of any airport in the world[325][326] and is the hub for the UK flag carrier British Airways, as well as Virgin
Atlantic.[327]

Energy
Main article: Energy in the United Kingdom

Wind turbines overlooking Ardrossan, Scotland. The UK is one of the best sites in Europe for wind energy, and
wind power production is its fastest growing supply.

In 2006, the UK was the world's ninth-largest consumer of energy and the 15th-largest producer.
[328]
 The UK is home to a number of large energy companies, including two of the six oil and gas
"supermajors" – BP and Royal Dutch Shell.[329][330]
In 2013, the UK produced 914 thousand barrels per day (bbl/d) of oil and consumed 1,507 thousand
bbl/d.[331][332] Production is now in decline and the UK has been a net importer of oil since 2005.[333] In
2010 the UK had around 3.1 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, the largest of any EU
member state.[333]
In 2009, the UK was the 13th-largest producer of natural gas in the world and the largest producer in
the EU.[334] Production is now in decline and the UK has been a net importer of natural gas since
2004.[334]
Coal production played a key role in the UK economy in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the mid-
1970s, 130 million tonnes of coal were produced annually, not falling below 100 million tonnes until
the early 1980s. During the 1980s and 1990s the industry was scaled back considerably. In 2011,
the UK produced 18.3 million tonnes of coal.[335] In 2005 it had proven recoverable coal reserves of
171 million tons.[335] The UK Coal Authority has stated there is a potential to produce between 7 billion
tonnes and 16 billion tonnes of coal through underground coal gasification (UCG) or 'fracking',[336] and
that, based on current UK coal consumption, such reserves could last between 200 and 400 years.
[337]
 Environmental and social concerns have been raised over chemicals getting into the water table
and minor earthquakes damaging homes.[338][339]
In the late 1990s, nuclear power plants contributed around 25 per cent of total annual electricity
generation in the UK, but this has gradually declined as old plants have been shut down and ageing-
related problems affect plant availability. In 2012, the UK had 16 reactors normally generating about
19 per cent of its electricity. All but one of the reactors will be retired by 2023. Unlike Germany and
Japan, the UK intends to build a new generation of nuclear plants from about 2018.[340]
The total of all renewable electricity sources provided for 38.9 per cent of the electricity generated in
the United Kingdom in the third quarter of 2019, producing 28.8TWh of electricity.[341] The UK is one
of the best sites in Europe for wind energy, and wind power production is its fastest growing supply,
in 2019 it generated almost 20 per cent of the UK's total electricity.[342]

Water supply and sanitation

Main article: Water supply and sanitation in the United Kingdom
Access to improved water supply and sanitation in the UK is universal. It is estimated that 96.7 per
cent of households are connected to the sewer network.[343] According to the Environment Agency,
total water abstraction for public water supply in the UK was 16,406 megalitres per day in 2007.[344]
In England and Wales water and sewerage services are provided by 10 private regional water and
sewerage companies and 13 mostly smaller private "water only" companies. In Scotland water and
sewerage services are provided by a single public company, Scottish Water. In Northern Ireland
water and sewerage services are also provided by a single public entity, Northern Ireland Water.[345]

Demographics
Main article: Demography of the United Kingdom

Map of population density in the UK as at the 2011 census

A census is taken simultaneously in all parts of the UK every 10 years.[346] In the 2011 census the
total population of the United Kingdom was 63,181,775.[347] It is the fourth-largest in Europe (after
Russia, Germany and France), the fifth-largest in the Commonwealth and the 22nd-largest in the
world. In mid-2014 and mid-2015 net long-term international migration contributed more to
population growth. In mid-2012 and mid-2013 natural change