United Kingdom, 2010–2016

Democracy · Monarchy · Western Europe · The 2010s era

The United Kingdom through coalition-era austerity and rising Euroscepticism, culminating in the 2016 referendum vote to leave the European Union.

A Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition from 2010 pursued fiscal consolidation after the financial crisis, and a Conservative government followed from 2015. Euroscepticism and debates over immigration and sovereignty grew, and a 2014 referendum kept Scotland in the union. In June 2016 a referendum produced a narrow vote to leave the European Union, within stable parliamentary institutions.

Open United Kingdom 2010–2016 in the interactive 3D atlas →

Dominant patterns

  • Democratization
  • Economic Crisis

Political-science factor profile

Each factor 0–100; higher = stronger authoritarian / crisis pole (except institutional stability, where higher = stronger institutions).

Centralization of Power48
Media Control25
Repression22
Nationalism55
Militarization40
Economic Stress55
External Conflict30
Cult of Personality25
Elite Fragmentation50
Institutions75
Social Polarization60
Corruption & Patrimonialism25
Ideological Mobilization40
External Sovereignty95

Economy & society

GDP per capita$42k (intl-$)
GDP growth+1.8%/yr
Population64.0M people
Share of world population0.9%
Urban share82%
Life expectancy81 years

Closest historical twins

The country-eras whose structural profile most resembles United Kingdom 2010–2016, by similarity score (0–100).

  1. United Kingdom, 1970–1979 – similarity 95/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis
  2. United Kingdom, 1918–1931 – similarity 91/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis
  3. South Africa, 1994–2008 – similarity 89/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis
  4. Germany, 1990–2005 – similarity 89/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis
  5. India, 1947–1966 – similarity 88/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis
  6. United Kingdom, 1979–1990 – similarity 84/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis
  7. United States, 1789–1815 – similarity 81/100 · shared: Democratization
  8. France, 1919–1932 – similarity 81/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis

What followed

  • The 2016 vote to leave the European Union.
  • Continuity of parliamentary institutions.