Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Spain instead of United Kingdom, you would:
Health
live 2.5 years longer
In United Kingdom, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 44.1% less likely to be obese
In United Kingdom, 27.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.
have 30.1% more doctors per person
United Kingdom has 33.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Spain has 42.9 as of 2022.
see 25.3% less spent on your healthcare
United Kingdom spends $6,606 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Spain spends $4,935 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In United Kingdom, 4.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.
make 32.9% less money
United Kingdom has a GDP per capita of $57,602 as of 2025, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.
Life
be 62.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In United Kingdom, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 36.6% less likely to die during infancy
In United Kingdom, approximately 4.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Spain, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2024.
have 34.3% fewer children
In United Kingdom, there are approximately 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.3% less on education
United Kingdom spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 17.2% less on healthcare
United Kingdom spends 11.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.
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.
Safety
be 38.4% less likely to be murdered
United Kingdom has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Spain, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 45.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In United Kingdom, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Spain, they kill 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 23.9% more electricity
United Kingdom uses 4,195 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Spain uses 5,196 kWh as of 2024.
live with 3.0 times more strain on fresh water
United Kingdom withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.
Environment
be 23.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In United Kingdom, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Spain, it causes 10.0 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: United Kingdom vs. Spain
Spain: At a glance
How big is Spain compared to United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.