Facts and Figures

Playing: National Anthem

Official name
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Capital London
Area 244,110 sq km
94,251 sq mi

People
Population 60,776,238 (2007 estimate)

Largest cities, with population
London 7,172,036 (2001)
Birmingham 976,400 (2001 estimate)
Leeds 715,500 (2001 estimate)
Glasgow 578,700 (2001 estimate)
Sheffield 513,100 (2001 estimate)

Ethnic groups
White 91.3 percent
Indian 2.0 percent
Pakistani 1.4 percent
Black or Black British 2.2 percent
Mixed and Other 3.1 percent

Languages
English (official), Welsh, Scottish Gaelic

Religion
Anglican 47.0 percent
Other Christians 24.6 percent
Muslim 2.7 percent
Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Buddhist 2.4 percent
Nonreligious 15.5 percent
Other and not stated 7.8 percent

Literacy rate
Total 99 percent (1995)

Government
Form of government Constitutional monarchy
Head of state Monarch
Head of government Prime minister
Legislature Bicameral legislature
House of Commons: 646 members
House of Lords: 713 members (595 life peers and 118 hereditary members)

Constitution
Unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Highest court House of Lords, High Court of Justiciary, (Scottish criminal cases only)

Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $2.2 trillion (2005)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $36,508.70 (2005)

GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 1 percent (2005)
Industry 26.2 percent (2005)
Services 72.8 percent (2005)

Employment
Number of workers 30,644,965 (2005)

Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 1.4 percent (2005)
Industry 22 percent (2005)
Services 76.3 percent (2005)

Unemployment rate 4.6 percent (2004)

National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $902,897 million (2005)
Total expenditure $834,928 million (2005)

Monetary unit
1 pound sterling (£), consisting of 100 pence