The United Kingdom is one of the world's most globalised countries, ranking fourth in one recent survey. The capital, London (see Economy of London), is one of the three major financial centres of the world, along with New York City and Tokyo.
The British economy is made up (in descending order of size) of the economies of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK has been a member state of the European Union since 1973.
In the 1980s, under the Government of Margaret Thatcher, most state-owned enterprises in the industrial and service sectors, which since the 1940s had been nationalised, were privatised. The British Government now owns very few industries or businesses - Royal Mail is one example.