Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Spain instead of United Kingdom, you would:

Health

be 14.4% less likely to be obese

In United Kingdom, 27.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Spain, that number is 23.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 14.2% less money

United Kingdom has a GDP per capita of $54,100 as of 2023, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $46,400 as of 2023.

be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In United Kingdom, 4.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 12.1% as of 2023.

Life

be 70.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In United Kingdom, approximately 10.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

be 35.3% less likely to die during infancy

In United Kingdom, approximately 3.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Spain, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 34.3% fewer children

In United Kingdom, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 16.4% less on education

United Kingdom spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 10.8% less on healthcare

United Kingdom spends 12.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Spain, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 60.1% less coastline

United Kingdom has a total of 12,429 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.

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