United Kingdom

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United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
A flag composed of a red cross edged in white and superimposed on a red saltire, also edged in white, superimposed on a white saltire on a blue background
Coats of arms:

Used in relation to Scotland (right) and elsewhere (left)
Location of the United Kingdom (dark green)

in Europe (dark grey)

Capital
and largest city
London
51°30′N 0°7′W / 51.500°N 0.117°W / 51.500; -0.117
Official language
and national language
Regional and minority languages
Black
  • 2.0% Mixed
  • 0.9% other
    • Demonym(s)
    Constituent countries
    GovernmentUnitary[e] parliamentary constitutional monarchy
    • Monarch
    		Charles III
    Rishi Sunak
    Legislature
    Formation
    1535 and 1542
    24 March 1603
    22 July 1706
    1 May 1707
    1 January 1801
    5 December 1922
    Population
    • 2022 estimate
    		Neutral decrease 66,971,411[11] (22nd)
    • 2011 census
    		63,182,178[12] (22nd)
    • Density
    		270.7/km2 (701.1/sq mi) (50th)
    GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
    • Total
    		Increase $3.872 trillion[13] (9th)
    • Per capita
    		Increase $56,836[13] (30th)
    GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
    • Total
    		Increase $3.332 trillion[13] (6th)
    • Per capita
    		Increase $48,913[13] (23rd)
    Gini (2020)Positive decrease 35.5[14]
    medium
    HDI (2021)Increase 0.929[15]
    very high · 18th
    CurrencyPound sterling[f] (GBP)
    Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time, WET)
    • Summer (DST)
    		UTC+1 (British Summer Time, WEST)
    [g]
    Date format
    • dd/mm/yyyy
    • yyyy-mm-dd (AD)
    Driving sideleft[h]
    Calling code+44[i]
    ISO 3166 codeGB
    Internet TLD.uk[j]

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain,

    continental mainland.[17] It comprises England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.[l][18] It includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and most of the smaller islands within the British Isles.[19] Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. The total area of the United Kingdom is 94,060 square miles (243,610 km2),[20][21]
    with an estimated 2022 population of nearly 67 million people.

    The United Kingdom has evolved from a series of annexations, unions and separations of constituent countries over several hundred years. The

    British government is responsible for their defence and international representation.[22]

    The UK became the first

    decolonisation led to the independence of most British colonies.[25][26][27] British influence can be observed in the legal and political systems of many of its former colonies, and the UK's culture remains globally influential, particularly in literature, language, music and sport. English is the world's most widely spoken language and the third-most spoken native language.[28]

    The United Kingdom is a

    Northern Ireland. This is due to these areas retaining their existing legal systems even after joining the UK.[32] Since 1998, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland also have their own devolved governments and legislatures, each with varying powers.[33]

    The UK has the world's

    fourth globally in military expenditure.[34][35] The UK has been a permanent member of the UN Security Council since its first session in 1946. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Council of Europe, the G7, the OECD, NATO, the Five Eyes, AUKUS and the CPTPP
    .

    Etymology and terminology

    See also: Britain (place name) and Terminology of the British Isles

    In 43 AD, Britannia referred to the Roman province that encompassed modern England and Wales. Great Britain encompassed the whole island, taking in the land north of the River Forth known to the Romans as Caledonia in modern Scotland (i.e. "greater" Britain).[36] In the Middle Ages, the name "Britain" was also applied to a small part of France now known as Brittany. As a result, Great Britain (likely from the French "Grande Bretagne") came into use to refer specifically to the island, with Brittany often referred to as "Little Britain".[37] However, that name had no official significance until 1707, when the island's kingdoms of England and Scotland were united as the Kingdom of Great Britain.[38]

    The Acts of Union 1707 declared that the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland were "United into One Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain".[o][39] The term "United Kingdom" has occasionally been used as a description for the former Kingdom of Great Britain, although its official name from 1707 to 1800 was simply "Great Britain".[40] The Acts of Union 1800 united the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Following the partition of Ireland and the independence of the Irish Free State in 1922, which left Northern Ireland as the only part of the island of Ireland within the United Kingdom, the name was changed in 1927 to the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".[41]

    Although the United Kingdom is a sovereign country, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are also widely referred to as

    NUTS 1 regions refer to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as "regions".[43] Northern Ireland is also referred to as a "province".[44] With regard to Northern Ireland, the descriptive name used "can be controversial, with the choice often revealing one's political preferences".[45]

    The term "Great Britain" conventionally refers to the island of Great Britain, or politically to England, Scotland and Wales in combination.[46] It is sometimes used as a loose synonym for the United Kingdom as a whole.[47] The word England is occasionally used incorrectly to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole, a mistake principally made by people from outside the UK.[48]

    The

    Permanent Committee on Geographical Names recognises "United Kingdom", "UK" and "U.K." as shortened and abbreviated geopolitical terms for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in its toponymic guidelines; it does not list "Britain" but notes that "it is only the one specific nominal term 'Great Britain' which invariably excludes Northern Ireland".[53] The BBC historically preferred to use "Britain" as shorthand only for Great Britain, though the present style guide does not take a position except that "Great Britain" excludes Northern Ireland.[54]

    The adjective "British" is commonly used to refer to matters relating to the United Kingdom and is used in law to refer to United Kingdom citizenship and matters to do with nationality.[55] People of the United Kingdom use several different terms to describe their national identity and may identify themselves as being British, English, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish, or Irish;[56] or as having a combination of different national identities.[57] The official designation for a citizen of the United Kingdom is "British citizen".[53]

    History

    Main articles: Formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and History of the British Isles
    For a chronological guide, see Timeline of British history.

    Prior to the Treaty of Union

    Main articles: History of England, History of Wales, History of Scotland, and History of Ireland
    Stonehenge in Wiltshire is a ring of stones, each about 4 m (13 ft) high, 2 m (7 ft) wide and 25 tonnes, erected 2400–2200 BC.

    Settlement by

    Brittonic Britain and Gaelic Ireland.[59]

    Photograph of the Baths showing a rectangular area of greenish water surrounded by yellow stone buildings with pillars. In the background is the tower of the abbey.
    The Roman Baths in Bath, Somerset, are a well-preserved thermae from Roman Britain.

    The

    region settled by the Anglo-Saxons became unified as the Kingdom of England in the 10th century.[61] Meanwhile, Gaelic-speakers in north-west Britain (with connections to the north-east of Ireland and traditionally supposed to have migrated from there in the 5th century)[62] united with the Picts to create the Kingdom of Scotland in the 9th century.[63]

    The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the Battle of Hastings, 1066, and the events leading to it.

    In 1066, the

    conquest of Wales and tried unsuccessfully to annex Scotland. Asserting its independence in the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath, Scotland maintained its independence thereafter, albeit in near-constant conflict with England
    .

    The English monarchs, through inheritance of substantial territories in France and claims to the French crown, were also heavily involved in conflicts in France, most notably the Hundred Years' War, while the Kings of Scots were in an alliance with the French during this period.[66]

    fully incorporated into the Kingdom of England,[69] and Ireland was constituted as a kingdom in personal union with the English crown.[70] In what was to become Northern Ireland, the lands of the independent Catholic Gaelic nobility were confiscated and given to Protestant settlers from England and Scotland.[71]

    In 1603, the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland were united in a

    James VI, King of Scots, inherited the crowns of England and Ireland and moved his court from Edinburgh to London; each country nevertheless remained a separate political entity and retained its separate political, legal, and religious institutions.[72]

    In the mid-17th century, all three kingdoms

    unitary republic of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland.[73]

    Although the

    overseas colonies, particularly in North America and the Caribbean.[75]

    Though previous attempts at uniting the two kingdoms within Great Britain in 1606, 1667, and 1689 had proved unsuccessful, the attempt initiated in 1705 led to the Treaty of Union of 1706 being agreed and ratified by both parliaments.

    Kingdom of Great Britain

    Main articles: Treaty of Union and Kingdom of Great Britain
    The Treaty of Union led to a united kingdom of all of Great Britain.

    On 1 May 1707, the Kingdom of Great Britain was formed, the result of the Acts of Union 1707.[76]

    In the 18th century, cabinet government developed under

    Scottish Highlanders were forcibly assimilated into Scotland by revoking the feudal independence of clan chiefs. The British colonies in North America that broke away in the American War of Independence became the United States, recognised by Britain in 1783. British imperial ambition turned towards Asia, particularly to India.[77]

    Britain played a leading part in the

    slave ships transported nearly 3.3 million slaves from Africa.[78] The slaves were taken to work on plantations, principally in the Caribbean but also North America.[79] Slavery coupled with the Caribbean sugar industry had a significant role in strengthening the British economy in the 18th century.[80] However, with pressure from the abolitionism movement, Parliament banned the trade in 1807, banned slavery in the British Empire in 1833, and Britain took a role in the movement to abolish slavery worldwide through the blockade of Africa and pressing other nations to end their trade with a series of treaties.[81]

    United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

    Main articles:
    Acts of Union (1800), and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

    In 1801 the parliaments of Great Britain and Ireland each passed an Act of Union, uniting the two kingdoms and creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.[82]

    The opening engagement at the Battle of Trafalgar, by J.W. Carmichael

    After the defeat of France at the end of the

    controlled the economies of regions such as East Asia and Latin America.[88]

    suffragettes campaigned for women's right to vote.[93]

    World wars and partition of Ireland

    Main articles:
    United Kingdom home front during the Second World War, and Military history of the United Kingdom during World War II
    Wreaths being laid during the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London

    Britain was one of the principal

    First World War (1914–1918). Alongside their French, Russian and (after 1917) American counterparts,[94] British armed forces were engaged across much of the British Empire and in several regions of Europe, particularly on the Western Front.[95] The high fatalities of trench warfare caused the loss of much of a generation of men, with lasting social effects in the nation and a great disruption in the social order. Britain had suffered 2.5 million casualties and finished the war with a huge national debt.[95] The consequences of the war persuaded the government to expand the right to vote in national and local elections with the Representation of the People Act 1918.[95] After the war, Britain became a permanent member of the Executive Council of the League of Nations and received a mandate over a number of former German and Ottoman colonies. Under the leadership of David Lloyd George, the British Empire reached its greatest extent, covering a fifth of the world's land surface and a quarter of its population.[96]

    By the mid-1920s, most of the British population could listen to

    General Strike of 1926, which ended in a victory for the government led by Stanley Baldwin. Britain had still not recovered from the effects of the First World War when the Great Depression (1929–1932) led to considerable unemployment and hardship in the old industrial areas, as well as political and social unrest with rising membership in communist and socialist parties. A coalition government was formed in 1931.[102]

    Second World War

    Nonetheless, "Britain was a very wealthy country, formidable in arms, ruthless in pursuit of its interests and sitting at the heart of a global production system."

    Second World War. Winston Churchill became prime minister and head of a coalition government in 1940. Despite the defeat of its European allies in the first year, Britain and its Empire continued the war against Germany. Churchill engaged industry, scientists and engineers to support the government and the military in the prosecution of the war effort.[103]

    In 1940, the

    liberation of Europe. The British Army led the Burma campaign against Japan, and the British Pacific Fleet fought Japan at sea. British scientists contributed to the Manhattan Project whose task was to build an atomic weapon.[104] Once built, it was decided, with British consent, to use the weapon against Japan.[105] The wartime net losses in British national wealth amounted to 18.6% (£4.595 billion) of the prewar wealth (£24.68 billion), at 1938 prices.[106]

    Postwar 20th century

    Main articles:
    Social history of Postwar Britain (1945–1979)
    The British Empire at its territorial peak in 1921

    The UK was one of the

    IMF, World Bank and NATO.[108] The war left the UK severely weakened and financially dependent on the Marshall Plan,[109] but it was spared the total war that devastated eastern Europe.[110]

    In the immediate post-war years, the

    decolonisation was unavoidable. Independence was granted to India and Pakistan in 1947.[113] Over the next three decades, most colonies of the British Empire gained their independence, and many became members of the Commonwealth of Nations.[114]

    Concorde was a supersonic airliner that reduced transatlantic flight time from 8 hours to 3.5 hours.[115]

    The UK was the third country to develop

    Commonwealth countries. In the following decades, the UK became a more multi-ethnic society.[118] Despite rising living standards in the late 1950s and 1960s, the UK's economic performance was less successful than many of its main competitors such as France, West Germany
    and Japan.

    In the decades-long process of European integration, the UK was a founding member of the Western European Union, established with the London and Paris Conferences in 1954. In 1960 the UK was one of the seven founding members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), but in 1973 it left to join the European Communities (EC). In a 1975 referendum 67% voted to stay in it.[119] When the EC became the European Union (EU) in 1992, the UK was one of the 12 founding member states.

    From the late 1960s, Northern Ireland suffered communal and paramilitary violence (sometimes affecting other parts of the UK) conventionally known as

    Belfast "Good Friday" Agreement.[120]

    Canary Wharf, a symbol of the financial reforms initiated by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s

    Following a period of widespread economic slowdown and industrial strife in the 1970s, the Conservative government of the 1980s led by Margaret Thatcher initiated a radical policy of monetarism, deregulation, particularly of the financial sector (for example, the Big Bang in 1986) and labour markets, the sale of state-owned companies (privatisation), and the withdrawal of subsidies to others.[121]

    In 1982, Argentina invaded the British territories of South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, leading to the 10-week Falklands War in which Argentine forces were defeated. The inhabitants of the islands are predominantly descendants of British settlers, and strongly favour British sovereignty, expressed in a 2013 referendum. From 1984, the UK economy was helped by the inflow of substantial North Sea oil revenues.[122]

    Around the end of the 20th century, there were major changes to the governance of the UK with the establishment of devolved administrations for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.[123] The statutory incorporation followed acceptance of the European Convention on Human Rights. The UK remained a Great Power with global diplomatic and military influence and a leading role in the United Nations and NATO.[124]

    21st century

    Main articles: Political history of the United Kingdom (1979–present) and Social history of the United Kingdom (1979–present)
    Brexit referendum

    The UK broadly supported the United States' approach to the "war on terror" in the early 21st century.[125] British troops fought in the War in Afghanistan, but controversy surrounded Britain's military deployment in Iraq, which saw the largest protest in British history demonstrating in opposition to the government led by Tony Blair.[126]

    The

    2008 global financial crisis severely affected the UK economy.[127] The Cameron–Clegg coalition government of 2010 introduced austerity measures intended to tackle the substantial public deficits.[128] Studies have suggested that policy led to significant social disruption and suffering.[129][130] A referendum on Scottish independence in 2014 resulted in the Scottish electorate voting by 55.3 to 44.7% to remain part of the United Kingdom.[131]

    In 2016, 51.9 per cent of voters in the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union.[132] The UK left the EU in 2020.[133] On 1 May 2021 the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement came into force.[134]

    The

    Oxford University and AstraZeneca, which allowed the UK's vaccine rollout to be among the fastest in the world.[138][139]

    On 8 September 2022,

    British throne as Charles III.[141]

    Geography

    Main articles: Geography of the United Kingdom, Fauna of Great Britain, and Flora of Great Britain and Ireland
    Satellite image of the United Kingdom (excluding Shetland
    )

    The total area of the United Kingdom is approximately 243,610 square kilometres (94,060 sq mi).[142][143][144] The country occupies the major part of the British Isles[145] archipelago and includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern one-sixth of the island of Ireland and some smaller surrounding islands. It lies between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea with the southeast coast coming within 22 miles (35 km) of the coast of northern France, from which it is separated by the English Channel.[146]

    The

    Prime Meridian[147] at the International Meridian Conference in 1884.[148]

    The United Kingdom lies between latitudes 49° and 61° N, and longitudes 9° W and 2° E. Northern Ireland shares a 224-mile (360 km) land boundary with the Republic of Ireland.[146] The coastline of Great Britain is 11,073 miles (17,820 km) long.[149] It is connected to continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel, which at 31 miles (50 km) (24 miles (38 km) underwater) is the longest underwater tunnel in the world.[150]

    The UK contains four terrestrial ecoregions:

    Caledon conifer forests.[151] The area of woodland in the UK in 2023 is estimated to be 3.25 million hectares, which represents 13% of the total land area in the UK.[152]

    Climate

    Main articles: Climate of the United Kingdom and Climate change in the United Kingdom
    Köppen climate types of the UK

    Most of the United Kingdom has a temperate climate, with generally cool temperatures and plentiful rainfall all year round.

    subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc). Higher elevations in Scotland experience a continental subarctic climate (Dfc) and the mountains experience a tundra climate (ET).[154]

    The prevailing wind is from the southwest and bears frequent spells of mild and wet weather from the Atlantic Ocean,[146] although the eastern parts are mostly sheltered from this wind. Since the majority of the rain falls over the western regions, the eastern parts are the driest. Atlantic currents, warmed by the Gulf Stream, bring mild winters, especially in the west where winters are wet and even more so over high ground. Summers are warmest in the southeast of England and coolest in the north. Heavy snowfall can occur in winter and early spring on high ground, and occasionally settles to great depth away from the hills.[155]

    The average total annual sunshine in the United Kingdom is 1339.7 hours, which is just under 30% of the maximum possible.[156] The hours of sunshine vary from 1200 to about 1580 hours per year, and since 1996 the UK has been and still is receiving above the 1981 to 2010 average hours of sunshine.[157]

    As of 2022, the United Kingdom is ranked 2nd out of 180 countries in the

    net zero by 2050.[159]

    Topography

    England accounts for 53 per cent of the UK, covering 50,350 square miles (130,395 km2).[160] Most of the country consists of lowland terrain,[161] with upland and mountainous terrain northwest of the Tees–Exe line which roughly divides the UK into lowland and upland areas. Lowland areas include Cornwall, the New Forest, the South Downs and the Norfolk Broads. Upland areas include the Lake District, the Pennines, the Yorkshire Dales, Exmoor, and Dartmoor. The main rivers and estuaries are the Thames, Severn, and the Humber. England's highest mountain is Scafell Pike, at 978 metres (3,209 ft) in the Lake District; its largest island is the Isle of Wight.

    Derwent Water in the Lake District
    Skye is one of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides and part of the Scottish Highlands
    .

    Loch Lomond and The Trossachs and Ben Nevis which at 1,345 metres (4,413 ft)[164] is the highest point in the British Isles.[165]

    Pembrokeshire Coast.[149] Several islands lie off the Welsh mainland, the largest of which is Anglesey
    (Ynys Môn).

    Northern Ireland, separated from Great Britain by the Irish Sea and North Channel, has an area of 5,470 square miles (14,160 km2) and is mostly hilly. It includes Lough Neagh which, at 150 square miles (388 km2), is the largest lake in the British Isles by area,[167] Lough Erne which has over 150 islands and the Giant's Causeway which is a World Heritage Site. The highest peak in Northern Ireland is Slieve Donard in the Mourne Mountains at 852 metres (2,795 ft).[161]

    Politics

    Main articles: Politics of the United Kingdom, Government of the United Kingdom, and Monarchy of the United Kingdom
    King Charles III
    Charles III, Monarch since 2022
    Rishi Sunak
    Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister since 2022

    The UK is a

    constitutional conventions.[176] Nevertheless, the Supreme Court recognises a number of principles underlying the British constitution, such as parliamentary sovereignty, the rule of law, democracy, and upholding international law.[177]

    ministers of the Crown responsible to Parliament and thence to the electorate. Nevertheless, in the performance of official duties, the monarch has "the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, and the right to warn".[179] In addition, the monarch has a number of reserve powers at his disposal, albeit rarely used, to uphold responsible government and prevent constitutional crises.[q]

    Large sand-coloured building of Gothic design beside brown river and road bridge. The building has several large towers, including large clock tower.
    The Palace of Westminster in London is the seat of both houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

    For

    general elections (elections to the House of Commons), the UK is currently divided into 650 constituencies, each of which is represented by one member of Parliament (MP) elected by the first-past-the-post system.[181] MPs hold office for up to five years and must then stand for re-election if they wish to continue to be an MP.[181] The Conservative Party, colloquially known as the Tory Party or the Tories, and the Labour Party have been the dominant political parties in the UK since the 1920s, leading to the UK being described as a two-party system. However, since the 1920s other political parties have won seats in the House of Commons, although never more than the Conservatives or Labour.[182]

    The

    Privy Council, promulgates statutory instruments and tenders advice to the monarch.[184][185][186]
    Nearly all prime ministers have served concurrently as
    political party with the most seats in the House of Commons, and holds office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the House of Commons.[191][192][193] The current Prime Minister, as of October 2022, is Rishi Sunak MP, leader of the Conservative Party
    .

    Administrative divisions

    Main articles:
    List of counties in the United Kingdom

    The geographical division of the United Kingdom into counties or shires began in England and Scotland in the early Middle Ages, and was completed throughout Great Britain and Ireland by the early Modern Period.[194] Modern local government by elected councils, partly based on the ancient counties, was established by separate Acts of Parliament: in England and Wales in 1888, Scotland in 1889 and Ireland in 1898, meaning there is no consistent system of administrative or geographic demarcation across the UK.[195] Until the 19th century there was little change to those arrangements, but there has since been a constant evolution of role and function.[196]

    Local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to local arrangements. The upper-tier subdivisions of England are the nine regions, now used primarily for statistical purposes.[197] One of the regions, Greater London, has had a directly elected assembly and mayor since 2000 following popular support for the proposal in a 1998 referendum.[198]

    Local government in Scotland is divided into 32 council areas with a wide variation in size and population. The cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee are separate council areas, as is the Highland Council, which includes a third of Scotland's area but only just over 200,000 people. Local councils are made up of elected councillors, of whom there are 1,223.[199]

    Local government in Wales consists of 22 unitary authorities, each led by a leader and cabinet elected by the council itself. These include the cities of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, which are unitary authorities in their own right.[200] Elections are held every four years under the first-past-the-post system.[200]

    Local government in Northern Ireland since 1973, has been organised into 26 district councils, each elected by single transferable vote. Their powers are limited to services such as waste collection, dog control, and maintaining parks and cemeteries.[201] In 2008 the executive agreed on proposals to create 11 new councils and replace the present system.[202]

    Devolved governments

    Main article: Devolution in the United Kingdom
    The four countries of the United Kingdom
    Country Population Total area Capital Parliament First Minister
     England 56,489,800 (2021) 130,279 km2 (50,301 sq mi) London none none
     Scotland 5,436,600 (2022) 77,933 km2 (30,090.1 sq mi) Edinburgh Scottish Parliament Humza Yousaf
     Wales 3,267,501 (2022) 20,779 km2 (8,022.82 sq mi) Cardiff Senedd Mark Drakeford
    Northern Ireland 1,903,100 (2021) 14,130 km2 (5,455.62 sq mi) Belfast Northern Ireland Assembly vacant

    Scotland

    Main articles: Scottish Parliament, Scottish Government, and Local government in Scotland

    Since 1999, Scotland has had a devolved national

    reserved to the UK Parliament, including education, healthcare, Scots law and local government.[203] Their power over economic issues is significantly constrained by an act of the UK parliament passed in 2020.[211] The current Scottish Government is a Scottish National Party and Scottish Greens coalition, led by First Minister Humza Yousaf, leader of the Scottish National Party. In 2014, the Scottish independence referendum was held, with 55.3% voting against independence from the United Kingdom and 44.7% voting in favour, resulting in Scotland staying within the United Kingdom. Local government in Scotland is divided into 32 council areas with a wide variation in size and population. Local councils are made up of elected councillors, of whom there are 1,223.[199]

    Wales

    Main articles: Senedd, Welsh Government, and Local government in Wales

    Since 1999, Wales has a devolved national

    Acts of Senedd Cymru. The current Welsh Government is Labour, led by First Minister Mark Drakeford, who has been the First Minister since 2018. Local government in Wales
    consists of 22 unitary authorities, each led by a leader and cabinet elected by the council itself.

    Northern Ireland

    Main articles: Northern Ireland Assembly, Northern Ireland Executive, Local government in Northern Ireland, and The Troubles

    Since 1998, Northern Ireland has a devolved government, the

    nationalist members of the Assembly.[213] The Island of Ireland has a turbulent and violent modern political history, a period referred to as the Troubles. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement acts as a de facto constitution for Northern Ireland. Local government in Northern Ireland since 2015 has been divided between 11 councils with limited responsibilities.[201]

    Constitutional arrangement

    The UK does not have a

    codified constitution and constitutional matters are not among the powers devolved to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Under the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty, the UK Parliament could, in theory, therefore, abolish the Scottish Parliament, Senedd or Northern Ireland Assembly.[214] In practice, it would be politically difficult for the UK Parliament to abolish devolution to the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd, because these institutions were created by referendum decisions.[215] The political constraints placed upon the UK Parliament's power to interfere with devolution in Northern Ireland are greater still, because devolution in Northern Ireland rests upon an international agreement with the Government of Ireland.[216] The UK Parliament restricts the three devolved parliaments' legislative competence in economic areas through an act passed in 2020.[211]

    Foreign relations

    Main articles:
    Foreign policy of the United Kingdom
    UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak greets US President Joe Biden at the 2022 G-20 Bali Summit.

    The UK is a

    British-Irish Council. Britain's global presence and influence is further amplified through its trading relations, foreign investments, official development assistance and military engagements.[220] Canada, Australia and New Zealand, all of which are former colonies of the British Empire which share King Charles as their head of state, are the most favourably viewed countries in the world by British people.[221]

    Dependencies

    Main articles: British Overseas Territories, Crown Dependencies, British Islands, and List of leaders of British dependencies

    The United Kingdom, the 14 British Overseas Territories[222] and the three Crown Dependencies[223] form 'one undivided Realm'.[224][225] All parts of the realm are under the sovereignty of the British Crown, but the Territories and Dependencies are not part of the UK. This is distinct from the status of Commonwealth realms, who have separate monarchies, but share the same monarch.[225]

    Akrotiri and DhekeliaAkrotiri and DhekeliaGibraltarGibraltarChannel IslandsJerseyGuernseyBermudaBermudaBritish West IndiesBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryFalkland IslandsFalkland IslandsSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsPitcairn IslandsPitcairn IslandsSaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaIsle of ManCayman IslandsCayman IslandsMontserratMontserratAnguillaAnguillaBritish Virgin IslandsBritish Virgin IslandsTurks and Caicos IslandsTurks and Caicos IslandsBritish Antarctic TerritoryIsle of Man
    Locations of UK dependencies (crown dependencies alphabetised, overseas territories numbered): A Isle of Man; B Guernsey; C Jersey; 1 United Kingdom; 2 Gibraltar; 3 Akrotiri and Dhekelia; 4 Bermuda; 5 Turks and Caicos Islands; 6 British Virgin Islands; 7 Anguilla; 8 Cayman Islands; 9 Montserrat; 10 Pitcairn Islands; 11 Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; 12 British Indian Ocean Territory; 13 Falkland Islands; 14 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; (15) British Antarctic Territory

    The 14 British Overseas Territories are remnants of the British Empire: Anguilla; Bermuda; the British Antarctic Territory; the British Indian Ocean Territory; the British Virgin Islands; the Cayman Islands; the Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; the Turks and Caicos Islands; the Pitcairn Islands; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; and Akrotiri and Dhekelia on the island of Cyprus.[226] British claims in Antarctica have limited international recognition.[227] Collectively Britain's overseas territories encompass an approximate land area of 480,000 square nautical miles (640,000 sq mi; 1,600,000 km2),[228] with a total population of approximately 250,000.[229] The overseas territories also give the UK the world's fifth largest exclusive economic zone at 6,805,586 km2 (2,627,651 sq mi).[230]

    The Crown Dependencies are possessions of

    Privy Council or, in the case of the Isle of Man, in certain circumstances the Lieutenant-Governor).[233] Since 2005, each Crown dependency has had a Chief Minister as its head of government.[234]

    Law and criminal justice

    Main articles: Law of the United Kingdom, Censorship in the United Kingdom, and Crime in the United Kingdom
    The Supreme Court is the final court of appeal for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and civil cases in Scotland.

    The United Kingdom does not have a single legal system as Article 19 of the

    systems of law: English law, Northern Ireland law and Scots law. A new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom came into being in October 2009 to replace the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords.[236] The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, including the same members as the Supreme Court, is the highest court of appeal for several independent Commonwealth countries, the British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies.[237]

    Both English law, which applies in England and Wales, and

    Court of Appeal, the High Court of Justice (for civil cases) and the Crown Court (for criminal cases).[239] Scots law is a hybrid system based on common-law and civil-law principles. The chief courts are the Court of Session, for civil cases,[240] and the High Court of Justiciary, for criminal cases.[241] The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom serves as the highest court of appeal for civil cases under Scots law.[242]

    Crime in England and Wales increased in the period between 1981 and 1995, though since that peak there has been an overall fall of 66 per cent in recorded crime from 1995 to 2015,

    prison population of England and Wales has increased to 86,000, giving England and Wales the highest rate of incarceration in Western Europe at 148 per 100,000.[244][245][246]

    Same-sex marriage has been legal in England, Scotland, and Wales since 2014, and in Northern Ireland since 2020.[247] LGBT equality in the United Kingdom is considered advanced by modern standards.[248][249]

    Military

    Main articles: British Armed Forces and Military history of the United Kingdom
    HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales
    Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Defender
    Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon Jet
    British Army Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank

    Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, Diego Garcia, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Kenya, Oman, Qatar and Singapore.[252]

    According to sources which include the

    military expenditure. Total defence spending amounts to 2.0 per cent of national GDP.[253] Following the end of the Cold War, defence policy has a stated assumption that "the most demanding operations" will be undertaken as part of a coalition.[254]

    Economy

    Main article: Economy of the United Kingdom
    urban economy in Europe[255] and, alongside New York, the city in the world most integrated with the global economy.[256]

    The UK has a partially regulated market economy.[257] Based on market exchange rates, the UK is the sixth-largest economy in the world and the second-largest in Europe by nominal GDP.

    The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based.

    The United Kingdom uses the

    yen).[258] The pound sterling was the best performing currency in the first quarter of 2023, gaining 2.5pc against the dollar, ahead of all other G10 economies.[259] London is the world capital for foreign exchange trading, with a global market share of 38.1% in 2022[260] of the daily $7.5 trillion global turnover.[261] HM Treasury, led by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, is responsible for developing and executing the government's public finance policy and economic policy. The Bank of England is the UK's central bank
    and is responsible for issuing notes and coins in the pound sterling. Banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland retain the right to issue their own notes, subject to retaining enough Bank of England notes in reserve to cover their issue.

    The service sector made up around 80% of the UK's GVA in 2021.[262] As of 2022, the UK is the world's second-largest exporter of services.[263] London is one of the world's largest financial centres, ranking second in the world in the Global Financial Centres Index in 2022. London also has the largest city GDP in Europe.[264] Edinburgh ranks 17th in the world, and sixth in Western Europe in the Global Financial Centres Index in 2020.[265] Tourism is very important to the British economy; London was named as Europe's most popular destination for 2022.[266][267] The creative industries accounted for 5.9% of the UK's GVA in 2019, having grown by 43.6% in real terms from 2010.[268] Creative industries contributed more than £111bn to the UK economy in 2018, growth in the sector is more than five times larger than growth across the UK economy as a whole as reported in 2018.[269] Lloyd's of London is the world's largest insurance and reinsurance market and is located in London.[270] WPP plc, the world's biggest advertising company, is also based in the UK.

    Aston Martin manufacture vehicles in Gaydon, England.

    The automotive industry employs around 800,000 people, with a turnover in 2022 of £67 billion, generating £27 billion of exports (10% of the UK's total export of goods). In 2022, the UK produced around 775,000 passenger vehicles and 101,600 commercial vehicles, including luxury cars such as Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Range Rover. The UK is a major centre for engine manufacturing: in 2022 around 1.5 million engines were produced.[271] It is also the world's fourth-largest exporter of engines, as of 2021.[272] The UK motorsport industry employs more than 40,000 people, comprises around 4,300 companies and has an annual turnover of around £10 billion.[273] 7 of the 10 Formula One teams are based in the UK, with their technology being used in supercars and hypercars from McLaren, Aston Martin and Lotus.

    The aerospace industry of the UK is the second largest national aerospace industry in the world depending upon the method of measurement and has an annual turnover of around £30 billion.[274] The UK space industry was worth £17.5bn in 2020/21 and employed 48,800 people. Since 2012, the number of space organisations has grown on average nearly 21% per year, with 1,293 organisations reported in 2021.[275][276] The UK Space Agency has stated in 2023 that it is investing £1.6 billion in space related projects.[277]

    The agriculture industry is intensive, highly mechanised and efficient by European standards, producing about 60 per cent of food needs with less than 1.6 per cent of the labour force (535,000 workers).[278] Around two-thirds of production is devoted to livestock, one-third to arable crops. The UK retains a significant, though much reduced fishing industry. It is also rich in a variety of natural resources including coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica and an abundance of arable land.[279]

    The United Kingdom has among the highest levels of

    income inequality in Europe[280] and the OECD,[281] and is one of the most regionally unequal high-income countries in the world.[282][283]

    Science and technology

    Main articles: Science and technology in the United Kingdom and Telecommunications in the United Kingdom
    Cambridge is the most intensive research cluster for science and technology in the world.[284]

    England and Scotland were leading centres of the

    black holes.[288]

    The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is responsible for helping to encourage, develop and manage the UK's scientific, research, and technological outputs. Scientific research and development remains important in British universities, with many establishing science parks to facilitate production and co-operation with industry.[289] In 2022 the UK retained its number one spot for technology in Europe reaching a combined market value of $1 trillion. Cambridge was named the number one university in the world for producing successful technology founders.[290]

    The UK was ranked fourth in the

    British Medical Journal and The Lancet.[293]

    Transport

    Main article: Transport in the United Kingdom
    A high-speed East Coast Main Line train in Northumberland

    A radial road network totals 29,145 miles (46,904 km) of main roads, 2,173 miles (3,497 km) of motorways and 213,750 miles (344,000 km) of paved roads.[146] The M25, encircling London, is the largest and busiest bypass in the world.[294] In 2022, there were a total of 40.8 million licensed vehicles in Great Britain.[295]

    The UK has an extensive railway network of 10,072 miles (16,209 km). In Great Britain, the British Rail network was privatised between 1994 and 1997, followed by a rapid rise in passenger numbers. The UK was ranked eighth among national European rail systems in the 2017 European Railway Performance Index assessing intensity of use, quality of service and safety.[296] High Speed 2 (HS2) is a new high speed railway under construction linking up London, the Midlands, the North and Scotland, serving over 25 stations, including eight of Britain's 10 largest cities and connecting around 30 million people, capable of speeds of up to 225 mph.[297][298] Crossrail, which was renamed the Elizabeth line in 2016, in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, opened in 2022. It was Europe's largest construction project at the time and will bring in an estimated £42 billion to the UK economy.[299][300]

    London has the busiest city airport system in the world.

    Great British Railways is a planned state-owned public body that will oversee rail transport in Great Britain. In 2014, there were 5.2 billion bus journeys in the UK, 2.4 billion of which were in London.[301] The red double-decker bus has entered popular culture as an internationally recognised icon of England.[302] The London bus network is extensive, with over 6,800 scheduled services every weekday carrying about six million passengers on over 700 different routes making it one of the most extensive bus systems in the world and the largest in Europe.[303]

    In the year from October 2009 to September 2010,

    international passenger traffic and has the most international passenger traffic of any airport in the world;[305] it is the hub for the UK flag carrier British Airways, as well as Virgin Atlantic.[306]

    Energy

    Main article: Energy in the United Kingdom
    Wind turbines overlooking Ardrossan in Scotland. The UK is one of the best sites in Europe for wind energy, and wind power production is its fastest-growing supply.

    In 2021, the UK was the world's 14th-largest consumer of energy and the 22nd-largest producer.[307] The UK is home to many large energy companies, including two of the six major oil and gas companies – BP and Shell.[308]

    The total of all renewable electricity sources provided 43% of the electricity generated in the UK in 2020.[309] The UK is one of the best sites in Europe for wind energy, and wind power production is the country's fastest-growing supply; in 2022, 26.8% of the UK's total electricity was generated by wind power.[310] The UK has the largest offshore wind farm in the world, which is located off the coast of Yorkshire.[311]

    In 2023, the UK had 9 nuclear reactors normally generating about 15 per cent of the UK's electricity.

    Small Modular Reactors and Advanced Modular Reactors
    research and development.

    In 2021, the UK produced 935 thousand

    barrels per day (bbl/d) of oil (and other liquids) and consumed 1,258 thousand bbl/d.[307] Production is now in decline and the UK has been a net importer of oil since 2005.[315] In 2020, the UK had around 2 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves.[315]

    In 2021, the UK was the 21st-largest producer of

    fracking',[317] and based on current UK coal consumption, such reserves could last between 200 and 400 years.[318]

    Water supply and sanitation

    Main article: Water supply and sanitation in the United Kingdom

    Access to improved water supply and sanitation in the UK is universal. It is estimated that 96 per cent of households are connected to the sewer network.

    megalitres per day in 2007.[320]

    In England and Wales water and sewerage services are provided by 10 private regional water and sewerage companies and 13 mostly smaller private "water only" companies. In Scotland, water and sewerage services are provided by a single public company, Scottish Water. In Northern Ireland water and sewerage services are also provided by a single public entity, Northern Ireland Water.[321]

    Demographics

    Main articles: Demography of the United Kingdom, British people, and Ceremonial counties of England

    In the

    median age of the UK population was 41.7 years.[324]

    England's population in 2011 was 53 million, representing some 84 per cent of the UK total.[325] It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with 420 people per square kilometre in mid-2015,[323] with a particular concentration in London and the south-east.[326] The 2011 census put Scotland's population at 5.3 million,[327] Wales at 3.06 million and Northern Ireland at 1.81 million.[325]

    In 2017 the average total fertility rate (TFR) across the UK was 1.74 children born per woman.[328] While a rising birth rate is contributing to population growth, it remains considerably below the baby boom peak of 2.95 children per woman in 1964,[329] or the high of 6.02 children born per woman in 1815,[330] below the replacement rate of 2.1, but higher than the 2001 record low of 1.63.[331] In 2011, 47.3 per cent of births in the UK were to unmarried women.[332] The Office for National Statistics reported in 2015 that out of the UK population aged 16 and over, 1.7 per cent identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual (2.0 per cent of males and 1.5 per cent of females); 4.5 per cent of respondents responded with "other", "I don't know", or did not respond.[333] The number of transgender people in the UK was estimated to be between 65,000 and 300,000 by research between 2001 and 2008.[334]

     
    Largest urban areas of the United Kingdom
    (England and Wales: 2011 census built-up area;[335] Scotland: 2016 estimates settlement;[336] Northern Ireland: 2001 census urban area)[337]
    Rank Urban area Pop. Principal settlement Rank Urban area Pop. Principal settlement
    1
    Greater London
    		 9,787,426 London 11 Bristol 617,280 Bristol
    2
    Greater Manchester
    		 2,553,379 Manchester 12 Edinburgh 512,150 Edinburgh
    3
    West Midlands
    		 2,440,986 Birmingham 13
    Leicester
    		 508,916 Leicester
    4
    West Yorkshire
    		 1,777,934 Leeds 14 Belfast 483,418 Belfast
    5 Greater Glasgow 985,290 Glasgow 15 Brighton & Hove 474,485 Brighton
    6
    Liverpool
    		 864,122 Liverpool 16 South East Dorset 466,266 Bournemouth
    7 South Hampshire 855,569 Southampton 17
    Cardiff
    		 390,214 Cardiff
    8 Tyneside 774,891 Newcastle upon Tyne 18 Teesside 376,633 Middlesbrough
    9 Nottingham 729,977 Nottingham 19
    Stoke-on-Trent
    		 372,775 Stoke-on-Trent
    10
    Sheffield
    		 685,368 Sheffield 20
    Coventry
    		 359,262 Coventry

    Ethnicity

    Main article: Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom

    Historically, indigenous British people were thought to be

    2011, 87.2 per cent of the UK population identified themselves as white, meaning 12.8 per cent of the UK population identify themselves as of one of an ethnic minority group.[342]

    Ethnic diversity varies significantly across the UK. 30.4 per cent of London's population and 37.4 per cent of Leicester's was estimated to be non-white in 2005,[343] whereas less than 5 per cent of the populations of North East England, Wales and the South West were from ethnic minorities, according to the 2001 census.[344] In 2016, 31.4 per cent of primary and 27.9 per cent of secondary pupils at state schools in England were members of an ethnic minority.[345]

    Languages

    Main article: Languages of the United Kingdom

    The

    monolingual English speakers.[350] 5.5 per cent of the population are estimated to speak languages brought to the UK as a result of relatively recent immigration.[350] South Asian languages are the largest grouping which includes Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Sylheti, Hindi and Gujarati.[351] According to the 2011 census, Polish has become the second-largest language spoken in England and has 546,000 speakers.[352] In 2019, some three-quarters of a million people spoke little or no English.[353]

    Bilingual sign (Irish and English) in Newry, Northern Ireland

    Three indigenous

    Ulster Scots in Northern Ireland, without specific commitments to protection and promotion.[2][359] As of April 2020, there are said to be around 151,000 users of British Sign Language (BSL), a sign language used by deaf people, in the UK.[360]

    Religion

    Main article: Religion in the United Kingdom

    Religion in the United Kingdom (2018 research)[361]

      None (52%)
      Church of England (13.7%)
      Catholic Church (8.7%)
      Other Christian (13.2%)
      Islam (6.7%)
      Other religions (3.6%)
      Not stated (2.1%)

    Forms of

    post-Christian society.[367]

    In the 2001 census, 71.6 per cent of all respondents indicated that they were Christians, with the next largest faiths being Islam (2.8 per cent), Hinduism (1.0 per cent), Sikhism (0.6 per cent), Judaism (0.5 per cent), Buddhism (0.3 per cent) and all other religions (0.3 per cent).[368] Of the respondents, 15 per cent stated that they had no religion and a further 7 per cent did not state a religious preference.[369] A Tearfund survey in 2007 showed that only one in ten Britons actually attend church weekly.[370] Between the 2001 and 2011 census, there was a 12 per cent decrease in the number of people who identified as Christian, while the percentage of those reporting no religious affiliation doubled. This contrasted with growth in the other main religious group categories, with the number of Muslims increasing by the most substantial margin to a total of about 5 per cent.[371] The Muslim population has increased from 1.6 million in 2001 to 2.7 million in 2011, making it the second-largest religious group in the UK.[372]

    The Church of England is the established church in England.[373] It retains a representation in the UK Parliament, and the British monarch is its Supreme Governor.[374] In Scotland, the Church of Scotland is recognised as the national church. It is not subject to state control, and the British monarch is an ordinary member, required to swear an oath to "maintain and preserve the Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Government" upon his or her accession.[375][2][376] The Church in Wales was disestablished in 1920 and, because the Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1870 before the partition of Ireland, there is no established church in Northern Ireland.[377] Although there are no UK-wide data in the 2001 census on adherence to individual Christian denominations, it has been estimated that 62 per cent of Christians are Anglican, 13.5 per cent Catholic, 6 per cent Presbyterian, and 3.4 per cent Methodist, with small numbers of other Protestant denominations such as Plymouth Brethren, and Orthodox churches.[378]

    Migration

    Main articles: Historical immigration to Great Britain and Modern immigration to the United Kingdom
    See also: Foreign-born population of the United Kingdom
    Estimated foreign-born population by country of birth from April 2007 to March 2008
    Estimated number of British citizens living overseas by country in 2006

    Immigration is now contributing to a rising UK population,[379] with arrivals and UK-born children of migrants accounting for about half of the population increase between 1991 and 2001. According to official statistics released in 2015, 27 per cent of UK live births in 2014 were to mothers born outside the UK.[380] The ONS reported that net migration rose from 2009 to 2010 by 21 per cent to 239,000.[381]

    In 2013, approximately 208,000 foreign nationals were naturalised as British citizens, the highest number since 1962. This figure fell to around 125,800 in 2014. Between 2009 and 2013, the average number of British citizenships granted annually was 195,800. The most common previous nationalities of those naturalised in 2014 were Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Nigerian, Bangladeshi, Nepali, Chinese, South African, Polish and Somali.[382] The total number of grants of settlement, which confer permanent residence in the UK but not citizenship,[383] was approximately 154,700 in 2013, higher than the previous two years.[382]

    Emigration was an important feature of British society in the 19th century. Between 1815 and 1930, around 11.4 million people emigrated from Britain and 7.3 million from Ireland. Estimates show that by the end of the 20th century, some 300 million people of British and Irish descent were permanently settled around the globe.[384] Today, at least 5.5 million UK-born people live abroad,[385][386] mainly in Australia, Spain, the United States and Canada.[385][387]

    Education

    Main articles: Education in the United Kingdom and Universities in the United Kingdom
    Further information: Education in England, Education in Scotland, Education in Wales, and Education in Northern Ireland
    University of Oxford is widely regarded as one of the world's leading universities.

    Education in the United Kingdom is a

    college degree, which is the highest percentage in Europe, and among the highest percentages in the world.[388] The United Kingdom is home to many universities, including the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge which often achieve first place on global rankings.[389][390]

    In 2018, the Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, ranked the overall knowledge and skills of British 15-year-olds as 13th in the world in reading, literacy, mathematics, and science. The average British student scored 503.7, well above the OECD average of 493.[391]

    Healthcare

    Main article: Healthcare in the United Kingdom
    Further information: Healthcare in England, Healthcare in Scotland, and Healthcare in Wales
    NHS Scotland's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, the largest hospital campus in Europe

    The modern-system of universal publicly funded in the United Kingdom has its origins in the creation of the National Health Service (NHS) in 1949 which still exists to this day and is the primary healthcare provider in the United Kingdom. The widespread popularity of the NHS has led to it being described as a "national religion".[392][393] Healthcare in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter and each country has its own system of universal publicly funded healthcare, although private healthcare is also available. Public healthcare is provided to all UK permanent residents and is mostly free at the point of need, being paid for from general taxation. The World Health Organization, in 2000, ranked the provision of healthcare in the United Kingdom as fifteenth best in Europe and eighteenth in the world.[394]

    Since 1979, expenditure on healthcare has been increased significantly.

    Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.[397]

    Regulatory bodies are organised on a UK-wide basis such as the

    healthcare in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive; healthcare in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Government; and healthcare in Wales is the responsibility of the Welsh Government. Each National Health Service has different policies and priorities, resulting in contrasts.[398]

    Culture

    Main article: Culture of the United Kingdom

    The culture of the United Kingdom is influenced by many factors including: the nation's island status;

    cultural superpower".[116][117] A global opinion poll for the BBC saw the United Kingdom ranked the third most positively viewed nation in the world (behind Germany and Canada) in 2013 and 2014.[401]

    Literature

    Main article: British literature
    William Shakespeare's First Folio from 1623; a copy is on display in the British Library.

    British literature includes literature associated with the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Most British literature is in English. In 2005, some 206,000 books were published in the United Kingdom and in 2006 it was the largest publisher of books in the world.[402]

    The English playwright and poet William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest dramatist of all time.[403] The 20th-century English crime writer Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time.[404] Twelve of the top 25 of 100 novels by British writers chosen by a BBC poll of global critics were written by women; these included works by George Eliot, Virginia Woolf, Charlotte and Emily Brontë, Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, Doris Lessing and Zadie Smith.[405]

    Scotland's contributions include Arthur Conan Doyle (the creator of Sherlock Holmes), Sir Walter Scott, J. M. Barrie, Robert Louis Stevenson and the poet Robert Burns. More recently Hugh MacDiarmid and Neil M. Gunn contributed to the Scottish Renaissance, with grimmer works from Ian Rankin and Iain Banks. Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, was UNESCO's first worldwide City of Literature.[406]

    Welsh literature includes Britain's oldest known poem,

    Anglo-Welsh poets are Dylan Thomas and R. S. Thomas, the latter nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996. Leading Welsh novelists of the twentieth century include Richard Llewellyn and Kate Roberts.[410][411]

    Irish writers, living at a time when all of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom, include Oscar Wilde,[412] Bram Stoker[413] and George Bernard Shaw.[414] There have been many authors whose origins were from outside the United Kingdom but who moved to the UK, including Joseph Conrad,[415] T. S. Eliot,[416] Kazuo Ishiguro,[417] Sir Salman Rushdie[418] and Ezra Pound.[419]

    Philosophy

    Main article: British philosophy

    The United Kingdom is famous for the tradition of '

    Scottish School of Common Sense'.[420] The most famous philosophers of British Empiricism are John Locke, George Berkeley[r] and David Hume; while Dugald Stewart, Thomas Reid and William Hamilton were major exponents of the Scottish "common sense" school. Two Britons are also notable for the ethical theory of utilitarianism, a moral philosophy first used by Jeremy Bentham and later by John Stuart Mill in his short work Utilitarianism.[421]

    Music

    Main article: Music of the United Kingdom
    The Proms is a classical music festival held at the Royal Albert Hall which regularly plays music by Edward Elgar and Henry Wood
    .

    Various styles of music have become popular in the UK, including the indigenous

    coronation of George II; it became the traditional ceremonial music for anointing all future monarchs. Handel's many oratorios, such as his famous Messiah, were written in the English language.[422] In the second half of the 19th century, as Arthur Sullivan and his librettist W. S. Gilbert wrote their popular Savoy operas, Edward Elgar's wide range of music rivalled that of his contemporaries on the continent. Increasingly, however, composers became inspired by the English countryside and its folk music, notably Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Benjamin Britten, a pioneer of modern British opera. Among the many post-war composers, some of the most notable have made their own personal choice of musical identity: Peter Maxwell Davies (Orkney), Harrison Birtwistle (mythological), and John Tavener (religious).[423]

    According to

    Kano, Yxng Bane, Ramz, Little Simz and Skepta.[434]

    The Beatles are the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in popular music, selling over a billion records.[435][436][437]

    The Beatles have international sales of over 1 billion units and are the biggest-selling and most influential band in the history of popular music.[435][436][437][438] Other prominent British contributors to have influenced popular music over the last 50 years include the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Queen, Led Zeppelin, the Bee Gees, and Elton John, all of whom have worldwide record sales of 200 million or more.[439] The Brit Awards are the BPI's annual music awards, and some of the British recipients of the Outstanding Contribution to Music award include the Who, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, the Police, and Fleetwood Mac (who are a British-American band).[440] More recent UK music acts that have had international success include George Michael, Oasis, Spice Girls, Radiohead, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Robbie Williams, Amy Winehouse, Susan Boyle, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi, One Direction and Harry Styles.[441]

    A number of UK cities are known for their music. Acts from Liverpool have had 54 UK chart number 1 hit singles, more per capita than any other city worldwide.

    Chemical Brothers, Sub Focus, Chase & Status and Calvin Harris
    .

    Visual art

    Main articles: Art of the United Kingdom and Architecture of the United Kingdom
    William Morris textile design, 1883
    The Angel of the North sculpture by Antony Gormley has become a symbol of northern England.

    Major British artists include: the

    Sam Taylor-Wood and the Chapman Brothers
    are among the better-known members of this loosely affiliated movement.

    The

    National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain and Tate Modern (the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year).[446]

    Cinema

    Main articles: Cinema of the United Kingdom and Theatre of the United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom has had a considerable influence on the history of the cinema. The British directors

    James Bond).[449]

    In 2009, British films grossed around $2 billion worldwide and achieved a market share of around 7 per cent globally and 17 per cent in the United Kingdom.[450] UK box-office takings totalled £944 million in 2009, with around 173 million admissions.[450] The annual British Academy Film Awards are hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.[451]

    Cuisine

    Main article: British cuisine
    Further information: English cuisine, Northern Irish cuisine, Scottish cuisine, and Welsh cuisine
    Fish and chips, a traditional British dish served with lemon, tartar sauce and mushy peas

    British cuisine developed from various influences reflective of its land, settlements, arrivals of new settlers and immigrants, trade and colonialism. The

    settled in Britain, producing hybrid dishes, such as chicken tikka masala.[452] The British have embraced world cuisine and regularly eat recipes or fast food from Europe, the Caribbean and Asia. Afternoon tea is a light afternoon meal served with tea in tea rooms and hotels around the United Kingdom, with the tradition dating back to around 1840.[453]

    A 2019 YouGov poll rated classic British food, the following had more than 80% of people like them who had tried them: Sunday roast, Yorkshire pudding, Fish and chips, Crumpets, and Full English breakfast.[454] Sweet foods are common within British cuisine, and there is a long list of British desserts.

    vegetarian diets have increased in Britain in recent years. In 2021, a survey found that 8% of British respondents eat a plant-based diet and 36% of respondents have a favourable view of plant-based diets.[455]

    Media

    Main article:
    Media of the United Kingdom
    MediaCityUK in Salford, Greater Manchester is one of the largest media production facilities in Europe.

    The BBC, founded in 1922, is the UK's publicly funded radio, television and Internet broadcasting corporation, and is the oldest and largest broadcaster in the world.[456][457][458] It operates numerous television and radio stations in the UK and abroad and its domestic services are funded by the television licence.[459] The BBC World Service is an international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest of any kind.[460] It broadcasts radio news, speech and discussions in more than 40 languages.[461]

    Other major players in the UK media include ITV, which operates 11 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network,[462] and Sky.[463] Newspapers produced in the United Kingdom include the Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, and the Financial Times.[464] Magazines and journals published in the United Kingdom that have achieved worldwide circulation include The Spectator, The Economist, New Statesman, and Radio Times.

    London dominates the media sector in the UK: national newspapers and television and radio are largely based there, although

    Anglophone countries.[467]

    In 2010, 82.5 per cent of the UK population were Internet users, the highest proportion among the 20 countries with the largest total number of users in that year.

    largest video game market in Europe by sales, overtaking Germany.[469] It is the world's third-largest producer of video games after Japan and the United States.[470]

    Sport

    Main articles: Sport in the United Kingdom and Great Britain at the Olympics
    Golf originated from the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland.

    Victorian Britain.[s]

    A 2003 poll found that football is the most popular sport in the UK.

    Football Association is the oldest of its kind, with the rules of football first drafted in 1863 by Ebenezer Cobb Morley.[474] Each of the Home Nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) has its own football association, national team and league system, and each is individually a governing member of the International Football Association Board alongside FIFA. The English top division, the Premier League, is the most watched football league in the world.[475] The first international football match was contested by England and Scotland on 30 November 1872.[476] England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland usually compete as separate countries in international competitions.[477]

    In 2003, rugby union was ranked the second most popular sport in the UK.

    British and Irish Lions
    which tours Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

    The United Kingdom hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1908, 1948 and 2012, with London acting as the host city on all three occasions. Birmingham hosted the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the seventh time a constitute country in the United Kingdom hosted the Commonwealth Games (England, Scotland and Wales have each hosted the Commonwealth Games at least once).[481]

    Symbols

    Main article:
    Symbols of the United Kingdom
    Union Jack flags on The Mall, London

    The

    Saint Patrick's Flag.[483] Wales is not represented in the Union Flag, as Wales had been conquered and annexed to England prior to the formation of the United Kingdom. The possibility of redesigning the Union Flag to include representation of Wales has not been completely ruled out.[484] The national anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the King
    ", with "King" replaced with "Queen" in the lyrics whenever the monarch is a woman.

    Britannia is a national personification of the United Kingdom, originating from Roman Britain.[485] Beside The Lion and the Unicorn and the dragon of heraldry, the bulldog is an iconic animal and commonly represented with the Union Flag.[486] A now rare personification is a character originating in the 18th century, John Bull.[487]

    England, Wales, and Scotland each have a number of their own national symbols, including their national flags. Northern Ireland also has a number of symbols, many of which are shared with Republic of Ireland.

    See also

    Notes

    1. Commonwealth realms
      . The words King, he, him, his, used at present, are replaced by Queen, she, her when the monarch is female.
    2. ^ Scots, Ulster Scots, Welsh, Cornish, Scottish Gaelic and Irish are classed as regional or minority languages under the Council of Europe's European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.[2] These include defined obligations to promote those languages.[3] See also Languages of the United Kingdom. Welsh has limited de jure official status in Wales, as well as in the provision of national government services provided for Wales.
    3. ^ "This category could include Polish responses from the country specific question for Scotland which would have been outputted to 'Other White' and then included under 'White' for UK. 'White Africans' may also have been recorded under 'Other White' and then included under 'White' for UK."
    4. ^ 83.6% are White British/Irish.
    5. ^ Although the United Kingdom has traditionally been seen as a unitary state, an alternative description of the UK as a "union state", put forward by, among others, Vernon Bogdanor,[4] has become increasingly influential since the adoption of devolution in the 1990s.[5] A union state is considered to differ from a unitary state in that while it maintains a central authority it also recognises the authority of historic rights and infrastructures of its component parts.[6]
    6. ^ Some of the devolved countries, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories issue their own sterling banknotes or currencies, or use another nation's currency. See List of British currencies for more information.
    7. ^ Also observed by the Crown Dependencies, and in the two British Overseas Territories of Gibraltar and Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (though in the latter, without daylight saving time). For further information, see Time in the United Kingdom#British territories.
    8. ^ Except two overseas territories: Gibraltar and the British Indian Ocean Territory
    9. ^ Excludes most overseas territories
    10. ^ The .gb domain is also reserved for the UK, but has been little used.
    11. ^ Usage is mixed. The Guardian and Telegraph use Britain as a synonym for the United Kingdom. Some prefer to use Britain as shorthand for Great Britain. The British Cabinet Office's Government Digital Service style guide for use on gov.uk recommends: "Use UK and United Kingdom in preference to Britain and British (UK business, UK foreign policy, ambassador and high commissioner). But British embassy, not UK embassy."
    12. ^ The phrase "countries within a country" is sometimes used to describe the United Kingdom.
    13. ^ The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty resolved the Irish War of Independence. When it took effect one year later, it established the Irish Free State as a separate dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations. In 1927 the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 changed the name of the UK to reflect this.
    14. ^ The United Kingdom does not have a codified constitution but an unwritten one formed of Acts of Parliament, court judgments, traditions, and conventions.[29]
    15. Acts of Union
      which reads: the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland shall...be united into one Kingdom, by the Name of "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland".
    16. Public Law Maurice Sunkin opined the Crown symbolically occupies "…what in other places would be a core element of a written constitution."[172] As a result of this state of constitutional affairs, the monarch is formally referred to as "the Sovereign" in legislation.[173]
    17. dissolution or prorogation of Parliament, withhold royal assent to primary legislation, and prevent illegal use of the British Armed Forces, among other reserve powers.[180]
    18. ^ Berkeley is in fact Irish but was called a 'British empiricist' due to the territory of what is now known as the Republic of Ireland being in the UK at the time.
    19. ^ In 2012, the President of the IOC, Jacques Rogge, stated, "This great, sports-loving country is widely recognised as the birthplace of modern sport. It was here that the concepts of sportsmanship and fair play were first codified into clear rules and regulations. It was here that sport was included as an educational tool in the school curriculum".[471][472]

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