Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of Spain, you would:
Health
see 33.9% more spent on your healthcare
Spain spends $4,935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Kingdom spends $6,606 as of 2024.
live 2.5 years less
In Spain, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
be 78.8% more likely to be obese
In Spain, 15.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 27.4% of people as of 2024.
have 23.1% fewer doctors per person
Spain has 42.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Kingdom has 33.0 as of 2023.
Economy
be 54.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Spain, 10.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Kingdom, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.
make 49.1% more money
Spain has a GDP per capita of $38,627 as of 2025, while in United Kingdom, the GDP per capita is $57,602 as of 2025.
Life
have 52.2% more children
In Spain, there are approximately 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Kingdom, there are 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Spain, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In United Kingdom, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 57.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Spain, approximately 2.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In United Kingdom, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.8% more on education
Spain spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United Kingdom spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 20.7% more on healthcare
Spain spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Kingdom, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.5 times more coastline
Spain has a total of 4,964 km of coastline. In United Kingdom, that number is 12,429 km.
Safety
be 31.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Spain, road accidents kill 3.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Kingdom, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 62.3% more likely to be murdered
Spain has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Kingdom, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 66.8% less strain on fresh water
Spain withdraws 43% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Kingdom withdraws 14% as of 2022.
use 19.3% less electricity
Spain uses 5,196 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. United Kingdom uses 4,195 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 30.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Spain, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Kingdom, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Spain vs. United Kingdom
United Kingdom: At a glance
How big is United Kingdom compared to Spain? See an in-depth size comparison.