Compare Countries
Select up to 4 countries for side-by-side comparison
Introduction
| Field |
Germany |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Background | As Europe's largest economy and second most-populous nation (after Russia), Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating world wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country oc... | <p>The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was created when the Kingdoms of England and Scotland -- which previously had been distinct states under a single monarchy -- were joined under the 1707 Acts of Union. The island of Ireland was incorporated under the 1800 Acts of Union, whi... |
Geography
| Field |
Germany |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark | Western Europe, islands - including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland - between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea; northwest of France |
| Area | 357,022 sq km | 243,610 sq km |
| Climate | temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind | temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast |
| Terrain | lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south | mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast |
| Natural resources | coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land | coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land |
| Elevation | Zugspitze 2,963 m | Ben Nevis 1,345 m |
People and Society
| Field |
Germany |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 84,012,284 (2025 est.) | 68,751,311 (2025 est.) |
| Languages | 1 | English |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 24.8%, Protestant 22.6%, Muslim 3.7%, other 5.1%, none 43.8% (2022 est.) | Christian (includes Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 59.5%, Muslim 4.4%, Hindu 1.3%, other 2%, unspecified 7.2%, none 25.7% (2011 est.) |
| Age structure | 13.8% (male 5,925,800/female 5,688,603) | 16.7% (male 5,872,937/female 5,592,665) |
| Median age | 46.9 years (2025 est.) | 40.9 years (2025 est.) |
| Population growth rate | -0.13% (2025 est.) | 0.4% (2025 est.) |
| Birth rate | 8.87 births/1,000 population (2025 est.) | 10.76 births/1,000 population (2025 est.) |
| Death rate | 11.96 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.) | 9.25 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.9 years (2024 est.) | 82.2 years (2024 est.) |
| Literacy | — | — |
Government
| Field |
Germany |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Government type | federal parliamentary republic | parliamentary constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm |
| Capital | Berlin | London |
| Independence | 18 January 1871 (establishment of the German Empire); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and France) in 1945 after World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed on 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic ... | no official date of independence: 927 (minor English kingdoms unite); 3 March 1284 (enactment of the Statute of Rhuddlan uniting England and Wales); 1536 (Act of Union incorporates England and Wales); 1 May 1707 (Acts of Union unite England, Scotland, and Wales as Great Britain); 1 January 1801 (Act... |
| Constitution | previous 1919 (Weimar Constitution); latest drafted 10-23 August 1948, approved 12 May 1949, promulgated 23 May 1949, entered into force 24 May 1949 | uncoded; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
| Legal system | civil law system | common law system; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998 |
Economy
| Field |
Germany |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | — | — |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | — | — |
| GDP - real growth rate | — | — |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.26% | 3.27% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.71% | 4.75% |
| Industries | <p>iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, automobiles, food and beverages, shipbuilding, textiles</p> | machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, other consumer goods |
| Agriculture - products | — | — |
| Exports | $1.94 trillion | $1.14 trillion |
| Imports | $1.76 trillion | $1.17 trillion |
| Public debt | 63.9% of GDP (2017 est.) | 131 % of GDP |
Communications
| Field |
Germany |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 125 per 100 | 123 per 100 |
| Internet users | 94% (2024 est.) | 96% (2023 est.) |
Military and Security
| Field |
Germany |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 2 % of GDP | 2 % of GDP |
| Military and security forces | Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): German Army (Deutsche Heer), German Navy (Deutsche Marine, includes naval air arm), German Air Force (Deutsche Luftwaffe, includes air defense), Cyber and Information Space (Cyber und Informationsraum) (2025) | United Kingdom Armed Forces (aka British Armed Forces, aka His Majesty's Armed Forces): British Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force (2025) |
Transportation
| Field |
Germany |
United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 840 (2025) | 1,057 (2025) |
| Railways | 39,379 km (2020) 20,942 km electrified | 16,390 km (2020) 6,167 km electrified |
| Roadways | — | — |