The United Kingdom consists of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
[20] The size of London's economy makes it the largest city by GDP in Europe.
[25] 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.
In the 21st century, the UK has faced the challenges of the 2008 banking collapse and the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
[26][27][28][29] This list shows the UK companies in the Fortune Global 500, which ranks firms by total revenues reported as of September 2019.