The British population is less litigious than the American population.

Oct 31, 2026

Previously: The British population is less litigious than the American population. [Accurate]: By the most common international yardstick, legal-claim costs as a share of the economy, the US is more litigious than the UK. The US Chamber's Institute for Legal Reform puts US tort costs at 2.15% of GDP in 2023 against 1.22% for the UK. That group lobbies for tort reform, and it also warns UK costs are rising fast, so the gap is narrowing. Data showing that UK residents file more lawsuits per person than Americans would prove this verdict wrong.

Now: The British population is less litigious than the American population. [Unverified]: The initial source compares tort costs as a share of GDP. That is a financial measure, not a direct measurement of how likely an individual in Britain or America is to sue. Costs also reflect damages, health-care prices and legal systems. Without a comparable population-based litigation measure, the broad cultural claim is unresolved.

Tort costs as a share of GDP do not by themselves establish population-level propensity to litigate.