The agency factored in the land, buildings, vehicles, machinery, bridges and roads, with the shares citizens own and the money in their bank accounts.

It's not that Britain will ever be for sale, but the sum was calculated to help economists predict future growth.

The total works out to about $150,000 for each of the 58,789,194 people said to be in the country at the time of the most recent census.

Ian Hill, an ONS statistician said information like this was last published in the pre-computer days of the 1950s, and the value has risen dramatically, largely because property prices have shot up.

Although the country as a whole is stuffed with assets, the government is deep in the red. After deducting the national debt and other obligations, its net worth is minus $220 billion.