This is a list of metropolitan counties, non-metropolitan counties and unitary authorities of England by population.
It includes those non-metropolitan counties (also known as shire counties) with a two-tier county council structure, metropolitan counties and unitary authorities.
In cases where a unitary authority has been detached from a county, the population of the unitary authority is shown separately. For example, Peterborough is shown separately from the population figure for Cambridgeshire.
Population figures are from the 2011 Census Office for National Statistics.
Areas from UK Standard Area Measurements
Densities are calculated from population and area values.
| Rank |
County |
Type |
Region |
Population |
Density |
Area (km²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greater London | administrative area | London | 8,173,900 | 5,173 | 1,580 |
| 2 | West Midlands | metropolitan county | West Midlands | 2,738,100 | 3,036 | 902 |
| 3 | Greater Manchester | metropolitan county | North West | 2,682,500 | 2,102 | 1,276 |
| 4 | West Yorkshire | metropolitan county | Yorkshire and the Humber | 2,226,100 | 1,097 | 2,029 |
| 5 | Kent | two-tier | South East | 1,463,700 | 413 | 3,544 |
| 6 | Essex | two-tier | East | 1,393,600 | 402 | 3,465 |
| 7 | Merseyside | metropolitan county | North West | 1,381,200 | 2,141 | 645 |
| 8 | South Yorkshire | metropolitan county | Yorkshire and the Humber | 1,343,600 | 866 | 1,552 |
| 9 | Hampshire | two-tier | South East | 1,317,800 | 358 | 3,679 |
| 10 | Lancashire | two-tier | North West | 1,171,300 | 403 | 2,903 |
| 11 | Surrey | two-tier | South East | 1,132,400 | 681 | 1,663 |
| 12 | Hertfordshire | two-tier | East | 1,116,000 | 679 | 1,643 |
| 13 | Tyne and Wear | metropolitan county | North East | 1,104,800 | 2,046 | 540 |
| 14 | Norfolk | two-tier | East | 857,900 | 160 | 5,371 |
| 15 | Staffordshire | two-tier | West Midlands | 848,500 | 324 | 2,620 |
| 16 | West Sussex | two-tier | South East | 806,900 | 405 | 1,991 |
| 17 | Nottinghamshire | two-tier | East Midlands | 785,800 | 377 | 2,085 |
| 18 | Derbyshire | two-tier | East Midlands | 769,700 | 302 | 2,547 |
| 19 | Devon | two-tier | South West | 746,400 | 114 | 6,564 |
| 20 | Suffolk | two-tier | East | 728,200 | 192 | 3,801 |
| 21 | Lincolnshire | two-tier | East Midlands | 713,700 | 121 | 5,921 |
| 22 | Northamptonshire | two-tier | East Midlands | 687,300 | 291 | 2,364 |
| 23 | Oxfordshire | two-tier | South East | 653,800 | 251 | 2,605 |
| 24 | Leicestershire | two-tier | East Midlands | 648,700 | 311 | 2,083 |
| 25 | Cambridgeshire | two-tier | East | 621,200 | 204 | 3,046 |
| 26 | North Yorkshire | two-tier | Yorkshire and the Humber | 598,400 | 74 | 8,038 |
| 27 | Gloucestershire | two-tier | South West | 597,000 | 225 | 2,653 |
| 28 | Worcestershire | two-tier | West Midlands | 566,200 | 325 | 1,741 |
| 29 | Warwickshire | two-tier | West Midlands | 543,800 | 275 | 1,975 |
| 30 | Cornwall | unitary | South West | 532,300 | 150 | 3,549 |
| 31 | Somerset | two-tier | South West | 530,000 | 154 | 3,451 |
| 32 | East Sussex | two-tier | South East | 526,700 | 308 | 1,709 |
| 33 | County Durham | unitary | North East | 513,200 | 231 | 2,226 |
| 34 | Buckinghamshire | two-tier | South East | 505,300 | 323 | 1,565 |
| 35 | Cumbria | two-tier | North West | 499,900 | 74 | 6,768 |
| 36 | Wiltshire | unitary | South West | 471,000 | 145 | 3,255 |
| 37 | Bristol | unitary | South West | 428,200 | 3,893 | 110 |
| 38 | Dorset | two-tier | South West | 412,900 | 162 | 2,542 |
| 39 | Cheshire East | unitary | North West | 370,100 | 320 | 1,158 |
| 40 | East Riding of Yorkshire | unitary | Yorkshire and the Humber | 334,200 | 139 | 2,409 |
| 41 | Leicester | unitary | East Midlands | 329,900 | 4,519 | 73 |
| 42 | Cheshire West and Chester | unitary | North West | 329,600 | 359 | 918 |
| 43 | Northumberland | unitary | North East | 316,000 | 63 | 5,013 |
| 44 | Shropshire | unitary | West Midlands | 306,100 | 96 | 3,197 |
| 45 | Nottingham | unitary | East Midlands | 305,700 | 4,076 | 75 |
| 46 | Brighton & Hove | unitary | South East | 273,400 | 3,294 | 83 |
| 47 | Medway | unitary | South East | 263,900 | 1,374 | 192 |
| 48 | South Gloucestershire | unitary | South West | 262,800 | 529 | 497 |
| 49 | Hull | unitary | Yorkshire and the Humber | 256,400 | 3,611 | 71 |
| 50 | Plymouth | unitary | South West | 256,400 | 3,205 | 80 |
| 51 | Central Bedfordshire | unitary | East | 254,400 | 355 | 716 |
| 52 | Stoke-on-Trent | unitary | West Midlands | 249,000 | 2,677 | 93 |
| 53 | Milton Keynes | unitary | South East | 248,800 | 805 | 309 |
| 54 | Derby | unitary | East Midlands | 248,700 | 3,188 | 78 |
| 55 | Southampton | unitary | South East | 236,900 | 4,738 | 50 |
| 56 | Swindon | unitary | South West | 209,200 | 910 | 230 |
| 57 | Portsmouth | unitary | South East | 205,100 | 5,128 | 40 |
| 58 | Luton | unitary | East | 203,200 | 4,726 | 43 |
| 59 | North Somerset | unitary | South West | 202,600 | 540 | 375 |
| 60 | Warrington | unitary | North West | 202,200 | 1,117 | 181 |
| 61 | York | unitary | Yorkshire and the Humber | 198,000 | 728 | 272 |
| 62 | Stockton-on-Tees | unitary | North East | 191,600 | 939 | 204 |
| 63 | Peterborough | unitary | East | 183,600 | 535 | 343 |
| 64 | Herefordshire | unitary | West Midlands | 183,500 | 84 | 2,180 |
| 65 | Bournemouth | unitary | South West | 183,500 | 3,989 | 46 |
| 66 | Bath and North East Somerset | unitary | South West | 176,000 | 501 | 351 |
| 67 | Southend-on-Sea | unitary | East | 173,600 | 4,133 | 42 |
| 68 | North Lincolnshire | unitary | Yorkshire and the Humber | 167,400 | 198 | 846 |
| 69 | Telford and Wrekin | unitary | West Midlands | 166,600 | 574 | 290 |
| 70 | North East Lincolnshire | unitary | Yorkshire and the Humber | 159,600 | 831 | 192 |
| 71 | Thurrock | unitary | East | 157,700 | 967 | 163 |
| 72 | Bedford | unitary | East | 157,500 | 331 | 476 |
| 73 | Reading | unitary | South East | 155,700 | 3,893 | 40 |
| 74 | Wokingham | unitary | South East | 154,400 | 863 | 179 |
| 75 | West Berkshire | unitary | South East | 153,800 | 218 | 704 |
| 76 | Poole | unitary | South West | 147,600 | 2,271 | 65 |
| 77 | Blackburn with Darwen | unitary | North West | 147,500 | 1,077 | 137 |
| 78 | Windsor and Maidenhead | unitary | South East | 144,600 | 734 | 197 |
| 79 | Blackpool | unitary | North West | 142,100 | 4,060 | 35 |
| 80 | Slough | unitary | South East | 140,200 | 4,248 | 33 |
| 81 | Middlesbrough | unitary | North East | 138,400 | 2,563 | 54 |
| 82 | Isle of Wight | unitary | South East | 138,300 | 364 | 380 |
| 83 | Redcar and Cleveland | unitary | North East | 135,200 | 552 | 245 |
| 84 | Torbay | unitary | South West | 131,000 | 2,079 | 63 |
| 85 | Halton | unitary | North West | 125,800 | 1,592 | 79 |
| 86 | Bracknell Forest | unitary | South East | 113,200 | 1,039 | 109 |
| 87 | Darlington | unitary | North East | 105,600 | 536 | 197 |
| 88 | Hartlepool | unitary | North East | 92,000 | 979 | 94 |
| 89 | Rutland | unitary | East Midlands | 37,400 | 98 | 382 |
| 90 | Isles of Scilly | unitary | South West | 2,200 | 138 | 16 |
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list and/or english:
“Modern tourist guides have helped raised tourist expectations. And they have provided the nativesfrom Kaiser Wilhelm down to the villagers of Chichacestenangowith a detailed and itemized list of what is expected of them and when. These are the up-to- date scripts for actors on the tourists stage.”
—Daniel J. Boorstin (b. 1914)
“Lastly, his tomb
Shall list and founder in the troughs of grass
And none shall speak his name.”
—Karl Shapiro (b. 1913)
“The English masses are lovable: they are kind, decent, tolerant, practical and not stupid. The tragedy is that there are too many of them, and that they are aimless, having outgrown the servile functions for which they were encouraged to multiply. One day these huge crowds will have to seize power because there will be nothing else for them to do, and yet they neither demand power nor are ready to make use of it; they will learn only to be bored in a new way.”
—Cyril Connolly (19031974)