25 things the UK leads the world in
The fields the UK excels at
Gone are the glory days of Empire, but the UK is still the world number one in a variety of fields, from healthcare to financial services. We take a look at 25 things the UK does best that truly put the 'great' in Great Britain.
Healthcare
Consistently judged the best and most cost-effective healthcare system in the world, the UK's National Health Service is the pride of the nation, providing free and universal healthcare from cradle to grave.
Pop, rock and dance music
Since the Beatles conquered the planet in the 1960s, British pop, rock and dance music has led the way, and UK artists from Adele to Ed Sheeran continue to score major hits in scores of countries worldwide.
Financial services
The UK is the world's largest exporter of financial services and the leading nation for foreign exchange trading. In fact, Britain's financial services trade surplus reached £68.9 billion in 2016, more than the USA and Switzerland combined.
Financial technology
Likewise, the UK leads the world in developing and implementing new financial technology, or fintech. The ever-expanding industry is worth upwards of £6.6 billion a year to the UK economy and employs around 60,000 people.
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Online shopping
British shoppers spend more money online than people in any other country in the world, according to a survey published last year by the UK Card Association. Brits spend £4,400 a year on average. Norwegians bag the runner-up spot with an average annual spend of £4,000.
Clean growth
The UK is leading the planet in clean growth. A study released in October by PwC shows that Britain has reduced carbon emissions by an impressive 7.7% over the past three years, more than any other G20 country.
Offshore wind energy
The inhabitants of the UK may not enjoy the nation's frequent windy weather but it does have an upside: Britain is now the world’s largest offshore wind energy producer with a total capacity of 5,788 megawatts. London Array, the largest offshore windfarm on the planet, is located just off the Kent coast.
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Attracting investment
The UK tops Forbes' Best Countries for Business 2018, making it the most attractive country on the planet for foreign investors, who pumped more money into the UK in 2016 than any other European nation.
Literature
British writers from William Shakespeare to J.K. Rowling have made a massive contribution to world literature, and continue to grace the bestseller lists. Writers from the UK are the world's most prolific too, with more novels published per capita per year in Britain than in any other country.
Quality TV
Famed for producing quality TV, the UK boasts the BBC, the world's largest broadcasting organisation, not to mention a thriving TV export industry. British TV exports, which include popular shows such as Sherlock and Doctor Who, rose 10% in 2016 to hit £1.3 billion.
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Capital city
London is widely regarded as the greatest city in the world. An Alpha ++ city, the UK capital, which contributes 22% to the country's GDP, is the world's largest financial centre and a premier destination for culture, entertainment, shopping and more.
Football
The beautiful game was invented in Blighty and Britain is widely considered the home of the sport. The country also boasts the English Premier League, the world's highest-grossing football league with a turnover of £4.3 billion a year, and the planet's richest club, Manchester United, which has been valued at £2.85 billion.
Private security
The lucrative international private security industry is dominated by British companies, including G4S, the world's largest private security firm. The company, which is based in Hereford, provides security personnel to numerous governments and private sector clients worldwide.
Open data
Landing the number one spot on the latest Open Data Barometer, the UK government is the best in the world for providing its citizens with data, sharing everything from local authority spending figures to gender pay gap info.
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Animal welfare
A nation of animal lovers, the UK is the world leader in animal welfare. A study released last year by the charity World Animal Protection shows that the UK has the most stringent animal welfare regulations in the world, gaining a glowing 'A' rating.
Taxis
They may not make for a budget journey, but London black cabs are consistently voted the best in the world. To get a coveted licence, drivers have to pass the satnav-beating 'Knowledge', the world's most demanding training course for cabbies, which involves memorising 320 routes, 25,000 streets and countless landmarks.
Private schools
The UK has educated the great and the good in its prestigious private schools, including global leaders and Nobel Prize winners, and institutions such as Eton, Harrow and Rodean are renowned the world over. The UK even boasts the world's oldest continuously-operating school, The King's School in Canterbury, which was founded in 597 AD.
Quality universities
UK higher education is highly regarded internationally. Universities such as Oxford and Cambridge have enviable reputations for excellence, and the UK has more institutions with five-star teaching ratings than any other country in the world.
Student satisfaction
On top of offering the best quality teaching in the world, UK universities achieve the highest student satisfaction scores. According to the International Student Barometer, UK higher education institutions have an exceptionally high student satisfaction rate of 91%.
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Motorsport
The UK is the bona fide global home of motorsport. With 4,500 related businesses in operation, the industry turns over £9 billion a year, plus six out of 10 Formula 1 racing teams are based in the UK, chiefly in south-east England's 'Motorsport Valley'.
Movie visual effects
A post-production paradise, central London is home to the so-called 'special effects square mile', which has a cluster of world-leading visual effects houses, and is the go-to for directors from Hollywood to Bollywood.
Contemporary architecture
British architects like Richard Rogers and Norman Foster are hugely influential, and the most celebrated of the 21st century. Since 2000, the UK has won more Pritzker Prizes and Royal Gold Medals for architecture than any other country in the world.
Greeting cards
The UK is the greeting cards capital of the world. Shoppers are the planet's biggest spenders per capita, splashing a total of £1.5 billion annually, and the UK produces more designs than any other country.
Serviced offices
UK businesses are especially open to the convenience and flexibility of operating from a serviced office. A third of the world's serviced offices are located in the UK, according to a recent report by serviced workplace specialists Office Space in Town.
Peer-to-peer finance
People in the UK are more keen than people in other countries on peer-to-peer (P2P) lending and borrowing, where money is lent to people and businesses by bypassing the banks. Based on lending and borrowing per capita, the UK's P2P lending market, which was worth £2.2 billion in 2016, is the largest in the world.