford Haven, Newport, Peterhead, Plymouth, Portland Harbour, Portsmouth Harbour, Southampton, Sunderland, Teesport, Tynemouth" } }, "Transportation - note": { "text": "begun in 1988 and completed in 1994, the Channel Tunnel (nicknamed the Chunnel) is a 50.5-km (31.4-mi) rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover that runs from Folkestone, Kent, England to Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais in northern France; it is the only fixed link between the island of Great Britain and mainland Europe" } }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { "text": "United Kingdom Armed Forces (aka British Armed Forces, aka His Majesty's Armed Forces): British Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force (2024)" }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2024": { "text": "2.3% of GDP (2024 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2023": { "text": "2.3% of GDP (2023)" }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "2.3% of GDP (2022)" }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { "text": "2.3% of GDP (2021)" }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { "text": "2.4% of GDP (2020)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { "text": "approximately 145,000 regular forces (80,000 Army including the Gurkhas; 33,000 Navy including the Royal Marines; 32,000 Air Force) (2024)", "note": "note: the military also has approximately 40-45,000 reserves and other personnel on active duty" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the inventory of the British military is comprised mostly of domestically produced weapons and equipment, with a smaller mix of some imported Western weapons systems, particularly from the US; the UK defense industry is capable of producing a wide variety of air, land, and sea weapons systems and is one of the world's top weapons suppliers; it also cooperates with other European countries and the US in the research and development of weapons systems (2024)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "some variations by service, but generally 16-36 years of age for enlisted (with parental consent under 18) and 18-29 for officers; minimum length of service 4 years; women serve in all military services including combat roles; conscription abolished in 1963 (2024)", "note": "note 1: women made up 11.7% of the military's full-time personnel in 2024

note 2: the British military allows Commonwealth nationals who are current UK residents and have been in the country for at least 5 years to apply; it also accepts Irish citizens

note 3: the British Army has continued the historic practice of recruiting Gurkhas from Nepal to serve in the Brigade of Gurkhas; the British began to recruit Nepalese citizens (Gurkhas) into the East India Company Army during the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816); the Gurkhas subsequently were brought into the British Indian Army and by 1914, there were 10 Gurkha regiments, collectively known as the Gurkha Brigade; following the partition of India in 1947, an agreement between Nepal, India, and Great Britain allowed for the transfer of the 10 regiments from the British Indian Army to the separate British and Indian armies; four of the regiments were transferred to the British Army, where they have since served continuously as the Brigade of Gurkhas" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "the British military has more than 8,000 personnel on permanent or long-term rotational deployments around the globe in support of NATO, UN, or other commitments and agreements; key deployments include approximately 1,000 in Brunei, approximately 2,500 in Cyprus (includes 250 for UNFICYP), approximately 900-1,000 in Estonia (NATO), over 1,000 in the Falkland Islands, 500-600 in Gibraltar, and more than 1,000 in the Middle East; its air and naval forces conduct missions on a global basis; the British military also participates in large scale NATO exercises, including providing some 16,000 personnel for the 6-month 2024 Steadfast Defender exercise (2024)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the British military has a long history, a global presence, and a wide range of missions and responsibilities; these responsibilities include protecting the UK, its territories, national interests, and values, preventing conflict, providing humanitarian assistance, participating in international peacekeeping, building relationships, and fulfilling the UK’s alliance and treaty commitments; in addition to its role in the UN, the UK is a leading member of NATO and has made considerable military contributions to NATO missions in such places as Afghanistan, the Baltics, and Iraq, as well the Baltic and Mediterranean seas and the waters of the North Atlantic

the UK is a member of the Five Power Defense Arrangements (FPDA), a series of mutual assistance agreements reached in 1971 embracing Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK; in 2014, the UK led the formation of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a pool of high-readiness military forces from the Baltic and Scandinavian countries intended to respond to a wide range of contingencies both in peacetime and in times of crisis or conflict; the UK military also has strong bilateral ties with a variety of foreign militaries, particularly the US, with which it has a mutual defense treaty; British and US military forces have routinely operated side-by-side across a wide range of operations; other close military relationships include Australia, France, Germany, and the Netherlands; in 2010, for example, France and the UK signed a declaration on defense and security cooperation that included greater military interoperability and a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF), a deployable, combined Anglo-French military force for use in a wide range of crisis scenarios, up to and including high intensity combat operations

the British Armed Forces were formed in 1707 as the armed forces of the Kingdom of Great Britain when England and Scotland merged under the terms of the Treaty of Union; while the origins of the armed forces of England and Scotland stretch back to the Middle Ages, the first standing armies for England and Scotland were organized in the 1600s while the navies were formed in the 1500s; the Royal Marines were established in 1755; the Royal Air Force was created in April 1918 by the merger of the British Army's Royal Flying Corps and the Admiralty's Royal Naval Air Service (2024)" } }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { "text": "UK Space Agency (UKSA; established in 2010); the UKSA replaced the British National Space Center (BNSC; organized in 1985); UK Space Command (formed 2021) (2024)" }, "Space launch site(s)": { "text": "Spaceport 1 (Outer Hebrides, Scotland; operational 2023); Spaceport Machrihanish (Argyll, Scotland; operational 2024); Glasgow Prestwick (South Ayrshire, Scotland; operational 2024 for horizontal launches); Spaceport Snowdonia (Gwynedd, Wales; operational 2024); SaxaVord UK Spaceport (Unst, Shetland Islands; operational 2023); Sutherland Spaceport (Sutherland, Scotland; operational 2024); Sutherland, Scotland (Cornwall Airport Newquay, Cornwall; operational 2023 for horizontal launches) (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { "text": "has a comprehensive space program and is active across all areas of the space sector outside of launching humans into space, including satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs)/rockets and their components, space probes, satellites and satellite subcomponents, space sensors, spaceports, and various other space-related technologies; as a founding member of the European Space Agency (ESA), it is heavily involved in ESA programs and has bi-lateral relations with many members; is a close partner of the US NASA and since 2016 has forged over 350 relationships with international organizations across nearly 50 developing countries; has a large commercial space sector that produces SLVs, SLV components, satellites, satellite subcomponents and sensors, and other space-related technologies; the UK has a space industrial plan, and the UKSA has provided funding to encourage and support commercial space projects (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in the Space Programs reference guide" } }, "Terrorism": { "Terrorist group(s)": { "text": "Continuity Irish Republican Army; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); New Irish Republican Army; al-Qa'ida", "note": "note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide" } }, "Transnational Issues": { "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { "text": "21,904 (Iran), 15,615 (Eritrea), 11,371 (Sudan), 12,155 (Syria), 10,259 (Afghanistan), 8,009 (Pakistan), 7,699 (Iraq) (mid-year 2022); 255,060 (Ukraine) (as of 12 March 2024)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "5,483 (2022)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "

a major consumer and transshipment point, though not a source, for illicit drugs; among the highest consumer of heroin and cocaine in Europe; one of the largest markets for cannabis; a major source of precursor or essential chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics

" } } }