Economy and foreign trade of Great Britain. The main features of the British economy. UK economic indicators UK economic problems

Occupied one-fourth of the land. As a result of the redistribution of the world during the two world wars, she lost a significant part of her colonial territories. However, already in the second half of the 20th century, the UK GDP again made the country one of the most developed. The United Kingdom has been a founding member of many modern international organizations. From 1973 to 2016, the UK was an active member of the European Union.

The United Kingdom plays a significant role in the world economy. It produces about 3% of the global gross domestic product at purchasing power parity. Its share in world exports is 4.6%, imports - 5.1%. The average salary in the country is about 4 thousand US dollars.

Economy Overview

The UK is a leading trading power and financial center. Its economy ranks third in Europe after Germany and France. Great Britain in 2015 amounted to 2.849 trillion US dollars. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized and efficient by European standards. With only 2% of the labor force employed, this sector satisfies 60% of the country's food needs. The population of Great Britain is over 64 million people. The country has deposits of coal, natural gas and oil. However, these reserves are rapidly depleted.

Since 2005, the UK has been a net importer of energy resources. The service sector has become the key to the growth of the state. The importance of industry is gradually decreasing. To date, this area is responsible for only 20% of UK GDP. Fewer young people want to work in this industry. The future of the UK economy is most likely linked to the service sector, namely its financial segment.

Economic crisis and exit from the EU

The recession in 2008 hit the UK economy hard. This is due to the importance of the financial sector for the country. Falling house prices, high consumer debt and a global economic recession have added to the country's domestic problems. This made us think about measures to stimulate and stabilize financial markets.

In 2010, the new government, in which the majority were conservatives, was headed by Cameron. A program was developed to combat the state budget deficit and high levels of debt. However, it did not bring significant results. As of mid-2015, the budget deficit was 5.1% of UK GDP. This is one of the highest rates among the G7 countries. In 2012, the low level of consumer spending and investment negatively affected the economy, but the gross domestic product grew by 1.7% in 2013 and by 2.8% in 2014. This was due to the recovery in housing prices and rising consumer spending.

Since the beginning of 2015, the Bank of England began to gradually raise interest rates against the backdrop of growth in gross domestic product, which, due to the state of the economy, were record low. Nevertheless, due to frustration with the Brussels bureaucracy and the flow of migrants, British citizens on June 23, 2016 voted to leave the EU. The direct separation of the country's economy from the European Union may take years, but this event may become a trigger for similar referendums in other countries. How this will affect the economy of the UK and the European Union itself is still in question.

Main characteristics

The main indicators of the state economy are as follows:

• The population of Great Britain is 64066222 people.
• Of these, 15% live below the poverty line.
• Nominal GDP - 2.849 trillion US dollars (5th place in the world), in terms of purchasing power parity - 2.679 (9th).
• Economic growth - 2.1% in 2016.
• Nominal GDP per capita - 43,770 US dollars (13th place in the world), in terms of purchasing power parity - 41,158 (27th).
• The unemployment rate is 4.9%.

UK GDP by years

In 2015, it amounted to 2848.76 billion US dollars. This is 4.59% of the global figure. The highest GDP growth in the UK was in the early 1970s. could increase by 6.5% per year. In the early 1990s, economic growth reached 4% per year. Between 1992 and 2007, GDP increased by an average of 2.68%. The average for 1960-2015 was $1,081.01 billion. The record low value was recorded in 1960, the highest - in 2014.

The UK stands out as the fastest growing economy among the G7 countries over the past four years. It has the lowest unemployment and inflation rates. The state of its economy now looks like one of the most stable in the European Union. However, after the announcement of the results of the referendum on leaving the EU, the pound sterling fell to record lows. The future will show whether the decision to withdraw from the European Union will strengthen or, on the contrary, negatively affect the economy.

UK GDP Structure

Agriculture provides less than 1% of GDP. It is intense and highly mechanized. This sector employs 1.5% of the United Kingdom. About two-thirds of agriculture comes from animal husbandry. It is subsidized by the European Union program. Fishing is also of great importance. Industry employs 18.8% of the labor force. Today, this industry is gradually losing its importance.

UK industry provides 21% of GDP. The most important sector is the service sector. It employs the majority of the working-age population. It gives 78.4% of GDP. The most important industry is financial services. That is why the UK suffered such large losses during the recent global economic crisis. London is an important financial center. In second place is the aerospace industry. On the third - the pharmaceutical industry of Great Britain.

Regional cut

London is the city with the largest GDP in Europe. In the United Kingdom, there are significant differences between regions in terms of economic development. The richest in terms of GDP per capita is the south-east of England and Scotland. Wales is considered the poorest region. Two of the ten richest areas in the European Union are in the UK. First up is London. The per capita GDP of this city is 65,138 euros.

In seventh place are Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. GDP per capita here is 37,379 euros. Edinburgh, like London, is one of the largest financial centers in Europe. By contrast, Cornwall has the lowest gross value added per capita. The region has received additional funding from the EU since 2000.

International organizations

One of the most active from 1973 to 2016 was the UK. The country's economy is tied to this association. However, in June 2016, the people of Great Britain voted in a general referendum to leave the EU. The process of resigning from membership can take several years. The UK is also a member of the UN, the IMF, the OECD, the World Bank, the WTO, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Foreign economic sector

The volume of exports in 2015 amounted to 442 billion US dollars. This is the eleventh place in the world. The main export partners of the UK are the following countries: the United States of America, Germany, Switzerland, China, France, the Netherlands, Ireland.

The volume of imports as of 2015 is 617 billion US dollars. According to this indicator, the UK is in sixth place. The main import partners are Germany, China, the United States of America, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium. The main export items of the country are mechanical engineering, transport, chemicals. The UK carries out about 10% of the world's exports of financial services.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland covers an area of ​​244 thousand square meters. km, population - 59 million people. Most of the inhabitants - 4/5 - live in cities.

The peculiarity of the British economy and its position in the world economy reflects the peculiarities of the country's development in the past century. Attention is drawn to the discrepancy between the seriously undermined positions of the country in industrial production, international trade and the monetary sphere, on the one hand, and the weakening, but still very strong positions in the export of capital, as well as the continuing role of London as one of the leading financial and commodity- exchange centers.

In the global economy, the UK ranks fifth. It accounts for 4.2% of total GDP and 1% of the world's population, and per capita accounts for almost $22,000 of GDP. In terms of industrial production, the UK is in fifth place among developed economies, in terms of foreign investment it is in second place in the world. It still remains one of the largest powers, has a serious influence on the development of international economic and political relations.

Features of economic development. The main distinguishing feature of the country's macroeconomic development is that it does not develop on the basis of the principles of the social market economy like Germany or France, but uses the neoliberal, Anglo-Saxon model of development. It is characterized by the predominance of free private enterprise. The share of the private sector in the country's total output exceeds 80%. The private sector provides over 75% of all employment in the country. The policy of the British government provides the most favorable conditions for the development of entrepreneurship.

Sectoral structure of the economy. The structure of the UK economy is as follows: agriculture, forestry and fishing - 1.8% of GDP and 2.1% of the total labor force; industry and construction - 31.4% of GDP and 26.4% of employees; the service sector - 66.8% of GDP and 71.5% of the employed (see Table 8). In the latter indicator, the UK surpasses most European countries and is approaching the US. The sectors of financial, insurance, telecommunications and business services demonstrate the greatest dynamism.

The role of the manufacturing industry has decreased. Major shifts are taking place in the manufacturing industry itself. The role of new science-intensive industries is growing: chemical (primarily low-tonnage chemistry), electrical engineering, electronics, aerospace, instrumentation, and production of equipment for offshore oil production. In terms of the development of biotechnology, Britain is second only to the United States.

Table 8
Key economic indicators, growth rates
(% to the previous year)

The British economy is highly internationalized. Over 15% of its GDP is sold abroad, and the import quota exceeds 20%. The country's economy is characterized by intra-industry specialization with a wide development of detailed and complex technological specialization. Although there are no sharp regional contrasts in the level of development in the country, 10 economic regions are distinguished in it according to the degree of development of productive forces and industrial specialization, the features of the formation of the economy, the predominance of the existing territorial and production relations: South-East (metropolitan), West Midland, East Midland, Lancashire, Yorkshire, North East, North West, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland.

Industry. Characteristic of the post-war development of the British economy was the increase in the share of mechanical engineering in the sectoral structure of industry, the rapid development of its new and latest industries. The production of electrical equipment, computers is growing, instrumentation, aviation and aerospace industries are actively developing (it is the third largest in the world after the USA and France; it produces civil and military aircraft - British Aerospace, Harrier, Tornado, Eurofighter, C-King and Lynx helicopters) , Rolls-Royce aircraft engines and equipment for the European concern Airbus Industry). The share of knowledge-intensive industries is growing. The automotive industry is represented by national and foreign companies (Rover, Ford, including Jaguar, Vauxhall, Peugeout-Talbot, Honda, Nissan, Toyota). At the same time, there is a decrease in the share of old industries - shipbuilding and machine tool building, production of railway equipment, etc.

The chemical industry provides 11% of the total production. The most rapidly growing production of plastics, petrochemistry, synthetic materials. In terms of drug production, the UK ranks fourth in the world (Glaxo Wellcome, Smithkline Beecham, Zeneca).

There have been changes in the energy sector. Its development was strongly influenced by the discovery of its own oil and gas fields in the North Sea. The UK has one of the highest rates for industrialized countries in terms of energy production (12%). However, oil production in the North Sea is more expensive than in most other countries, and nuclear power has a rather modest place in the UK, producing only 20% of all electricity. In the energy sector, private companies such as British Petroleum, Royal Dutch/Shell, British Gas, British Oil, Enterprise Oil are gaining more and more influence.

The development of the oil, gas industry and nuclear energy led to a drop in the growth rate of the coal industry, despite its nationalization and reconstruction.

The development of modern UK industry is determined by high technology. Great Britain is one of the leading countries in the world scientific and technical progress, and in Europe the Great Britain has the greatest scientific and technical potential. Great Britain is the second country in the world after the USA in terms of the number of Nobel Prizes received by its scientists (over 70).

Lately Agriculture The UK has reduced its position in the production of GDP, but nevertheless it satisfies most of the country's food needs, is characterized by high productivity and intensity. At the same time, only Germany has a smaller share of agricultural production in GDP among developed countries. Great Britain is a classical land of agricultural capitalism. Its agrarian relations are characterized by the presence of three classes: hired agricultural workers, capitalists (farmers) and landowners (landlords). A significant part of the land is owned by landlords, who themselves do not engage in agricultural production, but lease the land.

One of the features of the development of agriculture in Great Britain is the growth in the concentration of agricultural capital, the increased penetration of monopolies into this industry, the merging of agricultural and industrial capital through vertical integration, which is accompanied by the emergence of large companies producing certain types of agricultural products. This is especially noticeable in the poultry industry. Grain farming is highly efficient: the average wheat yield is 60-74 q/ha.

The growth of agricultural production averages 3% per year. This is the largest increase among advanced economies. The level of mechanization in this sector of the UK economy is also high. However, extensive mechanization is available mainly to large farmers, who thus achieve a reduction in production costs, primarily by saving on labor.

Structural changes in the UK economy are associated with an increase in the importance of the non-manufacturing sector. Services sector gives 65% of GDP, it employs 71% of the workforce. Here it is worth highlighting tourism and finance, which create 25% of the UK's GDP. The financial sector employs about 4 million people (12% of the country's labor force). The leading role is played by banking, insurance, the market of derivative financial instruments (futures, options, global depositary receipts), the bond market (Eurobonds), the foreign exchange market (operations with Eurocurrencies), financial leasing, trust operations with foreign assets, operations with precious metals. The largest companies here are HSBS Holdings, Lloyds TSB Group, Barklays.

The leading world financial center is London, which has the most developed financial structure with the participation of not so much national as international capital. As the world's largest national financial center, London has been known since the era of the formation of capitalism and the beginning of colonial conquests. But as an actual international market, it developed only from the second decade of the 20th century, establishing itself in this role only at the end of the 1950s. Moreover, if it traditionally acted as a national financial center as a universal center with equally well-developed markets for short-term loans and long-term loans, a powerful exchange, a well-established insurance and freight business, etc., then it is distinguished as a global financial center mainly four markets: gold, currencies, short-term and medium-term credit, insurance. In addition to London, the major financial centers of the country are Manchester, Cardiff, Liverpool, Edinburgh. Britain's refusal from the processes of European monetary integration in the near future may lead to the loss of London's position in favor of Frankfurt.

Among English commercial banks, for many years the leading role was played by the mighty “Big Five” of London banks: Barclays Bank, Lloyds Bank, Midland Bank, National Bank, Westminster Bank. In 1968, there were mergers within the "big five" - ​​the last two banks merged, which led to an even greater concentration of the country's banking power. Now the Big Four account for 92% of all deposits in UK commercial banks.

Tourism employs about 7% of the working population, and the annual income exceeds 8 billion dollars. London is one of the largest tourist centers in the world.

The UK has a developed transport infrastructure. The opening of the Eurotunnel under the English Channel made the connection between insular Britain and continental Europe even more stable.

Foreign economic relations. The place of Great Britain in the international division of labor has changed even in comparison with the middle of the century. Changes in the structure of the economy were accompanied by significant shifts in the structure of foreign economic relations. The predominant form of the country's participation in world trade is the sale on the foreign market and the import of manufactured products. In connection with the increase in the export of North Sea oil, the share of finished products and semi-finished products in commodity exports decreased in the 1970s and early 1980s, but by 1999 it reached 86%. In the same year, machinery and vehicles accounted for 48% of exports. The importance of products from the aerospace, chemical and electronic industries is growing in it, and at the same time, the share of textile goods is decreasing.

The involvement in the international circulation of electronic computers is very high, about 90% of the industry's products are exported abroad. More than 70% of the products of the chemical industry, more than half of the instrument-making products are exported. Among the branches of general engineering with a very high export orientation are tractor building, the production of textile and mining equipment. Great Britain occupies one of the first places in the world in terms of arms exports.

Shifts in the commodity structure of foreign trade were accompanied by changes in its geographical direction. By the end of the century, in 1999, 85% of exports and 82% of imports came from developed countries. In recent decades, there has been a "Europeanization" of the UK's foreign trade relations - a process that has especially intensified after its entry into the EU. In 1999, the share of Western Europe in British exports reached 63%, including the EU - almost 59%. The share of this region in imports was 54%.

Britain's foreign economic relations have a vast "economic periphery" abroad. Unlike other major European countries, the involvement of the UK in international production is much higher than in world trade: the share of British TNCs (in 2000, 146 of the 5,000 largest European firms by market capitalization) in foreign direct investment is about 2.5 times higher country's share in world trade.

UK territory

State in the British Isles with a total area of ​​244.7 thousand square meters. km. Consists of four historical and geographical areas: England, Wales(conquered in 1264), Scotland(joined in 1707), Northern Ireland. 15 dependent territories with a population of less than 200 thousand people remain under British control, mostly small islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

UK population

61.4 million people (2008), its growth rate in 2004-2008 were 0.6%. Life expectancy is high - 79.01 years (men - 76.52 years, women - 81.63 years) (as of June 2009). Outward migration is positive, as inflow exceeds outflow. Most of the population is English (80%), Scots - 15%, the rest - Irish, Welsh (Welsh).

Government of Great Britain

Parliamentary monarchy. The country does not have a constitution in the form of a basic law, but the laws that the parliament passes have constitutional significance. The head of state is the monarch. In practice, all prerogatives are exercised by the Cabinet of Ministers.

Parliament consists of the House of Lords (life and hereditary Lords - 618 people) and the House of Commons (an elected body of 659 deputies). The executive body is the government. It is formed by the leader of the party that won the most seats in the elections in the House of Commons. The government is made up of cabinet members and non-cabinet ministers.

Administrative-territorial division of Great Britain

The country is divided into 47 counties (7 municipal counties, 26 districts, 9 districts and 3 island territories). Capital London. Other major cities: Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow.

Volume, economic growth rates and other UK statistics

UK Fiscal Sphere

Deficient.

Revenues in 2008 amounted to $1.107 trillion, expenses in the same year - $1.242 trillion.

- 47.2% of GDP.

Taxes in the UK in the 80s were significantly reduced, especially income taxes. Corporate income tax for large enterprises was reduced in January 2008 from 30% to 28%. Income taxation is progressive, with two rates currently maintained: 20% (reduced from 22% in April 2008) and 40% (very high incomes). The 10% rate was eliminated. In April 2010, it is planned to introduce a new, higher rate for high incomes: 45%. The standard VAT rate should be reduced from 17.5% to 15% by the end of 2009. Tobacco and alcohol excises are among the highest in Western Europe.

Sectoral structure of the UK economy

GDP structure:

• agriculture - 1.3%;
• industry - 24.2%;
• services - 74.5%.

The UK produces about 3.1% of the world's GDP. In global exports of goods and services, the share of the UK is 4.5%, and in imports - 5.1%.

In the industry of the UK, an important role is played by extractive industries. But it should be noted that with the simultaneous closure of mines, there is an increase in oil and gas production on the continental shelf of the North Sea. Oil production is carried out using the most advanced drilling technologies on drilling platforms. British Petroleum and the Anglo-Dutch company Royal Dutch/Shell are among the leaders in their market segment. IN manufacturing industry The following sectors are prioritized:

• transport engineering (12.4% of total industrial production), where automotive industry stands out (national companies and branches of foreign companies Rover, Ford, Jaguar, Vauxhall, Honda, Nissan, Toyota), shipbuilding (including the production of ship equipment and the construction of drilling platforms) , the aerospace industry is the third in the world after the USA and France, producing civil and military aircraft (British Aerospace, Harrier, Tornado, Euro fighter), SeaKing and Linko helicopters, Rolls-Royce aircraft engines, equipment for the European concern Airbus industry;
• food industry (12.5% ​​of total production), including the production of the famous Scottish whiskey, gin and milk;
• general engineering: production of agricultural machinery and machine tools, including the production of textile machinery (Great Britain is the seventh largest manufacturer of machine tools in the world);
• electronics and electrical engineering: computers (including manufacturers such as IBM and Compaq); software, means of telecommunications (fiber optics, radars, etc.); medical equipment; Appliances;
• chemical industry: pharmaceuticals (Great Britain is the world's fourth largest drug manufacturer); agrochemistry; perfumery; new materials and biotechnologies;
• metal production (10.8% of total industrial production);
• pulp and paper industry.

The development of modern UK industry is determined by the level of development of high technologies. Great Britain has the highest scientific and technical potential in Europe and ranks second in the world after the United States in terms of the number of Nobel Prizes received by its scientists. The most important discoveries of the British are the structure of DNA, superconductivity, radio astrophysics, cloning, the ozone hole, and computed tomography. The world dominance of Great Britain in electronics and telecommunications is generally recognized (British Telecom alone carries out about a thousand research discoveries a year), chemistry (pharmaceuticals, new materials, biotechnology), aerospace industry (Concord aircraft, vertical take-off and landing aircraft, radars, tracking systems for air traffic).

Expenditure on research and development (R&D) is 1.88% of GDP per year, including 31.36% of all expenditures financed by the state.

The construction industry in the UK is well established. The world recognition of the high quality of British buildings is the fact that Eurodisneyland near Paris, the Olympic facilities in Atlanta, and the airport in Hong Kong were built by British firms.

At the same time, the UK has a low-skilled workforce in industry, but in recent years, due to large-scale public R&D investment programs, this situation is improving.

Service sector represented by industries such as finance and tourism. 25% of the country's GDP is generated by the financial services sector. It employs 12% of people of working age, and London is the world's financial center, one of the financial capitals of the planet. Among financial services, it is worth highlighting banking (in addition to British banks, 50 largest banks in the world are represented in London), insurance, the market for derivative financial instruments (futures, options, global depositary receipts), the bond market (eurobonds), the foreign exchange market (transactions with eurocurrencies), financial leasing, trust transactions with foreign shares, transactions with precious metals. The second most important branch of the service sector is tourism, which employs 7% of the working population, and the annual income exceeds $ 8 billion. London is the largest tourist center in the world.

IN energy The country's private sector, represented by British Petroleum, Shell, British Gaz, British Oil, Enterprise Oil, plays an important role.

Agriculture Great Britain is highly marketable, while its share in the country's GDP is the smallest among developed countries, only Germany has less. The UK is half self-sufficient in food. The main agricultural crops are wheat, oats, sugar beets, barley, and wheat. The country's livestock sector suffered significant damage due to an epidemic of spongiform encephalitis ("mad cow disease") that affected cattle. For safety reasons, one third of the cow population was destroyed.

Great Britain, like all leading countries of the world, has a developed transport infrastructure. The opening of the Eurotunnel under the English Channel made the UK's connection with the continent even more stable. The progress of the country in development is indicative civil aviation. British Airways today is one of the largest airlines in the world (if you count its share in foreign and British companies), and London Heathrow Airport is a very important aviation harbor in the world.

The largest ports of the country: Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Glasgow, Hull, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Plymouth, Peterhead, Scapa Flow, Southampton, Falmouth, Tees, Tyne. The British merchant fleet consists of 155 ships.

Largest TNCs, SMEs in the UK

The development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK in recent years has been stimulated by the state, various tax incentives are provided for them. The level of development of small and medium enterprises in the UK is at the average level in the EU. So, per thousand inhabitants in the UK there are 46 small and medium-sized enterprises (the general level for the EU is 45). However, their share in GDP is not very significant (50-53%).

British companies are very large, and there are 33 of them in the list of the 500 largest companies in the world for 2007. A serious figure, considering that only 10 Italian companies are on this list.

The largest UK companies included in the Fortune Global 500 list in 2007

Features of economic policy and main economic problems

Although the UK has been a member of the EEC since 1973, it has traditionally long been geopolitically, however, economically more inclined towards the United States than towards Europe. The lion's share of British investment is by no means in the Old World, but in the United States and Commonwealth countries, including Canada, Australia and the former colonies of the British crown.

The UK is a country with a highly developed, strong and independent economy. But today, attention is drawn to the discrepancy between the country's seriously undermined positions in industrial production, international trade and the monetary sphere, on the one hand, and the weakening, but still very strong positions in the export of capital, as well as the continuing role of London as one of the leading financial and commodity exchange centers, on the other hand.

If until the beginning of the 70s of the XX century. Great Britain distanced itself from the EU, starting from that time, against the background of the “development of integration processes in the region”, Great Britain begins to cooperate more and more closely with the countries of Western Europe, seeing them not as competitors, as before, but as mutually beneficial partners. It is impossible not to note the peculiar culture of Great Britain - the customs and traditions of the British influence politics, the economy, holidays and everyday life of the British.

Over the past 20 years, the following transformations have been carried out in the British economy: 1) the public sector has been reduced (such giants of the British economy as British Telecom, British Coal were sold); 2) reduced tax rates for individuals and legal entities; 3) deregulation of the economy was carried out (with a simultaneous reduction in government spending); 4) some tightening of the social security system has been carried out.

The coming to power of M. Thatcher in 1979 played a huge role for Great Britain. An important direction in the policy of increasing the competitiveness of the British economy and ensuring economic growth was the deregulation of the economy. In the 1980s and 1990s, many administrative and legal restrictions on business activities were lifted, and regulatory procedures were simplified. Controls over wages, prices and dividends have been abolished, and the labor market has undergone significant deregulation. Certificates for industrial construction, which served as an administrative instrument of regional policy, were liquidated. R&D regulation has been loosened. The policy of deregulation covered the banking, credit and currency spheres. In 1979, currency controls were abolished, which held back the movement of capital between Great Britain and other countries.

As a result of neoliberal reforms in the UK, the leadership of this country, represented by M. Thatcher, managed to achieve impressive success. After the stagnation of the late 70s of XX century. a few years after the start of the reforms, the economic situation in the country began to improve: economic growth accelerated, unemployment decreased, and the state budget deficit decreased. However, unemployment in the UK is still at a lower level than the EU average. From a social point of view, the effect of the so-called demunicipalization is also interesting. In an effort to attach the main categories of the working class and the "new middle strata" to property, the government in the 80s carried out a sale for private use of municipal housing stock, moreover, at preferential prices sanctioned from the center. As a result, in the 1980s and early 1990s, more than 1.2 million British families were able to buy the houses they lived in and become their owners. In total, thanks to this and other measures, 70% of the 20 million British families own their own home. It is no coincidence that M. Thatcher's popularity rose sharply.

M. Thatcher could lead the country's government in the current conditions. 27% of Britons think so, experts who conducted a survey for The Daily Telegraph found out. M. Thatcher is recognized as the best Prime Minister of Great Britain since the Second World War (1979-1990). This opinion is shared by 34% of the British. Winston Churchill (1951-1955) won 15% of the vote. Another 18% found it difficult to answer.

UK economic problems

In recent years, the influx of labor to the UK has intensified significantly. Sometimes this gives rise to interethnic clashes. There are 700 madrasas in Britain, where, by analogy with Christian Sunday schools, about 100 thousand children study after classes in ordinary schools. The expansion of the EU also led to a significant increase in white immigration.

The population growth rates across the country were also uneven. In England, which is home to more than 80% of the citizens of the United Kingdom, the population growth rate in 1991-2003. exceeded 4%, but if in London this figure was above 8%, then the number of residents in the north-east of the region fell by 1.8%. In Wales, the population grew by 2.3%, reaching about 3 million people, in Northern Ireland - by 5.9% (1.7 million), and in Scotland it decreased by 0.5% (more than 5 million). At the same time, due to internal migration, the only British region losing population was England, and from urban centers, the largest depopulation was observed in London, from which in 2002 100,000 more people left than entered the capital.

Low labor productivity in industry, somewhat lower than in France and Germany.

However, the most acute current problem for the UK in 2009 is to overcome the downturn caused by the current global economic and financial crisis. The reduction of the refinancing rate, the purchase of illiquid assets by the state have not yet yielded the expected results.

Among the achievements of recent years in the UK, one can take revenge on the improvement of conditions for doing small business, the streamlining of the system of social benefits, the ever-increasing level of tolerance in society (same-sex partnerships are allowed, issues of national relations are relatively safe), the level of democracy and the protection of human rights in the UK, which may be a model not only for Russia, but also for a number of EU countries.

Foreign economic relations of Great Britain

Britain's foreign trade has a negative balance.

Exports in 2008 amounted to $464.9 billion, imports - $636 billion, which resulted in a significant deficit of $171 billion.

Due to the sharp rise in oil prices at the end of the 20th century. and the development of North Sea oil fields, the share of semi-finished products in UK merchandise exports reached 86% by 1999 compared to 70% in the 1980s. In the same year, machinery and vehicles accounted for 48% of exports. In the past five years, the importance of aerospace, chemical and electronics products in UK exports has been growing, while at the same time the share of textiles has been declining.

According to the World Trade Center, in recent years, the UK has been a major supplier of aircraft equipment, turbojet engines, navigation equipment, as well as art, liquor, books, and diamonds on the world market.

Export geography: EU countries - 56% (Germany - 12%, France - 10%, the Netherlands - 8%), USA - 12%.

Imports consisted of manufactured goods (about 50% of imports), engineering products, and food.

Import geography: EU countries - 53% (Germany - 14%, France - 10%, the Netherlands - 7%, Ireland - 5%), USA - 13%.

The involvement in the international turnover of British electronic computers is very high, about 90% of the products of this industry are exported abroad. More than 70% of the products of the export industry, more than half of the instrument-making products are exported. Among the branches of general engineering with a very high export orientation are tractor building, the production of textile and mining equipment. Great Britain is one of the first places in the export of weapons.

Shifts in the export structure of foreign trade were accompanied by changes in its geographical direction. In recent decades, there has been a "Europeanization" of British foreign trade relations. That is, the share of Western Europe in British exports reached 63% in 2005 compared to 48% in 1999. This fact is confirmed by the comparative characteristics of mutual trade in goods in Europe.

Oscar Wilde

It is known that...

45% of non-whites live in London (78% black Africans, 61% black Caribbeans, 54% Bangladeshis). Pakistanis: 19% London, 21% Western Highlands, 20% Yorkshire, 16% North West. The resettlement of the non-white population: England - 9%, Wales, Scotland - 2%, North. Ireland - less than 1%, Highlands - 13%, South East and North West - 8%, Yorkshire and the Humber - 7%

Also...

The English inhabit England, most of Wales and form compact settlements in some areas in the south of Scotland. The Scots inhabit mainly the northwestern regions of the island of Great Britain and the Shetland, Orkney and Hebrides Islands adjacent to their coast. In the mountains of the northwestern part of the island, a peculiar ethnic group lives, preserving its original traditions and culture - the Gaels (highlanders). Welsh - Inhabit Wales.
Sev. Ireland: 500 thousand indigenous inhabitants of the island - the Irish - Catholics, 1 million Anglo-Irish and Scotch-Irish.

Population

Demographic situation
Currently, the country is characterized by low population growth - the result of both the convergence of birth and death rates, and a decrease in the balance of migration. In some years, the increase is negative (with a positive balance of migration). The problems of “nation aging” are connected with low natural growth. In 2002, persons aged 65 and over made up 15.8% of the population. The 2001 census showed that for the first time the number of people over 60 exceeded the number of children under the age of 15.

Average life expectancy: 76 years for men, 81 years for women. The birth rate (per 1,000 people) is 12.7. Mortality rate (per 1000 people) - 9.1. The average composition of a family is 2 children and parents.

Economically active population of Great Britain. In this area, there is a clear predominance of men over women. If there are 13.6 million employed men, then there are almost 2 times less women - 7.6 million. 60 years. this is due to the "aging" of the nation.

Royal guard

The Royal Guard (nicknamed "Bearskins" - "bear skins") is the personal guard of the English monarch. In our lives, there is no particular need to fear for the life of a king or queen, and today the guards perform mainly ceremonial duties. However, the traditions of the guards originated about three centuries ago, when the British monarchs really took to the battlefield. The soldiers in the guards regiments were selected very strictly, these were the best parts.

The British Guards Division today consists of two mounted and five infantry regiments. The cavalry is the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment (its uniform is red uniforms, and in winter also red capes) and the Royal Horse Guards Regiment - in blue uniforms and blue capes. Her Majesty's Foot Guards - Coldstream, Grenadier, Scottish, Irish and Welsh. All infantry guardsmen wear high bearskin hats and red coats. That is, it is not easy to distinguish the soldiers of one or another regiment from each other - except perhaps by the location of the buttons on the uniform and the color of the cockade on the hat.

The famous caps of the guards are made from the fur of the North American grizzly bear. The officers' caps are taller and more shiny. The fact is that they are made from the fur of a male, and the caps of privates and non-commissioned officers are made from the fur of a female grizzly (it does not look so impressive).