United Kingdom vs Finland

Every indicator for United Kingdom and Finland side by side, with the percentage gap between them. Sources are listed at the bottom of the page.

Indicator comparison
IndicatorUnited KingdomFinlandDifference
Population (2025) (people)69,487,0005,646,436+1,130.6%
GDP (nominal) (billion $)4,003317+1,162.8%
GDP per capita ($)57,60256,149+2.6%
Life expectancy (years)81.482.3—
Area (km²)243,610338,480−28.0%
Population density (people/km²)28517+1,609.9%
Median age (years)40.643.4—
Internet usage (%)95.593.7—
Unemployment rate (%)4.79.5—
Inflation (%)3.90.3—
Urban population (%)83.374.5—
Military expenditure (2024) (million $)81,7636,988+1,070.0%
Military expenditure as a share of GDP (%)2.282.30−0.9%
Military expenditure as a share of government spending (%)5.254.05+29.6%
Military expenditure per capita ($)1,1771,238−4.9%
Armed forces personnel (2020) (people)153,00022,000+595.5%
Armed forces per 1,000 people (people)2.23.9−43.5%
Armed forces as a share of the labor force (%)0.450.80−43.8%

The difference column shows the percentage gap of United Kingdom relative to Finland; a positive value favors United Kingdom. Interpret it in context — for unemployment, a lower value is better.

At a glance

United Kingdom is higher on 7 of the 12 indicators, while Finland leads on the remaining 5. The widest separation is in population density, about 17 times; they are closest on military expenditure as a share of gdp.

Key differences

  • Population density shows the widest gap of all: United Kingdom stands at 285 against Finland's 17 — roughly 17 times as much.
  • GDP (nominal) shows the widest gap of all: United Kingdom stands at 4,003 against Finland's 317 — roughly 13 times as much.
  • Population (2025) shows the widest gap of all: United Kingdom stands at 69,487,000 against Finland's 5,646,436 — roughly 12 times as much.
  • Military expenditure (2024) shows the widest gap of all: United Kingdom stands at 81,763 against Finland's 6,988 — roughly 12 times as much.
  • United Kingdom's armed forces personnel (2020) (153,000) is about 7.0 times Finland's (22,000).

Frequently asked questions

Where do United Kingdom and Finland differ most?
In population density. United Kingdom records 285 against Finland's 17 — a ratio of roughly 17 to one.
Where are United Kingdom and Finland most alike?
In military expenditure as a share of gdp, at 2.30 and 2.28 — a gap of only %0.9.
On how many indicators is United Kingdom ahead of Finland?
United Kingdom is higher on 7 of the 12 ratio-scale indicators and Finland on 5. A higher number is not automatically better, though — population density, for instance, is a characteristic rather than an advantage.
United Kingdom and Finland — core indicators
020 M40 M60 M80 MPopulation (2025)GDP (nominal)GDP per capitaAreaPopulation (2025) — United Kingdom: 69,487,000GDP (nominal) — United Kingdom: 4,003GDP per capita — United Kingdom: 57,602Area — United Kingdom: 243,610Population (2025) — Finland: 5,646,436GDP (nominal) — Finland: 317GDP per capita — Finland: 56,149Area — Finland: 338,480
United KingdomFinland

The indicators use different scales, so the chart is a rough visual comparison only; use the table for exact figures.

Other comparisons involving United Kingdom or Finland.

Data sourcesUN World Population Prospects, IMF, World Bank, SIPRI