Form of government: constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses (House of Lords [1,198]; House of Commons [651]).
Chief of state: Sovereign.
Head of government: Prime Minister.
Capital: London.
Official language: English.
Official religion: Churches of England and Scotland "established" (protected by the state, but not "official") in their respective countries; no established church in Northern Ireland or Wales.
Monetary unit: 1 pound sterling (
)=100 new pence; valuation (Oct. 6, 1995) 1
=U.S.$1.58; 1 U.S.$=0.63.
Population (1995): 58,586,000.
Density (1995): persons per sq mi 621.6, persons per sq km 240.0.
Urban-rural (1993): urban 89.3%; rural 10.7%.
Sex distribution (1993): male 48.93%; female 51.07%.
Age breakdown (1993): under 15, 19.4%; 15-29, 21.4%; 30-44, 21.2%; 45-59, 17.3%; 60-74, 13.8%; 75 and over, 6.9%.
Population projection: (2000) 59,595,000; (2010) 61,127,000.
Doubling time: not applicable; doubling time exceeds 100 years.
Ethnic composition (1991){1}: white 94.5%; Asian Indian 1.5%; Pakistani 0.9%; West Indian 0.8%; African 0.3%; Chinese 0.3%; Bangladeshi 0.2%; Arab 0.1%; other and not stated 1.8%.
Religious affiliation (religious participation of about 8,400,000 active members only; 1990): Christian c. 80%, of which Roman Catholic c. 21%, Anglican c. 20%, Presbyterian c. 14%, Methodist c. 5%, Baptist c. 3%; Muslim c. 11%; Sikh c. 4%; Hindu c. 2%; Jewish c. 1%; other c. 2%.
Major cities (1993): Greater London 6,933,000; Birmingham 1,012,400; Leeds 724,500; Glasgow 681,500; Sheffield 531,900; Bradford 488,000; Liverpool 477,000; Edinburgh 441,600; Manchester 432,000; Bristol 397,600.
Place of birth (1991): native-born 93.2% (52,721,000); foreign-born 6.8%, of which India 1.5%, Ireland 1.1%, Caribbean 0.9%, Pakistan 0.9.%, other 2.2%.
Mobility (1991{1}). Population living in the same residence as 1990: 90.1%; different residence, same country (of Great Britain) 8.1%; different residence, different country within Great Britain 1.2%; from outside Great Britain 0.6%.
Households (1990-91){1}, {2}. Average household size 2.5 (3.1); 1 person 26% (20%), 2 persons 34% (26%), 3 persons 17% (16%), 4 persons 16% (17%), 5 persons 6% (10%), 6 or more persons 2% (11%). Family households (1987): 17,836,500 (77.4%), nonfamily 5,208,500 (22.6%, of which 1-person 9.9%).
Immigration (annual average; 1991-93): permanent residents 231,670, from United States 11.0%, Australia 10.7%, Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka 4.9%, Pakistan 3.9%, New Zealand 3.8%, South Africa 2.9%.
Birth rate per 1,000 population (1993): 13.1 (world avg. 25.0); legitimate 68.2%; illegitimate 31.8%.
Death rate per 1,000 population (1993): 11.3 (world avg. 9.3).
Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1993): 1.8 (world avg. 15.7).
Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1993): 1.8.
Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1992): 6.1.
Divorce rate per 1,000 population (1992): 3.0.
Life expectancy at birth (1996): male 74.4 years; female 79.7 years.
Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1992): diseases of the circulatory system 501.0, of which ischemic heart disease 287.5, cerebrovascular disease 130.8; malignant neoplasms (cancers) 280.8; diseases of the respiratory system 120.4, of which pneumonia 54.4; diseases of the digestive system 36.7; accidents and violence 34.2; diseases of the endocrine system 19.5, of which diabetes mellitus 14.8; diseases of the genitourinary system 11.1.
Educational attainment (1981). Percentage of population age 25 and over having: primary or secondary education only 89.7%; some postsecondary 4.8%; bachelor's or equivalent degree 4.9%; higher university degree 0.6%.
Quality of working life (1992). Average workweek (hours): male 43.3, female 30.2 (overtime [1986]: male 8.6%, female 2.1%). Annual rate per 100,000 workers for: injury or accident 752.6; industrial diseases 0.5{3}; death 1.5. Proportion of labour force (employed persons) insured for damages or income loss resulting from: injury 100%; permanent disability 100%; death 100%. Average days lost to labour stoppages per 1,000 employee workdays 1993: 0.1. Principal means of transport to work (1991; London only): public transportation 81%, private automobile 15%, motor or pedal cycle 2%, other 2%.
Access to services (1990){1}. Proportion of households having access to: bath or shower 98%; toilet 99%; central heating 80%.
Social participation. Eligible voters participating in last national election (April 1992): 76.9%. Population age 16 and over participating in voluntary work (1987){1}: 22%. Trade union membership in total workforce (1990) 34.9%.
Social deviance (1994){4}. Offense rate per 100,000 population for: theft and handling stolen goods 4,382.8; burglary 2,154.6; violence against the person 375.6; fraud and forgery 249.7; robbery 102.4; sexual offense 55.7. Incidence per 100,000 population of: registered drug addicts 36.5; suicide 7.9.
Leisure (1994). Favourite leisure activities (hours weekly): watching television 17.1; listening to radio 10.3; reading 8.8, of which books 3.8, newspapers 3.3; gardening 2.1.
Material well-being (1993). Households possessing: automobile 68.6%, telephone 89.6%, television receiver 98.3% (colour 95%), refrigerator 99.1%, central heating 82.5%, washing machine 89.3%, videocassette recorder 73.4%.
Budget (1994-95). Revenue:
222,105,000,000 (income tax 35.8%, taxes on expenditures 18.7%,
social-security contributions 17.9%). Expenditures:
260,762,000,000 (social-security benefits 32.0%, national health
service 13.0%, education and science 12.0%, defense 8.0%, debt
interest 7.0%).
Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture,
forestry, fishing (1994): wheat 13,100,000, sugar beets 8,125,000,
potatoes 7,065,000, barley 5,900,000, rapeseed 1,323,000, carrots
769,000, cabbage 633,000, oats 605,000; livestock (number of
live animals) 29,300,000 sheep, 11,735,000 cattle, 7,869,000
pigs; roundwood (1993) 6,195,000 cu m; fish catch (1993) 898,121.
Mining (1991): limestone 119,200,000; iron 7,920{5};
tin 1,640; lead 1,200. Manufacturing (value added in
'000,000; 1994): food and beverages 16,749; electrical and optical
equipment 14,912; paper, printing, and publishing 14,293; chemicals
and chemical products 13,697; metals and metal products 12,483;
transport equipment 12,707. Construction (value in
; 1993){1}: residential
6,628,000,000; nonresidential 11,384,000,000, of which commercial
5,131,000,000, industrial 2,208,000,000.
Gross national product (1993): U.S.$1,042,700,000,000 (U.S.$17,920 per capita).
Total national debt (March 1993):
223,877,000,000.
Tourism (1993): receipts from visitors U.S.$13,451,000,000; expenditures by nationals abroad U.S.$17,431,000,000.
Land use (1993): forested 10.1%; meadows and pastures 45.7%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 25.4%; other 18.8%.
Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1993) 323,029,000,000 (339,745,000,000); coal (metric tons; 1993) 74,604,000 (94,191,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 1993) 701,420,000 (626,110,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1993) 88,796,000 (76,657,000); natural gas (cu m; 1993) 71,899,000,000 (76,310,000,000).
Population economically active (1993): total 28,271,000; activity rate of total population 48.6% (participation rates: ages 15-64, 76.2%; female 43.8%; unemployed 10.2%).
Household income and expenditure (1993). Average household
size 2.4; average annual disposable income per household
14,913 (U.S.$22,400); sources of income: wages and salaries
64.7%, social-security benefits 13.8%, rent, dividends, and
interest 11.3%, income from self-employment 8.3%; expenditure:
food and beverages 22.4%, housing 16.2%, transport and vehicles
15.6%, household goods 8.3%, clothing 6.3%, energy 4.8%.
Imports (1994): 145,059,000,000
(machinery and transport equipment 40.7%, of which electrical
equipment 18.0%, road vehicles 10.9%; chemicals and chemical
products 9.8%, of which plastics 2.5%, organic chemicals 2.4%;
food and live animals 8.3%, of which vegetables and fruits 2.3%,
meat and meat preparations 1.3%; petroleum and petroleum products
3.1%; textile yarn and fabrics 3.0%; paper and paperboard 2.8%;
nonferrous metals 2.0%; iron and steel products 2.0%). Major
import sources: Germany 15.3%; U.S. 12.2%; France 10.6%;
The Netherlands 6.8%; Japan 6.1%; Italy 5.0%; Belgium-Luxembourg
4.9%; Ireland 3.9%; Switzerland 3.3%; Norway 2.6%.
Exports (1994): 134,465,000,000
(machinery and transport equipment 41.4%, of which electrical
equipment 18.6%, road vehicles 7.0%; chemicals and chemical
products 14.0%, of which organic chemicals 3.5%; petroleum and
petroleum products 6.4%; professional, scientific, and controlling
instruments 4.0%; iron and steel products 2.7%; clothing and
footwear 2.4%). Major export destinations: Germany 13.0%;
U.S. 12.5%; France 10.0%; The Netherlands 7.2%; Belgium-Luxembourg
5.7%; Italy 5.1%; Ireland 4.9%; Spain 3.7%; Sweden 2.5%; Japan
2.2%; Switzerland 1.8%.
Transport. Railroads (1993-94){6}: length 23,518 mi{7}, 37,849 km{7}; passenger-mi 18,867,000,000, passenger-km 30,362,000,000; short ton-mi cargo 9,428,000,000, metric ton-km cargo 13,764,000,000. Roads (1993): total length 241,535 mi, 388,714 km (paved 100%). Vehicles (1993) {1}: passenger cars 20,344,000; trucks and buses 2,753,000. Merchant marine (1992): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 1,631; total deadweight tonnage 4,355,063. Air transport (1993): passenger-mi 58,825,000,000, passenger-km 94,670,000,000; short ton-mi cargo 1,999,753,000, metric ton-km cargo 2,919,591,000; airports (1995) with scheduled flights 53.
Communications. Daily newspapers (1992): total number 101; total circulation 22,100,000; circulation per 1,000 population 381. Radio (1993): 70,000,000 receivers (1 per 0.8 person). Television (1994): 20,413,000 licenses (1 per 2.9 persons). Telephones (main lines; 1993): 28,680,900 receivers (1 per 2.0 persons).
Literacy (1990): total population literate, virtually 100%{8}.
Health (1993){1}: physicians 92,474 (1 per 629 persons); hospital beds 283,814 (1 per 205 persons); infant mortality rate (1994) 6.1.
Food (1992): daily per capita caloric intake 3,317 (vegetable products 68%, animal products 32%); 132% of FAO recommended minimum requirement.
Total active duty personnel (1995): 236,900 (army 49.0%, navy 21.3%, air force 29.7%). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1993): 3.6% (world 3.3%); per capita expenditure U.S.$587.