India
United KingdomCompare countries · India vs United Kingdom
India vs United Kingdom
IndiaSouthern Asia
United KingdomNorthern Europe
The FCDO advises against all travel to parts of India and all but essential travel to other areas.India is cheaper (cost of living 18.9 vs 67.8).The United Kingdom is more peaceful (Global Peace Index 1.730 vs 2.409), scores higher on human development (0.946 vs 0.685) and has the higher income per person ($54,550 vs $2,760).It also has the longer life expectancy (81.4 vs 72.2 years).
Safety
The United Kingdom is the more peaceful
- Global Peace Indexlower is more peaceful
- India2.409Medium safety#126 of 161IEP GPI · 2026
- United Kingdom1.730High safety#39 of 161IEP GPI · 2026
- Homicidesper 100,000 people a year
- India2.8ModerateUNODC / World Bank · 2022
- United Kingdom1.1LowUNODC / World Bank · 2021
- Safety indexNumbeo's safety index, higher is safer
- India55.8ModerateNumbeo · 2026
- United Kingdom51.7ModerateNumbeo · 2026
- UK travel adviceFCDO, for British travellers
- IndiaAgainst all travel to parts, all but essential to other areasFCDO foreign travel advice, GOV.UK · read 2026-10-29
- United KingdomThe FCDO advises on travel from the UK, not within it
Money
Income per person is higher in the United Kingdom
- GNI per personnational income per person, US dollars
- India$2,760LowWorld Bank · 2025
- United Kingdom$54,550Very highWorld Bank · 2025
- Cost of living indexexcluding rent, New York = 100
- India18.9Very affordableNumbeo · 2026
- United Kingdom67.8ExpensiveNumbeo · 2026
Health
People live longer in the United Kingdom
- Life expectancyyears, at birth
- India72.2Moderate#117 of 195World Bank · 2024
- United Kingdom81.4Very high#36 of 195World Bank · 2024
Work and internet
Broadband is faster in the United Kingdom
- Home internetmedian download speed
- India62 MbpsFast#96 of 149Ookla Speedtest · 2025
- United Kingdom167 MbpsVery fast#40 of 149Ookla Speedtest · 2025
- Youth unemploymentshare of 15 to 24 year olds in the labour force
- IndiaNo figure from Eurostat
- United Kingdom14.9%ModerateONS · 2025
How it changed
Human development: United Kingdom 0.946, India 0.685
IndiaUnited Kingdom
UNDP Human Development Report, 1990–2023.
Year by year:IndiaUnited Kingdom
Practical facts
- Capital
- New Delhi
- London
- Population
- 1.46B (2025)
- 69.5M (2025)
- Languages
- English, Hindi, Tamil
- English
- Currency
- Indian rupee (INR)
- British pound (GBP)
- Area
- 2,973,190 km²
- 241,930 km²
- Plug type
- Type D/M
- Type G
- Drives on the
- left
- left
- Short visit
- Visa needed for UK, EU and US passports
- Visa-free for EU and US; visa needed for UK
Short visits: passport-index-dataset, 2024, for UK, EU (German) and US passports. Population and area: World Bank. Languages, currency and driving side: restcountries.com. Plug types: worldstandards.eu.
Every figure
India and United Kingdom, side by side
India leads on 16 United Kingdom on 45113 figures. 20 are held for only one country; the other shows a dash. Rows such as population, religion and tax levels have no better or worse end, so they show both values and no verdict. Level means under 2% apart.
Money and cost24
- PPP / Cap aheadWorld Bank · 2025
- $11,748Low
- $64,606High
- GDP / Cap aheadWorld Bank · 2025
- $2,702Low
- $57,602Very high
- GNI / Cap aheadWorld Bank · 2025
- $2,760Low
- $54,550Very high
- Local purchasing power aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 76.4High
- 122.6Very high
- Cost of Living aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 18.9Very affordable
- 67.8Expensive
- Cost of living with rent aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 12.4Very low
- 51.9Very high
- Rent index aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 4.3Very affordable
- 32.1Very expensive
- Groceries index aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 21.6Very low
- 62.8Very high
- Restaurant prices index aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 15.6Very low
- 72.9Very high
- Property Price-to-Income aheadNumbeo Property Investment · 2026
- 11.0Affordable
- 8.0Very affordable
- Price level ratio aheadWorld Bank ICP
- 0.387Very low
- 1.571Very high
- Electricity PriceEurostat · 2024
- —
- €0.339Very expensive
- Inflation aheadWorld Bank · 2025
- 2.4%Moderate
- 3.9%High
- Pension Replacement aheadOECD Pensions at a Glance · 2024
- 39.2%Low
- 44.7%Moderate
- Bank Account aheadWorld Bank Global Findex · 2024
- 89%High
- 99.3%Very high
- Send Remittance aheadWorld Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide · 2023
- 0.5%Very low
- 3.6%Moderate
- Tax WedgeOECD Taxing Wages · 2025
- —
- 32.4%
- Top Income TaxWikipedia · 2024
- 39%
- 47%
- Corporate TaxWikipedia · 2024
- 22%
- 25%
- VAT / GSTWikipedia · 2024
- 18%
- 20%
- Tax RevenueWorld Bank · 2022–2024
- 6.9%
- 26.9%
- GDP (total)World Bank · 2025
- $3,956 bn
- $4,003 bn
- FDI InflowsWorld Bank · 2025
- 1%
- 1.9%
- Innovation aheadWIPO Global Innovation Index · 2025
- 38.2High
- 59.1Very high
Work4
- UnemploymentWorld Bank · 2025
- 4.2%
- 4.7%
- Youth UnemploymentEurostat · 2025
- —
- 14.9%Moderate
- Long Work HoursOECD Better Life Index · 2020
- —
- 10.8%High
- Public Holidaysdate.nager.at · 2025
- —
- 8
Equality7
- Income Inequality aheadWorld Bank · 2021–2022
- 25.5Very low
- 32.4Low
- Income Share Bot. 20% aheadWorld Bank · 2021–2022
- 10.4Very high
- 7.6Moderate
- Income Share Top 10% aheadWorld Bank · 2021–2022
- 22.1Very low
- 25Low
- Poverty Rate aheadWorld Bank · 2021–2022
- 82.1%Very high
- 0.9%Very low
- Poverty RiskEurostat · 2025
- —
- 16%Moderate
- Gender Inequality aheadUNDP Human Development Report · 2023
- 0.403Moderate
- 0.083Very low
- Inequality-Adj. HDI aheadUNDP HDR
- 0.475Low
- 0.869Very high
Safety9
- Peace Index aheadIEP Global Peace Index · 2026
- 2.409Medium safety
- 1.730High safety
- Safety aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 55.8Moderate
- 51.7Moderate
- Homicides / 100k aheadUNODC / World Bank · 2021–2022
- 2.8Moderate
- 1.1Low
- Assault RateUNODC CTS · 2013
- 25.8Moderate
- —
- Robbery RateUNODC CTS · 2013
- 2.8Very low
- —
- Sexual Violence RateUNODC CTS · 2013
- 9Low
- —
- Kidnapping RateUNODC CTS · 2013
- 5.1Very high
- —
- Road Deaths / 100k aheadWHO GHO · 2021
- 14.6Moderate
- 2.4Very low
- Disaster Risk aheadWorld Risk Index · 2022
- 42.3Very high
- 5.8Moderate
Health16
- Life Expectancy aheadWorld Bank · 2024
- 72.2Moderate
- 81.4Very high
- Infant Mortality aheadWorld Bank · 2024
- 23.3High
- 4.1Low
- Healthcare Quality aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 65.5Good
- 72.7Good
- UHC Service Coverage aheadWHO GHO · 2023
- 69Low
- 88Very high
- Physicians / 1k aheadWorld Bank · 2020–2023
- 0.720Low
- 3.3High
- Hospital Beds aheadWorld Bank · 2021–2022
- 1.600Low
- 2.4Moderate
- Out-of-Pocket Health % aheadWorld Bank · 2023–2024
- 43.9%High
- 14.6%Low
- Healthcare SpendWorld Bank · 2023–2024
- $85
- $5,860
- Clean Water aheadWorld Bank · 2024
- 95.7%Moderate
- 100%Very high
- PM2.5 concentration aheadWHO GHO · 2023
- 42.5Very high
- 7.9Very low
- Air-pollution Deaths / 100k aheadWHO GHO · 2021
- 131.3High
- 12.1Very low
- Obesity aheadWHO GHO · 2024
- 8%Very low
- 27.4%High
- Tobacco Use aheadWHO GHO · 2020–2022
- 25.4%High
- 13%Low
- Raised Blood Glucose aheadWHO GHO · 2014
- 8.7%Moderate
- 5.8%Very low
- Suicide Rate / 100k aheadWHO GHO · 2021
- 12.6High
- 9.5High
- Alcohol L / capitaWHO GHO · 2024
- 5.2
- 10.4
Education and getting online8
- PISA MathOECD PISA Results · 2022
- —
- 489Very high
- PISA ReadingOECD PISA Results · 2022
- —
- 494Very high
- PISA ScienceOECD PISA Results · 2022
- —
- 500Very high
- Education SpendWorld Bank · 2021–2022
- 4.1%
- 5.9%
- English Proficiency aheadEF English Proficiency Index · 2025
- 484Low
- 700Native
- Internet aheadWorld Bank · 2024–2025
- 70%Low
- 95.5%Very high
- Home internet speed aheadOokla Speedtest Global Index · 2025
- 62 MbpsFast
- 167 MbpsVery fast
- Mobile internet speed aheadOokla Speedtest Global Index · 2025
- 129 MbpsHigh
- 74 MbpsModerate
Governance and freedom8
- Rule of Law aheadWorld Bank WGI · 2025
- -0.13Moderate
- 1.27Very high
- Corruption aheadWorld Bank WGI · 2025
- -0.28Moderate
- 1.53Very high
- Political Stability aheadWorld Bank WGI · 2025
- -0.61Low
- 0.29Moderate
- Government Effectiveness aheadWorld Bank WGI · 2025
- 0.50High
- 1.23Very high
- Regulatory Quality aheadWorld Bank WGI · 2025
- -0.17Moderate
- 1.46Very high
- Democracy aheadEIU Democracy Index · 2025
- 7High
- 8.3Very high
- Freedom House aheadFreedom House · 2025
- 62Moderate
- 92Very high
- Press Freedom aheadRSF World Press Freedom Index · 2026
- 32Difficult
- 79.5Good
Quality of life10
- Human Development aheadUNDP Human Development Report · 2023
- 0.685Medium
- 0.946Very high
- Happiness aheadWorld Happiness Report · 2026
- 4.54Very low
- 6.69Moderate
- Quality of life index aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 122.3Low
- 175.9High
- Climate index aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 65.2Good
- 87.8Excellent
- WHR: GDPWorld Happiness Report · 2026
- 1.397
- 1.896
- WHR: Social SupportWorld Happiness Report · 2026
- 0.732
- 1.458
- WHR: Healthy Life Exp.World Happiness Report · 2026
- 0.298
- 0.888
- WHR: FreedomWorld Happiness Report · 2026
- 1.015
- 0.962
- WHR: GenerosityWorld Happiness Report · 2026
- 0.121
- 0.191
- WHR: Corruption TrustWorld Happiness Report · 2026
- 0.124
- 0.291
People and planet23
- PopulationWorld Bank · 2025
- 1,463,865,525
- 69,487,000
- AreaWorld Bank
- 2,973,190 km²
- 241,930 km²
- Median AgeWorld Bank age-group shares
- 33.9
- 41.1
- Population GrowthWorld Bank · 2025
- 0.89%
- 0.30%
- Urban PopulationWorld Bank · 2025
- 35.7%
- 83.3%
- Net MigrationWorld Bank · 2025
- -495,753
- 389,911
- Foreign-Born %UN DESA International Migrant Stock · 2024
- 0.3%
- 17.1%
- Fertility RateWorld Bank · 2024
- 1.96
- 1.55
- Avg Household SizeOECD Family Database · 2024
- —
- 2.3
- Single-Person HouseholdsOECD Family Database · 2021
- —
- 30.8%
- Lone-Parent HouseholdsOECD Family Database · 2021
- —
- 7.5%
- ChristianPew Research · 2020
- 2.2%
- 49.4%
- MuslimPew Research · 2020
- 15.2%
- 6.4%
- HinduPew Research · 2020
- 79.4%
- 1.7%
- BuddhistPew Research · 2020
- 0.7%
- 0.5%
- JewishPew Research · 2020
- 0%
- 0.4%
- UnaffiliatedPew Research · 2020
- 0%
- 40.2%
- Other religionsPew Research · 2020
- 2.5%
- 1.4%
- CO₂ / Capita aheadWorld Bank · 2024
- 2.2Moderate
- 4.2High
- Renewables aheadWorld Bank · 2021
- 34.9%High
- 12.2%Low
- Forest CoverWorld Bank · 2023
- 24.5%
- 13.3%
- Climate Vulnerability aheadND-GAIN Country Index · 2023
- 0.485High
- 0.288Very low
- Climate Readiness aheadND-GAIN Country Index · 2023
- 0.394Moderate
- 0.681Very high
Other4
- LiteracyWorld Bank · 2024
- 78.2%
- —
- Mobile MoneyWorld Bank Global Findex · 2024
- 23.1%
- —
- Receive RemittanceWorld Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide · 2023
- 1.8%
- —
- Leisure TimeOECD Better Life Index · 2020
- —
- 14.9
Quick answers
Is India cheaper than United Kingdom?
Numbeo's 2026 cost-of-living index (NYC = 100) puts India at 18.9 and United Kingdom at 67.8. India is about 72% cheaper overall.
Is India or United Kingdom safer?
On the Global Peace Index (lower = more peaceful), India scores 2.41 and United Kingdom scores 1.73. United Kingdom ranks as the more peaceful of the two.
Which has the higher quality of life, India or United Kingdom?
On the UN Human Development Index, India scores 0.685 and United Kingdom scores 0.946. United Kingdom scores higher on this composite of income, health and education. Single indexes hide trade-offs; the full comparison above shows where each country wins.
What is life like in India compared to United Kingdom?
GNI per capita runs $2,760 in India against $54,550 in United Kingdom; people live 72.2 years on average against 81.4; Numbeo users rate healthcare 66 against 73. Those are national averages and they hide the thing you actually feel: capital-city costs run well ahead of the national figure in most countries, and rural provision of healthcare and internet often lags the number shown here. The table below splits it indicator by indicator.