EUR
…
GBP
…
Land Area
Spain
505,992 km²
Largest
United Kingdom
243,610 km²
48.1% of largest
Spain is 2.08× larger than United Kingdom
Population
United Kingdom
LARGEST
69.49M
PEOPLE
Spain
71.0% OF LARGEST
49.36M
PEOPLE
United Kingdom has 1.41× the population of Spain
GDP
United Kingdom
LARGEST
$4.0T
Spain
47.6% OF LARGEST
$1.91T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
United Kingdom
LARGEST
153.29K
TROOPS
Spain
78.5% OF LARGEST
120.35K
TROOPS
United Kingdom has 1.27× the active personnel of Spain
Air Force
United Kingdom
LARGEST
733
AIRCRAFT
Spain
71.2% OF LARGEST
522
AIRCRAFT
United Kingdom has 1.40× the aircraft of Spain
Naval Assets
United Kingdom
Spain
Wealth
Gold Reserves
United Kingdom
LARGEST
310.3
Metric Tonnes
Spain
90.8% OF LARGEST
281.6
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
United Kingdom
LARGEST
$149B
Reserves · excl. gold
Spain
56.4% OF LARGEST
$84B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
United Kingdom
MOST
165
billionaires
Spain
18% OF MOST
29
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
United Kingdom
LARGEST
2.5
Billion barrels
Spain
6.0% OF LARGEST
0.2
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
Spain
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.0M b/d
Consumption
1.3M b/d
−1.3M b/d net
United Kingdom
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.8M b/d
Consumption
1.5M b/d
−0.8M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
Spain
$639.5B
Exports
$639.5B
Imports
$567.7B
Trade Balance
+$71.8B
Trade Surplus
United Kingdom
$1,142.1B
Exports
$1,142.1B
Imports
$1,174.2B
Trade Balance
$-32.1B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Spain
consumption
United Kingdom
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
United Kingdom
consumption
Spain
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
Spain
consumption
United Kingdom
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
Spain
consumption
United Kingdom
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Spain
consumption
United Kingdom
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
Spain
United Kingdom
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
United Kingdom
320
Gold
348
Silver
362
Bronze
1,030
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 991
❄ Winter: 39
Spain
55
Gold
77
Silver
63
Bronze
195
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 187
❄ Winter: 8
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Spain
United Kingdom
Age Demographics
Median Age
Spain
44.9
YEARS
10
30
50
70
United Kingdom
40.6
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
Spain is 4.3 years older (median) than United Kingdom
Youth Population
United Kingdom has the highest youth population at 35.7% (under 30)
Elderly Population
Spain has the highest elderly population at 29.5% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Spain
|
United Kingdom
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
190
|
188
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
85.2M
|
37.0M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
137
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
16
|
10
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
50
|
34
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
Spain
|
United Kingdom
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index | N/A |
|
| Rent Index | N/A |
|
| Groceries Index | N/A |
|
| Restaurant Price Index | N/A |
|
| Local Purchasing Power | N/A |
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | N/A | $15 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | N/A | $65 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | N/A | $1,500 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | N/A | $1,100 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | N/A | $190 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | N/A | $35 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | N/A | $85 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
United Kingdom
Spain
Physicians per 1,000
Spain
United Kingdom
Hospital beds per 1,000
Spain
United Kingdom
Diabetes prevalence
Spain
United Kingdom
Obesity prevalence
United Kingdom
Spain
Suicide rate per 100k
United Kingdom
Spain
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for Spain vs United Kingdom — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | Spain | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 49355143 | 69487000 |
| Area (sq km) | 505992 | 243610 |
| Capital | Madrid | London |
| Official Language | Spanish | English |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Pound Sterling (GBP) |
| Government Type | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Military Strength
| Metric | Spain | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 120,350 | 153,290 |
| Reserve Personnel | 15,150 | 81,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 135,500 | 234,790 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $14,900,000,000 | $68,400,000,000 |
| Tanks | 327 | 227 |
| Armored Vehicles | 2,040 | 5,015 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 96 | 89 |
| Towed Artillery | 56 | 126 |
| Rocket Projectors | 0 | 44 |
Economy
| Metric | Spain | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $1,906,453,309,986 | $4,002,587,541,846 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $38,627 | $57,602 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 10.4% | 4.7% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 33.4 | 32.4 |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Pound Sterling (GBP) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
Spain is 2.1 times larger in area than United Kingdom.
United Kingdom has 1.4 times more people than Spain.
United Kingdom has the highest GDP per capita at $57,602 among the selected countries.
United Kingdom has the largest economy with a GDP of
$4.0 trillion.
United Kingdom has the largest active military personnel with 153,290 troops.
United Kingdom has the largest air force with 733 aircraft.
United Kingdom has the largest navy with 76 vessels.
UK Fact: The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world, opening in 1863.
Spain vs United Kingdom: Key Comparisons
Economy: United Kingdom's GDP of $4.0T is 2.1x larger than Spain's $1.9T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: United Kingdom's population of 69M is 1.4x larger than Spain's 49M.
Area: Spain covers 505,992 km², making it 2.1x larger than United Kingdom.
Military: United Kingdom fields 150Thousand active troops vs Spain's 120Thousand.
Trade: Spain runs a trade surplus of $72B while United Kingdom has a trade deficit of $32B.
Life Expectancy: Spain leads with a life expectancy of 84 years vs United Kingdom's 81.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology