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United Kingdom vs United States
Side-by-side comparison of United Kingdom and United States from official statistics: size, economy, people, trade, natural resources, health, infrastructure and military, with world ranks, years and sources.
United Kingdom
Europe & Central Asia · nation age 1,099 years
United States
North America · nation age 250 years
In short
United Kingdom scores 74.6 in the NationsTree Index (22nd in the world) and United States scores 72.3 (30th), a gap of 2.3 points. Their trees are 44 m and 115 m tall; tree height grows with real GDP and is adjusted by the index.
United States has 4.9 times the population of United Kingdom. United States is 40 times larger than United Kingdom by land area. United States has an economy 6.9 times the size of United Kingdom (GDP at purchasing power parity). Population: United Kingdom 69.5 million and United States 341.8 million (2025).
GDP per person at purchasing power parity is $90,027 in United States and $64,606 in United Kingdom (2025, international dollars). People in United Kingdom live on average 2.5 years longer (81.4 vs 78.9 years).
Of 38 indicators reported by both countries, United Kingdom ranks higher in the world on 24 and United States on 14. United Kingdom is clearly stronger in institutions & safety, trade and society & health. United States is clearly stronger in military and natural resources.
As a nation, United Kingdom is the older of the two (statehood since 927, 1,099 years), compared with United States (since 1776). Over the last five years United States improved faster (direction score 24 vs 15 out of 100).
Where they differ most
The indicators with the biggest gap in world position between United Kingdom and United States.
United Kingdombetter
32.4
37th of 108
United States
41.8
91st of 108
Homicide rateInstitutions & safety
United Kingdombetter
1.1
47th of 145
United States
5.8
100th of 145
Secondary enrolmentSociety & health
United Kingdombetter
112.1%
23rd of 173
United States
97.5%
72nd of 173
Renewable freshwater per personNatural resources
United Kingdom
2,144
103rd of 183
United Statesbetter
8,437
54th of 183
Over time
How the two countries moved against each other, from the yearly data.
United Kingdom overtook United States in the NationsTree Index in 2001 and has stayed ahead since.
United States has been ahead of United Kingdom in GDP per person (PPP), GDP (PPP) and population in every year since 1990.
United Kingdom has been ahead of United States in life expectancy in every year since 1990.
Strength by category
Average world percentile of the indicators in each category (0–100, direction taken into account). i
United KingdomUnited States All indicators
Latest available value for each country with its year and world rank. Green: the better world position of the two, red: the weaker one.
| Indicator | United Kingdom | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Land & people | ||
| Surface area km² | 243,61079th/216 · 2024 | 9,831,5103rd/216 · 2024 |
| Land area km² | 241,93079th/216 · 2024 | 9,147,4203rd/216 · 2024 |
| Population people | 69.5 m22nd/217 · 2025 | 341.8 m3rd/217 · 2025 |
| Population growth % | 0.30%154th/217 · 2025 | 0.52%134th/217 · 2025 |
| Population density people/km² | 286.444th/216 · 2024 | 37.2166th/216 · 2024 |
| Urban population % | 83.3%50th/217 · 2025 | 80.2%57th/217 · 2025 |
| Population aged 0–14 % | 17.0%155th/217 · 2025 | 17.1%152nd/217 · 2025 |
| Population aged 65+ % | 19.7%39th/217 · 2025 | 18.4%45th/217 · 2025 |
| Economy | ||
| GDP USD | $4.00 trn5th/210 · 2025 | $30.77 trn1st/210 · 2025 |
| GDP (PPP) intl. USD | $4.49 trn9th/199 · 2025 | $30.77 trn2nd/199 · 2025 |
| Real GDP (PPP, constant 2021 prices) intl. USD 2021 | $3.75 trn10th/199 · 2025 | $26.29 trn2nd/199 · 2025 |
| GDP per person USD | $57,60227th/210 · 2025 | $90,02711th/210 · 2025 |
| GDP per person (PPP) intl. USD | $64,60632nd/199 · 2025 | $90,02712th/199 · 2025 |
| GNI per person (Atlas) USD | $54,55025th/201 · 2025 | $88,8106th/201 · 2025 |
| GDP growth % | 1.4%162nd/210 · 2025 | 2.2%139th/210 · 2025 |
| Inflation % | 3.9%118th/180 · 2025 | 2.9%87th/180 · 2024 |
| Unemployment % | 4.7%80th/187 · 2025 | 4.2%70th/187 · 2025 |
| Central government debt % of GDP | 130.7%54th/55 · 2024 | 115.8%53rd/55 · 2024 |
| General government gross debt % of GDP | 102.1%171st/189 · 2025 | 124.4%179th/189 · 2025 |
| Government budget balance % of GDP | -5.3%154th/192 · 2025 | -7.1%173rd/192 · 2025 |
| Main industries | ||
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing % of GDP | 0.6%179th/197 · 2025 | 0.9%172nd/197 · 2021 |
| Industry incl. construction % of GDP | 16.5%152nd/200 · 2025 | 17.6%145th/200 · 2021 |
| Manufacturing % of GDP | 7.7%128th/192 · 2025 | 10.5%93rd/192 · 2021 |
| Services % of GDP | 73.1%21st/200 · 2025 | 76.3%16th/200 · 2021 |
| Trade | ||
| Exports of goods & services USD | $1.22 trn4th/182 · 2025 | $3.22 trn2nd/182 · 2024 |
| Imports of goods & services USD | $1.28 trn4th/182 · 2025 | $4.11 trn1st/182 · 2024 |
| Exports % of GDP | 30.6%111th/183 · 2025 | 11.0%173rd/183 · 2024 |
| Imports % of GDP | 31.9%126th/183 · 2025 | 14.0%179th/183 · 2024 |
| Trade openness % of GDP | 62.5%124th/183 · 2025 | 25.0%180th/183 · 2024 |
| Fuel exports % of merchandise exports | 7.2%63rd/170 · 2025 | 17.3%38th/170 · 2025 |
| Manufactures exports % of merchandise exports | 59.7%55th/171 · 2025 | 54.9%63rd/171 · 2025 |
| Food exports % of merchandise exports | 6.7%131st/171 · 2025 | 9.0%118th/171 · 2025 |
| Ores & metals exports % of merchandise exports | 5.7%59th/171 · 2025 | 3.0%87th/171 · 2025 |
| High-tech exports % of manufactured exports | 29.2%17th/168 · 2024 | 24.3%23rd/168 · 2024 |
| Current account balance % of GDP | -3.0%116th/191 · 2025 | -3.8%127th/191 · 2025 |
| Foreign direct investment, inflows % of GDP | 0.9%147th/196 · 2025 | 1.0%145th/196 · 2025 |
| Natural resources | ||
| Natural resource rents % of GDP | 0.6%127th/209 · 2021 | 1.3%110th/209 · 2021 |
| Oil rents % of GDP | 0.42%56th/197 · 2021 | 0.61%53rd/197 · 2021 |
| Natural gas rents % of GDP | 0.17%55th/197 · 2021 | 0.36%43rd/197 · 2021 |
| Coal rents % of GDP | 0.00%60th/195 · 2021 | 0.17%25th/195 · 2021 |
| Mineral rents % of GDP | 0.00%90th/209 · 2021 | 0.10%70th/209 · 2021 |
| Forest rents % of GDP | 0.00%183rd/209 · 2021 | 0.04%133rd/209 · 2021 |
| Arable land % of land area | 25.3%39th/206 · 2024 | 16.6%65th/206 · 2024 |
| Renewable freshwater per person m³ | 2,144103rd/183 · 2022 | 8,43754th/183 · 2022 |
| Tourism | ||
| International tourist arrivals arrivals | 11.1 m22nd/194 · 2020 | 45.0 m4th/194 · 2020 |
| Tourism receipts USD | $31.66 bn1998 | $84.21 bn1st/175 · 2020 |
| Tourism receipts % of exports | 8.2%1998 | 3.9%93rd/168 · 2020 |
| Outbound trips departures | 23.8 m8th/107 · 2020 | 60.5 m2nd/107 · 2020 |
| Society & health | ||
| Life expectancy years | 81.442nd/217 · 2024 | 78.961st/217 · 2024 |
| Under-5 mortality per 1,000 births | 4.736th/196 · 2024 | 6.553rd/196 · 2024 |
| Physicians per 1,000 people | 3.3053rd/174 · 2023 | 3.6839th/174 · 2022 |
| Hospital beds per 1,000 people | 2.475th/145 · 2022 | 2.767th/145 · 2022 |
| DPT immunization % of children 12–23 months | 92%86th/193 · 2024 | 94%66th/193 · 2024 |
| Completed lower secondary, 25+ % of adults | 99.8%3rd/153 · 2021 | 96.6%21st/153 · 2024 |
| Secondary enrolment % gross | 112.1%23rd/173 · 2023 | 97.5%72nd/173 · 2022 |
| Old-age dependency ratio % of working-age population | 31.1%38th/217 · 2025 | 28.5%46th/217 · 2025 |
| Health spending % of GDP | 11.1%16th/193 · 2024 | 16.7%3rd/193 · 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment % gross | 80.4%26th/150 · 2023 | 79.4%29th/150 · 2022 |
| Human Development Index index 0–1 | 0.94613th/193 · 2023 | 0.93817th/193 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini) index | 32.437th/108 · 2021 | 41.891st/108 · 2024 |
| Extreme poverty % of population | 0.4%27th/108 · 2021 | 1.1%52nd/108 · 2024 |
| Infrastructure & digital | ||
| Access to electricity % of population | 100.0%1st/215 · 2024 | 100.0%1st/215 · 2024 |
| Safely managed drinking water % of population | 99.8%17th/150 · 2024 | 97.6%39th/150 · 2024 |
| Safely managed sanitation % of population | 97.8%13th/144 · 2024 | 97.0%17th/144 · 2024 |
| Internet users % of population | 95.5%26th/186 · 2024 | 94.7%28th/186 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions per 100 people | 12284th/210 · 2024 | 113111th/210 · 2024 |
| Fixed broadband per 100 people | 42.222nd/208 · 2024 | 38.929th/208 · 2024 |
| Trade & transport infrastructure quality (LPI) score 1–5 | 3.7024th/164 · 2022 | 3.9016th/164 · 2022 |
| Rail lines route-km | 16,17913th/82 · 2021 | 148,5531st/82 · 2021 |
| Air passengers carried passengers | 118.9 m7th/161 · 2023 | 941.6 m1st/161 · 2023 |
| Environment & energy | ||
| CO₂ emissions per person t CO₂e | 4.22139th/203 · 2024 | 13.62189th/203 · 2024 |
| Renewable energy % of final energy use | 12.2%131st/212 · 2021 | 10.9%142nd/212 · 2021 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) µg/m³ | 9.543rd/200 · 2023 | 7.025th/200 · 2023 |
| Forest area % of land area | 13.5%149th/214 · 2024 | 33.8%102nd/214 · 2024 |
| Energy use per person kg oil eq. | 2,09555th/149 · 2024 | 6,45410th/149 · 2024 |
| Institutions & safety | ||
| Government effectiveness score 0–100 | 77.628th/205 · 2025 | 76.732nd/205 · 2025 |
| Control of corruption score 0–100 | 78.918th/207 · 2025 | 65.544th/207 · 2025 |
| Rule of law score 0–100 | 79.526th/207 · 2025 | 71.747th/207 · 2025 |
| Political stability score 0–100 | 70.792nd/207 · 2025 | 60.3136th/207 · 2025 |
| Regulatory quality score 0–100 | 80.614th/205 · 2025 | 72.831st/205 · 2025 |
| Voice & accountability score 0–100 | 81.319th/205 · 2025 | 69.659th/205 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate per 100,000 | 1.147th/145 · 2021 | 5.8100th/145 · 2023 |
| Military | ||
| Military expenditure USD | $88.98 bn6th/156 · 2025 | $954.39 bn1st/156 · 2025 |
| Military expenditure % of GDP | 2.4%45th/156 · 2025 | 3.1%27th/156 · 2025 |
| Military expenditure % of government spending | 5.4%73rd/154 · 2025 | 8.3%37th/154 · 2025 |
| Armed forces personnel people | 153,00041st/170 · 2020 | 1.4 m5th/170 · 2020 |
| Armed forces personnel % of labour force | 0.45%121st/168 · 2020 | 0.84%84th/168 · 2020 |
| Arms imports (SIPRI TIV) TIV | 609.0 m16th/163 · 2025 | 745.0 m13th/163 · 2025 |
| Arms exports (SIPRI TIV) TIV | 702.0 m9th/65 · 2025 | 14.0 bn1st/65 · 2025 |
| Science & innovation | ||
| R&D spending % of GDP | 2.68%13th/110 · 2023 | 3.45%5th/110 · 2023 |
| Patent applications by residents applications | 11,1059th/137 · 2024 | 270,2952nd/137 · 2024 |
| Scientific articles articles | 97,5365th/197 · 2023 | 430,8432nd/197 · 2023 |
Questions and answers
Which has more people, United Kingdom or United States?
United States has the larger population: 341.8 m (2025) compared with 69.5 m for United Kingdom (2025). Source: World Bank, SP.POP.TOTL.
Which is bigger by area, United Kingdom or United States?
United States is larger: 9,831,510 km² (2024) compared with 243,610 km² for United Kingdom (2024). Source: World Bank, AG.SRF.TOTL.K2.
Which economy is larger, United Kingdom or United States?
United States has the larger economy at purchasing power parity: $30.77 trn intl. (2025) compared with $4.49 trn intl. for United Kingdom (2025). Source: World Bank, NY.GDP.MKTP.PP.CD.
Which is richer per person, United Kingdom or United States?
United States has the higher GDP per person (PPP): $90,027 intl. (2025) compared with $64,606 intl. for United Kingdom (2025). Source: World Bank, NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD.
Where do people live longer, in United Kingdom or United States?
United Kingdom has the higher life expectancy at birth: 81.4 years (2024) compared with 78.9 years for United States (2024). Source: World Bank, SP.DYN.LE00.IN.
Which spends more on the military, United Kingdom or United States?
United States spends more on the military: $954.39 bn (2025) compared with $88.98 bn for United Kingdom (2025). Source: World Bank, MS.MIL.XPND.CD.
Which ranks higher in the NationsTree Index, United Kingdom or United States?
United Kingdom: 74.6 points (22nd in the world); United States: 72.3 points (30th). The index combines foundations, economic strength, quality of life, problems and 5-year direction from public statistics.
Argentina
Australia
Canada
Indonesia
Ireland
Italy
Mexico
BermudaSources
World Bank World Development Indicators and Worldwide Governance Indicators, compiling UN agencies, the IMF, WHO, SIPRI and national statistical offices; every row links to its world ranking with the source series. See Sources & licences and Methodology.
Cite as: NationsTree (2026). United Kingdom vs United States — country comparison. https://nationstree.org/compare/united-kingdom-vs-united-states. Data as of 26 October 2026.