GeoRealityMatch
A foggy day capturing London's iconic Tower Bridge over the River Thames.View of the London Eye with vibrant autumn trees reflecting in a serene park lake.

United Kingdom

Europe · Northern Europe

High safetyExpensive cost of livingVery high development

Incomes are high, and people live long. Living costs are high.

ExpatCombines very high development and high safety.
vs Spainvs Francevs Netherlands
Safety

39th most peaceful of 161

Global Peace Index
1.730lower is more peacefulHigh safety
#39 of 161
IEP GPI · 2026
Homicides
1.1per 100,000 people a yearLowUNODC / World Bank · 2021
Safety index
51.7Numbeo's safety index, higher is saferModerateNumbeo · 2026
Money

Incomes above the median country

GNI per person
$54,550national income per person, US dollarsVery high
World Bank · 2025
Rent index
32.1New York = 100Very expensiveNumbeo · 2026
Property price to income
8.0years of median income to buy a median flatVery affordableNumbeo · 2026

Income and inflation over time

Income per person rose 29% in current dollars from 2006 to 2025, and rose 10% after inflation.

GDP per person, current US$At purchasing power parityInflation

$0$40K$80K$64,606 PPP$57,602Inflation, % a year8%0200620102015202020252006, $44,695 a person, $34,870 at PPP, inflation 2.5%2007, $50,629 a person, $35,685 at PPP, inflation 2.4%2008, $47,652 a person, $36,943 at PPP, inflation 3.5%2009, $39,009 a person, $35,281 at PPP, inflation 2%2010, $39,778 a person, $36,649 at PPP, inflation 2.5%2011, $42,296 a person, $37,389 at PPP, inflation 3.9%2012, $42,688 a person, $38,515 at PPP, inflation 2.6%2013, $43,608 a person, $40,121 at PPP, inflation 2.3%2014, $47,747 a person, $41,546 at PPP, inflation 1.5%2015, $45,256 a person, $42,772 at PPP, inflation 0.4%2016, $41,259 a person, $44,376 at PPP, inflation 1%2017, $40,918 a person, $46,441 at PPP, inflation 2.6%2018, $43,704 a person, $47,636 at PPP, inflation 2.3%2019, $43,161 a person, $50,494 at PPP, inflation 1.7%2020, $40,815 a person, $48,720 at PPP, inflation 1%2021, $47,696 a person, $51,840 at PPP, inflation 2.5%2022, $47,035 a person, $60,267 at PPP, inflation 7.9%2023, $49,920 a person, $60,787 at PPP, inflation 6.8%2024, $53,341 a person, $62,839 at PPP, inflation 3.3%2025, $57,602 a person, $64,606 at PPP, inflation 3.9%$0$40K$80KInflation, % a year8%0200620102015202020252006, $44,695 a person, $34,870 at PPP, inflation 2.5%2007, $50,629 a person, $35,685 at PPP, inflation 2.4%2008, $47,652 a person, $36,943 at PPP, inflation 3.5%2009, $39,009 a person, $35,281 at PPP, inflation 2%2010, $39,778 a person, $36,649 at PPP, inflation 2.5%2011, $42,296 a person, $37,389 at PPP, inflation 3.9%2012, $42,688 a person, $38,515 at PPP, inflation 2.6%2013, $43,608 a person, $40,121 at PPP, inflation 2.3%2014, $47,747 a person, $41,546 at PPP, inflation 1.5%2015, $45,256 a person, $42,772 at PPP, inflation 0.4%2016, $41,259 a person, $44,376 at PPP, inflation 1%2017, $40,918 a person, $46,441 at PPP, inflation 2.6%2018, $43,704 a person, $47,636 at PPP, inflation 2.3%2019, $43,161 a person, $50,494 at PPP, inflation 1.7%2020, $40,815 a person, $48,720 at PPP, inflation 1%2021, $47,696 a person, $51,840 at PPP, inflation 2.5%2022, $47,035 a person, $60,267 at PPP, inflation 7.9%2023, $49,920 a person, $60,787 at PPP, inflation 6.8%2024, $53,341 a person, $62,839 at PPP, inflation 3.3%2025, $57,602 a person, $64,606 at PPP, inflation 3.9%

World Bank: GDP per person in current US dollars and at PPP, real GDP per person, consumer price inflation. Observed years only.

Health

Among the longest-lived countries

Life expectancy
81.4years, at birthVery high
#36 of 195
World Bank · 2024
Health coverage
88WHO universal health coverage index, 0 to 100Very highWHO · 2023
Air pollution
7.9PM2.5, micrograms per cubic metre, national averageVery lowWHO · 2023
Work and internet

Around the European middle for youth unemployment

Youth unemployment
14.9%share of 15 to 24 year olds in the labour forceModerate
ONS · 2025
Home internet
167 Mbpsmedian download speedVery fastOokla Speedtest · 2025
English proficiency
Native EnglishEF English Proficiency Index scoreNativeEF EPI · 2025

Internet speeds

Home internet167 MbpsVery fast
Mobile74 MbpsModerate

Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median download speed, ranked among the countries Ookla lists.

UK Regions deep diveWhere in the UK should you live?Side-by-side comparison of 361 Local Authorities: pay, housing, crime, schools and deprivation. Switchable choropleth, "Picked for you" leaderboards, per-LA editorial on the places we know well.
Settling here

Where to live is the half this page covers. The other half is paperwork: a test to pass, and a residence count that has to survive someone checking it. Most people piece those dates together long after the fact and get them wrong. That part sits on InboxTrace, which we also built.

View of the London Eye with vibrant autumn trees reflecting in a serene park lake.
How it changed

United Kingdom's Human Development Index

0.946Very high human development

13th of 193 in UNDP's 2023 ranking, 11th of 44 in Europe.

UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita. UNDP Human Development Report 2025.

Nearest countries by HDI

  1. #12Finland0.948
  2. #13Singapore0.946
  3. #13United Kingdom0.946
  4. #15United Arab Emirates0.940
  5. #16Canada0.939
Full HDI ranking, all 193 countries

HDI since 1990

Year by year

Human development rose from 0.812 in 1990 to 0.946 in 2023.

0.750.881.000.94619902000201020231990: 0.8121991: 0.8161992: 0.8241993: 0.8271994: 0.8361995: 0.8351996: 0.8411997: 0.8491998: 0.8561999: 0.8622000: 0.8702001: 0.8762002: 0.8812003: 0.8862004: 0.8972005: 0.9032006: 0.9022007: 0.9052008: 0.9102009: 0.9152010: 0.9212011: 0.9162012: 0.9172013: 0.9312014: 0.9322015: 0.9312016: 0.9342017: 0.9372018: 0.9362019: 0.9412020: 0.9302021: 0.9412022: 0.9462023: 0.9460.750.881.0019902000201020231990: 0.8121991: 0.8161992: 0.8241993: 0.8271994: 0.8361995: 0.8351996: 0.8411997: 0.8491998: 0.8561999: 0.8622000: 0.8702001: 0.8762002: 0.8812003: 0.8862004: 0.8972005: 0.9032006: 0.9022007: 0.9052008: 0.9102009: 0.9152010: 0.9212011: 0.9162012: 0.9172013: 0.9312014: 0.9322015: 0.9312016: 0.9342017: 0.9372018: 0.9362019: 0.9412020: 0.9302021: 0.9412022: 0.9462023: 0.946

UNDP Human Development Report, 2025 edition. 34 annual values, none interpolated.

Twenty years here

Year by yearThe world report
Life expectancy at birth
81.4 years2024at birthUp 2.3 years from 79 years in 2005
Internet users
95%2024of people onlineUp 27 points from 69% in 2006
Urban population
83%2025of people in towns and citiesUp 3 points from 81% in 2006
Births per woman
1.552024births per womanDown 0.21 from 1.76 in 2005
Renewable share of energy
12%2021of energy usedUp 11 points from 1% in 2004
Access to electricity
100%2024of people with electricityLevel with 2005
Infant mortality
42024deaths before age one, per 1,000 birthsDown 1 from 5 in 2005
CO2 emissions per person
4.2 t2024of CO2 per person a yearDown 5 t from 9.3 t in 2005
Forest area
13%2023of land under forestUp 1 point from 12% in 2004

World Bank, from the first to the last observed year of each indicator; each has its own window.

Our take

Finance and culture hub with great transit and a strong job market; housing is expensive. The case for living here is high incomes, long lives and wide access to essential health services. The case against is a high cost of living.

About United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is a compact collection of nations, England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, each with a distinct culture, landscape, and temperament, bound together by a shared history of remarkable reach and a language that has become the world's common tongue. The countryside from the Scottish Highlands and the Welsh valleys to the English Lake District and the Cornish coast is genuinely beautiful, and the cities, particularly London, Edinburgh, and Manchester, have a cultural density hard to match. Those who can see past the grey skies and self-deprecating humour will find a culture of great warmth and surprising depth.

Practical facts

  • CapitalLondon
  • LanguagesEnglish
  • CurrencyBritish pound (GBP)
  • Area241,930 km²
  • Plug typeType G
  • Drives on theleft
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Borders

Ireland

Side by side

vs Spainvs Francevs Netherlandsvs Germanyvs Japanvs Cyprusvs Irelandvs Maltavs New Zealandvs South Africavs United Arab Emiratesvs Australiavs United Statesvs Canadavs Singaporevs Chinavs Indiavs PakistanCompare any two countries

Quick answers

What is United Kingdom's Human Development Index?

United Kingdom's Human Development Index is 0.946 for 2023 (UNDP Human Development Report 2025), ranked #13 of 193 by UNDP.

Is United Kingdom safe?

United Kingdom scores 1.73 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #39 of 161 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.

How expensive is United Kingdom?

Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts United Kingdom at 67.8 (New York = 100); that is #124 cheapest of 143 countries with data.

What is life expectancy in United Kingdom?

Life expectancy at birth in United Kingdom is 81.4 yrs (World Bank), ranked #36 of 195 countries.

What is the quality of life in United Kingdom?

Numbeo's quality-of-life index scores United Kingdom at 175.9, ranked #22 of 87 countries with data. It composites purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, commute and pollution from resident surveys, so it reflects what residents report rather than what an economy produces.