The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK or U.K.) or Britain, is a sovereign country located off the northwestern coast of the European mainland. It includes the island of Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. The United Kingdom consists of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The United Kingdom has a highly developed social market economy. In 2026, the United Kingdom is the fifth-largest national economy in the world measured by nominal gross domestic product (GDP), tenth-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP), and about 21st by nominal GDP per capita, constituting 3.38% of world GDP and 2.13% by purchasing power parity (PPP).
The United Kingdom has one of the most globalised economies and comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In 2022, the United Kingdom was the fifth-largest exporter of goods and services in the world and the fourth-largest importer. It also had the fourth-largest outward foreign direct investment, and the fifteenth-largest inward foreign direct investment. In 2022, the United Kingdom's trade with the European Union accounted for 42% of the country's exports and 48% of its total imports. The United Kingdom has a highly efficient and strong social security system, which comprises roughly 24.5% of GDP.
The service sector dominates, contributing 82% of GDP; the financial services industry is particularly important, and London is the second-largest financial centre in the world. Edinburgh was ranked 17th in the world, and 6th in Europe for its financial services industry in 2021. The United Kingdom's technology sector has an enterprise value of US$1.2 trillion, with fintech, health technology, and semiconductors accounting for 48% of the value. The aerospace industry in the United Kingdom is the second-largest national aerospace industry. Its pharmaceutical industry plays an important role in the economy. Of the world's 500 largest companies, 20 are headquartered in the UK, with combined global revenues of US$1.45 trillion. The economy is boosted by North Sea oil and gas production; its proven reserves were estimated at 2.9 billion barrels in 2024, although it has been a net importer of oil since 2005. There are significant regional variations in prosperity, with South East England and North East Scotland being the richest areas per capita. The size of London's economy makes it the biggest city by GDP in Europe. In 2022, the UK spent around 2.8% of GDP on research and development.
In the 18th century, Britain was the first nation to industrialise. During the 19th century, through its expansive colonial empire and technological superiority, Britain had a preeminent role in the global economy, accounting for 9.1% of the world's GDP in 1870. The Second Industrial Revolution was also taking place rapidly in the United States and the German Empire; this presented an increasing economic challenge for the UK, leading into the 20th century. The cost of fighting both the First and Second World Wars further weakened the UK's relative position. During the Great Recession of 2008, the UK economy suffered a significant decline, followed by a period of weak growth and stagnation. Slow growth continued following UK's exit from the EU in 2020, which damaged longer-term growth. The UK economy has also been affected by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
Largest companies This list shows the UK companies in the Fortune Global 500 list for 2025 which ranks firms by total revenues. Only the top five firms are included as a sample.
RankImageName2024 revenues (USD $M)StaffNotes 18 Shell $289m 96,000 British multinational oil, gas, and renewable energy company including exploration, production, refining, transport, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation, trading, biofuels, wind power, energy-kite, and hydrogen power. It was established in 1907, and is headquartered in London, and incorporated in the UK. It was formerly known as Royal Dutch Petroleum Co, and The Shell Transport and Trading Company of the United Kingdom. 33 BP $194m 100,000 British multinational oil, gas, and renewable energy company including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading, biofuels, wind power and solar technology. It was established in 1909, and is headquartered in London. It was formerly known as Anglo-Persian Oil Company, Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, and BP Amaco plc. 56 HSBC Holdings $145m 211,000 British multinational investment bank and financial services holding company. It was first established in 1865 in British Hong Kong, but is now headquartered in London. Former names include The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, and The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. 129 Tesco $89m 229,000 British multinational grocery and general merchandise retailer, petrol retailer, software provider and financial services provider. It was first established in 1919 in Hackney, London, first named Tesco in 1924, and is now headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. 179Lloyds Banking Group $73m 61,000 British financial services company offering banking, life assurance, and pensions. Its headquarters are in London and its registered office is in Edinburgh. It was formed through the acquisition of HBOS by Lloyds TSB in 2009. It was formerly TSB Group Public Limited Company from 1985 to 1995, and Lloyds TSB Group plc from 1995 to 2009.
Notable companies This is a list of companies of the United Kingdom as well as those first established in the United Kingdom that are no longer British owned, and also including defunct UK companies. Only companies with articles in Wikipedia are included.
0—9 104 Filmsis a film production company headquartered in Birmingham. It was founded in 2004 by director Justin Edgar and producer Alex Usborne. 12 Yard Productionswas a television production company mainly producing game shows and light entertainment. Its programmes include: Eggheads, Coach Trip, Perfection and Big Star's Little Star. Headquartered in London; it was founded in 2001 by David Young. The company operated under Hat Trick 12 Yard Productions - a joint venture by Young, the creative team of The Weakest Link and Hat Trick Productions. In 2007, ITV plc acquired 12 Yards for ITV Productions and later it became part of ITV Studios. In 2025, ITV folded 12 Yard and Potato into a new division of ITV Studios named Bright Entertainment. 24sevenwas an energy company supplying electricity, which operated from 2000 to 2003. Its parent companies were London Electricity, and TXU Europe. In 2003 it became part of LE Group. 3 Mills Studiosis a centre for film and TV production. It is located in London. It has its roots in the 1980s founding of Bow Studios, Three Mills Island Studios, and Edwin Shirley Productions. In the mid-1990s, the three studios were merged to become 3 Mills Studios, under the management of Workspace Group. In 2004 the studios were acquired by the London Development Agency (LDA) until 2010 when ownership transferred to the London Legacy Development Corporation. 3D Sparrowis an animation studio company based in the UK. It produces children's animation programmes for Kedoo and is known for the Booba television series. It was founded in 2015 by a group of gaming and advertising executives. 3DD Productionsis a UK based television production company. Together with its international licensing company 3DD Entertainment it forms the 3DD Group. It's programmes include: Classic Movies - The Story of for Sky Arts and Rock Legends. 3i Group plcis a British multinational private equity and venture capital company based in London. It invests in mid-market buyouts, growth capital, and infrastructure. It was founded in 1945 by the Bank of England and the main British banks as the Industrial and Commercial Finance Corporation (ICFC). Its purpose was to provide long-term investment funding for small and medium-sized companies. Later it was renamed as Finance for Industry (FFI) and then Investors in Industry (3i). 3i Group was formed as a public company in 1987 when the banks sold their stocks. 3i Infrastructureis an investment trust company headquartered in Jersey. It was founded in 2007 by 3iGroup who own 29% of the company. 3SixtyMediais a television post-production and media management services company. Headquartered in MediaCityUK, Manchester; it was founded in 2000 as a joint-venture by BBC Resources and Granada to combine their Manchester studios and post-production facilities and technical staff. It was later co-owned by ITV Studios and BBC Studioworks and no longer manages studios. 4imprint Groupis a direct marketing company headquartered in London that produces promotional merchandise. It was founded in 1985 as Nelson Marketing in Logansport, Indiana US. In 1996 it was acquired by Bemrose Corporation and in 2000 its name was changed to 4imprint Group. Most of its business is in the US and Canada. 99p Storeswas a company that operated a discount store chain. It was a family-run business founded in 2001 by Nadir Lalani. Its subsidiary store chain was Family Bargains. In 2015 it was acquired by Poundland who rebranded the stores to Poundland.
A A & C Blackis a book publishing company that was founded in 1807 by Adam Black and Charles Black in Edinburgh. Since 1889 it is headquartered in London and from 2000 it is owned by Bloomsbury Publishing. A.G. Barris a soft drinks manufacturer best known for the drink Irn-Bru. Established in 1875 by Robert Barr in Falkirk, Scotland, it is now headquartered in Cumbernauld, Scotland. Its production sites are in Cumbernauld, Forfar, and Milton Keynes. In 2022 it acquired Boost Drinks. In 2022 its revenue was £268 million, with a net income of £27 million. AAH Pharmaceuticalsis a pharmaceuticals wholesaler. It was formerly an anthracite producer and supplier, and supplier of building materials, transport, warehousing, and environmental services. Established in 1892, its headquarters is in Coventry. It was formerly named Amalgamated Anthracite Collieries. It is owned by Hallo Healthcare Group. Aardman Animationsis a film studio producing animation films and television programmes using stop-motion and clay animation techniques or computer animation. It is known for Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run and Shaun the Sheep. Established in 1972, its headquarters is in Bristol. Abbey Coachworkswas a coachbuilding company based in London that operated between 1930 and 1938. It was also known as Wingham Martin Walter. Abbey Nationalwas a financial services company offering banking, mortgages, and investment that operated from 1944 to 2010. It was initially a building society and later also an estate agent. Its headquarters was in London. Also known as Abbey, it was formed by the merger of the Abbey Road Building Society with the National Building Society. In 2010 it was subsumed into Santander UK. AbbottVisionis a film and TV production company. Established in 2008, its headquarters is in Manchester. ABC Cinemaswas a cinema chain from 1927 to 2017. Abcamis a biotechnology and life sciences company that produces protein research tools. It was established in 1998. Abcodiais a biotechnology company focused on biomarkers for cancer screening. Established in 2010, its headquarters is in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. Abellio ScotRailoperating under the name ScotRail was the national passenger train operating company of Scotland from 2015 to 2022. It was a subsidiary of Abellio. Aberdeen Asia Focusis an investment trust company focused on smaller quoted companies in Asia. It was established in 1995 as Abtrust Asian Smaller Companies Investment Trust. It is managed by Aberdeen Group.