OECD Economic Surveys: United Kingdom 2024

Basic statistics of the United Kingdom, 2023

 

LAND, PEOPLE AND ELECTORAL CYCLE
Population (million)	68.4		Population density per km²	282.5	(39.2)
Under 15 (%)	17.2	(17.0)	Life expectancy at birth (years, 2022)	82.1	(79.6)
Over 65 (%)	19.5	(18.3)	Men (2022)	80.4	(77.0)
International migrant stock (% of population, 2019)	14.1	(13.2)	Women (2022)	83.8	(82.4)
Latest 5-year average growth (%)	0.6	(0.4)	Latest general election	July 2024
ECONOMY
Gross domestic product (GDP)			Value added shares (%)
In current prices (billion USD)	3 340.9		Agriculture, forestry and fishing	0.8	(2.8)
In current prices (billion GBP)	2 687.2		Industry including construction	18.7	(27.2)
Latest 5-year average real growth (%)	0.7	(1.6)	Services	80.5	(70.0)
Per capita (thousand USD PPP) 1	58.9	(59.0)
GENERAL GOVERNMENT (Per cent of GDP)
Expenditure (2022)	46.4	(42.8)	Gross financial debt (OECD: 2022)	91.7	(113.1)
Revenue (2022)	41.8	(39.5)	Net financial debt (OECD: 2022)	63.7	(67.3)
EXTERNAL ACCOUNTS
Exchange rate (GBP per USD)	0.80		Main exports (% of total merchandise exports)
PPP exchange rate (USA = 1)	0.67		Machinery and electronics	22.1
In per cent of GDP:			Stone and Glass	16.1
Exports of goods and services	32.2	(31.3)	Transportation	12.9
Imports of goods and services	33.4	(31.5)	Main imports (% of total merchandise imports)
Current account balance	-3.3	(-0.3)	Machinery and electronics	21.6
Net international investment position	-31.4		Transportation	13.7
			Fuels	11.7
LABOUR MARKET, SKILLS AND INNOVATION
Employment rate (aged 15 and over, %)	60.5	(58.0)	Unemployment rate (aged 15 and over, %)	4.0	(4.8)
Men	64.5	(65.5)	Youth (aged 15-24, %)	11.9	(10.6)
Women	56.8	(50.8)	Long-term unemployed (1 year and over, %, 2022)	0.9	(1.2)
Participation rate (aged 15 and over, %)	63.1	(60.9)	Tertiary educational attainment (aged 25-64, %, 2022)	51.3	(40.7)
Average hours worked per year	1 524	(1 742)	Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (% of GDP, 2021)	2.9	(2.7)
ENVIRONMENT
Total primary energy supply per capita (toe, 2022)	2.3	(3.8)	CO₂ emissions from fuel combustion per capita (tonnes, 2022)	4.6	(7.8)
Renewables (%, 2022)	13.7	(12.0)	Municipal waste per capita (tonnes, 2022)	0.4	(0.5)
Exposure to air pollution (more than 10 μg/m³ of PM2.5, % of population, 2020)	51.0	(56.5)
SOCIETY
Income inequality (Gini coefficient, 2021)	0.354	(0.316)	Education outcomes (PISA 2022 score)
Relative poverty rate (%, 2021)	11.7	(11.4)	Reading	494	(476)
Median disposable household income (thousand USD PPP, 2021)	26.9	(27.7)	Mathematics	489	(472)
Public and private spending (% of GDP):			Science	500	(485)
Health care (OECD: 2022)	10.9	(9.2)	Share of women in parliament (%)	34.6	(32.8)
Pensions (2020, OECD: 2019)	5.9	(9.5)	Net official development assistance (% of GNI)	0.6	(0.4)
Education (total spending, 2020)	6.3	(5.1)

Note: The year is indicated in parenthesis if it deviates from the year in the main title of this table.

Where the OECD aggregate is not provided in the source database, a simple OECD average of the latest available data is calculated where data exist for at least 80% of member countries.

1. OECD aggregate refers to weighted average.

Source: Calculations based on data extracted from databases of the following organisations: OECD, International Energy Agency, International Labour Organisation, International Monetary Fund, United Nations, World Bank.