# Canada and United Kingdom compared

Canada and United Kingdom side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 10 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/can-vs-gbr
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Canada: 1867 — The Dominion of Canada is formed
- United Kingdom: 12 July 927 — The monarchs of Britain recognise Æthelstan as king of the English

## Economy

| Metric | Canada | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $2.24 T | 2024 | $3.69 T | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $54,340 | 2024 | $53,246 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 1.6% | 2024 | 1.1% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 2.4% | 2024 | 3.3% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 65.1% | 2024 | 62.8% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Canada | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 41 m | 2024 | 69 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 82.1 yrs | 2024 | 81.4 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 82.7% | 2024 | 83.2% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 1.3 | 2024 | 1.6 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Canada | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 83.2 | 2024 | 79.6 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 76.1 | 2024 | 70.3 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 85.5 | 2024 | 74.4 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 76.3 | 2024 | 78.7 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 82.1 | 2024 | 78.8 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 80.9 | 2024 | 78.4 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Canada | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 11.3% | 2024 | 11.1% | 2024 |
| Physicians | 2.82 | 2023 | 3.30 | 2023 |
| Under-5 mortality | 5.4 | 2024 | 4.7 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 92.0% | 2024 | 89.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 96.9% | 2024 | 99.8% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Canada | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education spending | 4.8% | 2022 | 5.9% | 2021 |
| Primary enrolment | 95.0% | 2023 | 102.2% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 104.3% | 2023 | 112.1% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 76.3% | 2023 | 80.4% | 2023 |

## Technology

| Metric | Canada | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 1.8% | 2024 | 2.7% | 2023 |
| Researchers (per million) | 5,624 | 2022 | 4,473 | 2017 |
| Internet users | 94.4% | 2024 | 95.5% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 94 | 2024 | 122 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 16.8% | 2024 | 29.2% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Canada | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 8,788,700 km² | 2023 | 241,930 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 39.5% | 2023 | 13.3% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 6.5% | 2023 | 70.3% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 14.0 | 2024 | 4.2 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 23.8% | 2021 | 12.2% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Canada | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 4.9% | 2021 | 0.6% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 2.8% | 2021 | 0.4% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 1.2% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.1% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |
| Copper (mined) | 500 kt | 2025 | — | — |
| Iron ore | 69 Mt | 2025 | — | — |
| Gold (mined) | 200 t | 2025 | — | — |
| Lithium (mined) | 5,600 t | 2025 | — | — |
| Cobalt (mined) | 3,500 t | 2025 | — | — |
| Nickel (mined) | 140 kt | 2025 | — | — |

## Military

| Metric | Canada | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 1.3% | 2024 | 2.3% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $29 B | 2024 | $82 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 72,000 | 2020 | 153,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/CAN.md and https://terralore.co/country/GBR.md.

## Entangled histories (10 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1497: **John Cabot reaches the Atlantic coast** — Sailing for England, John Cabot reached the coast of present-day Atlantic Canada in 1497, beginning the sustained European interest in the region's fisheries and lands that would follow. (from the Canada chronicle; sources: Canada; First Nations and Indigenous peoples in Canada)
- 13 September 1759: **Battle of the Plains of Abraham** — British forces defeated the French outside Quebec City in the decisive Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the turning point of the Seven Years' War in North America that led to the fall of New France. (from the Canada chronicle; sources: Canada; Quebec Act, 1774)
- 1763: **Treaty of Paris cedes New France to Britain** — The Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years' War, with France ceding its North American mainland territories to Britain and bringing the French Catholic population of Canada under British rule. (from the Canada chronicle; sources: British North America Act; Quebec Act, 1774)
- 1791: **Constitutional Act divides the Canadas** — The Constitutional Act split Quebec into Upper Canada and Lower Canada, creating separate English- and French-majority colonies each with an elected assembly. (from the Canada chronicle; sources: Canada)
- 1 July 1867: **Confederation — the Dominion of Canada** — The British North America Act united Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into the self-governing Dominion of Canada, with Sir John A. Macdonald as first prime minister. (from the Canada chronicle; sources: British North America Act; Confederation; British North America Act, 1867)
- 1885: **North-West Resistance and the execution of Riel** — Métis and First Nations grievances on the prairies erupted in the North-West Resistance; its defeat and the hanging of Louis Riel deepened the divide between French and English Canada. (from the Canada chronicle; sources: Canada)
- 1914–1918: **Canada in the First World War** — Canada fought in the First World War as part of the British Empire but as a distinct national force; the costly victory at Vimy Ridge in 1917 became a symbol of emerging nationhood. (from the Canada chronicle; sources: The Battle of Vimy Ridge; Canada)
- 1917: **Conscription Crisis** — The imposition of compulsory military service deeply divided English and French Canada, becoming one of the most divisive episodes in Canadian political history. (from the Canada chronicle; sources: Canada)
- 1931: **Statute of Westminster** — The Statute of Westminster granted Canada legislative independence from the British Parliament, a landmark in its evolution toward full sovereignty. (from the Canada chronicle; sources: Statute of Westminster, 1931; Canada)
- 17 April 1982: **Patriation of the Constitution** — The Constitution Act, 1982, patriated Canada's constitution, entrenched the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, recognised Aboriginal rights, and ended the need for British legislation — completing Canada's path to full sovereignty. (from the Canada chronicle; sources: Constitution Act, 1982; Canada)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/CAN/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/GBR/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Canada and United Kingdom compared", terralore.co/compare/can-vs-gbr, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.