# Spain and United Kingdom compared Spain and United Kingdom side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 2 events their chronicles record of each other. Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/esp-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 - Spain: 1492 — The Granada War ends and the Catholic Monarchs' realms span the peninsula - United Kingdom: 12 July 927 — The monarchs of Britain recognise Æthelstan as king of the English ## Economy | Metric | Spain | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | GDP | $1.73 T | 2024 | $3.69 T | 2024 | | GDP per capita | $35,327 | 2024 | $53,246 | 2024 | | GDP growth | 3.5% | 2024 | 1.1% | 2024 | | Inflation | 2.8% | 2024 | 3.3% | 2024 | | Trade openness | 70.0% | 2024 | 62.8% | 2024 | ## Society | Metric | Spain | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population | 49 m | 2024 | 69 m | 2024 | | Life expectancy | 83.9 yrs | 2024 | 81.4 yrs | 2024 | | Urban population | 80.3% | 2024 | 83.2% | 2024 | | Fertility rate | 1.1 | 2024 | 1.6 | 2024 | ## Governance | Metric | Spain | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Voice & accountability | 76.9 | 2024 | 79.6 | 2024 | | Political stability | 65.8 | 2024 | 70.3 | 2024 | | Government effectiveness | 72.9 | 2024 | 74.4 | 2024 | | Regulatory quality | 64.7 | 2024 | 78.7 | 2024 | | Rule of law | 73.0 | 2024 | 78.8 | 2024 | | Control of corruption | 62.3 | 2024 | 78.4 | 2024 | ## Health | Metric | Spain | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Health spending | 9.2% | 2023 | 11.1% | 2024 | | Physicians | 4.29 | 2022 | 3.30 | 2023 | | Under-5 mortality | 3.2 | 2024 | 4.7 | 2024 | | Measles immunisation | 97.0% | 2024 | 89.0% | 2024 | | Safe drinking water | 99.5% | 2024 | 99.8% | 2024 | ## Education | Metric | Spain | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Adult literacy | 99.7% | 2021 | — | — | | Education spending | 4.6% | 2022 | 5.9% | 2021 | | Primary enrolment | 102.9% | 2024 | 102.2% | 2023 | | Secondary enrolment | 118.5% | 2024 | 112.1% | 2023 | | Tertiary enrolment | 93.8% | 2024 | 80.4% | 2023 | ## Technology | Metric | Spain | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | R&D spending | 1.5% | 2023 | 2.7% | 2023 | | Researchers (per million) | 3,654 | 2023 | 4,473 | 2017 | | Internet users | 95.8% | 2024 | 95.5% | 2024 | | Mobile subscriptions | 130 | 2024 | 122 | 2024 | | High-tech exports | 9.3% | 2024 | 29.2% | 2024 | ## Geography | Metric | Spain | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Land area | 499,697 km² | 2023 | 241,930 km² | 2023 | | Forest area | 37.2% | 2023 | 13.3% | 2023 | | Agricultural land | 49.6% | 2023 | 70.3% | 2023 | | CO₂ per capita (t) | 4.5 | 2024 | 4.2 | 2024 | | Renewable energy | 19.0% | 2021 | 12.2% | 2021 | ## Resources | Metric | Spain | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Resource rents | 0.1% | 2021 | 0.6% | 2021 | | Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.4% | 2021 | | Mineral rents | 0.1% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 | | Forest rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 | | Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 | ## Military | Metric | Spain | Observed | United Kingdom | Observed | |---|---|---|---|---| | Military burden | 1.4% | 2024 | 2.3% | 2024 | | Defense spending | $25 B | 2024 | $82 B | 2024 | | Armed forces | 199,000 | 2020 | 153,000 | 2020 | Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/ESP.md and https://terralore.co/country/GBR.md. ## Entangled histories (2 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. - 1588: **Defeat of the Spanish Armada** — England repelled the Spanish Armada sent by Philip II, a decisive check to Spanish ambitions that bolstered English naval confidence and national identity. (from the United Kingdom chronicle; sources: Spanish Armada) - 1814: **End of the Peninsular War** — Allied Spanish, British and Portuguese forces expelled the French and restored Spanish independence, but the returning Ferdinand VII reimposed absolute monarchy and revoked the 1812 constitution. (from the Spain chronicle; sources: Spain) ## 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 - 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/ESP/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/GBR/chronicle.md. Citation template: Terralore, "Spain and United Kingdom compared", terralore.co/compare/esp-vs-gbr, retrieved .