List of metropolitan areas in Europe
This list ranks metropolitan areas in Europe by their population according to three different sources; it includes metropolitan areas that have a population of over 1 million.
Sources[]
List includes metropolitan areas according only studies of ESPON, Eurostat, and OECD. For this reason some metropolitan areas, like Italian Genoa Metropolitan Area (population is over 1.510.000 as of 2012 according "CityRailway" Official Report), aren't included in this list, with data by other statistic survey institutes.
Figures in the first column come from the ESPON project, "Study on Urban Functions", which defines cities according to the concept of a functional urban area (core urban area defined morphologically on the basis of population density, plus the surrounding labour pool defined on the basis of commuting). Figures in the second column come from Eurostat's Urban Audit and correspond to Larger Urban Zones (LUZ). Figures in the fourth column come from the OECD Territorial Reviews and correspond to "metropolitan regions". Further information on how the areas are defined can be found in the source documents. These figures should be seen as an interpretation, not as conclusive fact.
Metropolitan areas[]
Metropolitan area name | Country | City Population
Urban Agglomeration (2020)[1] |
Eurostat Metropolitan region (2019)[2] |
Eurostat Metropolitan region (2018)[2] |
ESPON Functional Urban Area (2006)[3] |
OECD Metropolitan region (2016)[4] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amsterdam metropolitan area | Netherlands | 2,475,000 | 3,269,905 | 3,242,852 | 2,497,000[a] | 2,717,363[a] |
Antwerp | Belgium | 1,120,000 | 985,332 | 1,047,030 | 1,406,000[b] | 1,097,788 |
Athens | Greece | 3,350,000 | 3,561,750 | 3,576,590 | 3,761,000 | 3,562,538 |
Barcelona metropolitan area | Spain | 5,185,905 | 5,575,204 | 5,514,881 | 4,082,000[c] | 3,969,628 |
Belgrade | Serbia | 1,420,000 | No data | No data | No data | 1,133,146 |
Berlin | Germany | 4,725,000 | 5,303,846 | 5,259,363 | 4,016,000 | 5,142,247 |
Bilbao | Spain | <1,000,000 | 1,137,191 | 1,134,848 | 947,000 | 1,037,033 |
Birmingham (West Midlands) | United Kingdom | 3,150,000 | 3,558,916 | 2,545,475 | 3,683,000 | 2,968,313 |
Bremen | Germany | 1,000,000 | 1,277,609 | 1,274,611 | 1,077,000 | 1,255,402 |
Bristol | United Kingdom | <1,000,000 | 1,157,937 | 1,147,017 | 1,041,000 | 944,390 |
Brussels-Capital Region | Belgium | 2,700,000 | 2,548,941 | 2,528,996 | 2,639,000[b] | 2,628,971 |
Bucharest metropolitan area | Romania | 2,200,000 | 2,315,173 | 2,301,255 | 2,064,000 | No data |
Budapest metropolitan area | Hungary | 2,625,000 | 3,031,160 | 3,011,598 | 2,523,000 | 2,965,908 |
Cardiff | United Kingdom | <1,000,000 | 1,140,165 | 1,135,795 | 1,097,000 | 779,800 |
Copenhagen | Denmark | 1,680,000 | 2,045,259 | 2,030,718 | 2,350,000[5][6][d] | 2,054,881 |
Donetsk | Ukraine | 1,440,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Dnipro | Ukraine | 1,390,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Dublin Metropolitan Area | Ireland | 1,390,000 | 2,107,749 | 2,069,386 | 1,477,000 | 1,914,191 |
Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Region | Germany | 3,250,000 | 2,710,127 | 2,693,115 | 2,764,000[e] | 2,647,100 |
Gdańsk (Tricity) | Poland | <1,000,000 | 1,317,517 | 993,000 | 1,154,488 | |
Gothenburg | Sweden | 1,041,850 | 1,021,831 | 1,015,974 | 759,000 | 950,000 |
Greater Glasgow | United Kingdom | 1,680,000 | 1,861,315 | 1,854,866 | 1,395,000 | 1,817,860 |
The Hague | Netherlands | 3,250,000 [f] | 1,103,368 | 1,093,212 | 1,404,000[a] | 1,070,292 |
Hamburg Metropolitan Region | Germany | 2,875,000 | 3,327,940 | 3,309,215 | 2,983,000 | 3,234,465 |
Helsinki Metropolitan Area | Finland | 1,520,000 | 1,671,024 | 1,655,624 | 1,285,000 | 1,471,930 |
Istanbul[g] | Turkey | 16,000,000 | No data | No data | No data | 11,400,000 |
Katowice metropolitan area | Poland | 2,350,000 | 2,695,148 | 2,705,106 | 3,029,000[h] | 2,541,191 |
Kazan | Russia | 1,260,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Kharkiv | Ukraine | 1,640,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Kyiv metropolitan area | Ukraine | 3,475,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Kraków metropolitan area | Poland | <1,000,000 | 1,491,811 | 1,480,803 | 1,236,000 | 1,407,564 |
West Yorkshire (Leeds - Bradford) | United Kingdom | 2,175,000 | 1,750,276 | 1,741,298 | 2,302,000 | 2,598,078 |
Lille–Kortrijk–Tournai | France/ Belgium |
1,290,000 | 2,594,456 | 2,597,774 | 1,379,000[i] | 1,344,730 |
Lisbon metropolitan area | Portugal | 2,475,000 | 2,846,332 | 2,833,679 | 2,591,000 | 2,818,149 |
Liverpool/Birkenhead | United Kingdom | 1,880,000 | 1,784,475 | 2,042,955 | 2,241,000 | 1,202,000 |
Łódź | Poland | <1,000,000 | 1,070,544 | 1,074,374 | 1,165,000 | 915,942 |
Wrocław | Poland | <1,000,000 | 638,659 | 636,050 | 861,000 | No data |
London metropolitan area | United Kingdom | 14,800,000 | 14,372,596 | 14,257,962 | 11,203,000 | 11,984,435 |
Lyon | France | 1,980,000 | 1,865,534 | 1,867,275 | 1,669,000 | 1,951,439 |
Madrid metropolitan area | Spain | 6,550,000 | 6,641,649 | 6,549,520 | 5,263,000 | 6,633,278 |
Greater Manchester | United Kingdom | 3,350,000 | 3,712,997 | 3,695,071 | 2,556,000 | 3,319,654 |
Marseille | France | 1,660,000 | 3,100,329 | 3,100,110 | 1,530,000 | 1,751,020 |
Milan metropolitan area | Italy | 6,200,000 | 4,354,448 | 4,336,121 | 7,636,000[j] | 5,101,065 |
Minsk | Belarus | 2,000,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Moscow metropolitan area | Russia | 17,300,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Munich | Germany | 2,250,000 | 2,908,664 | 2,883,373 | 2,665,000[k] | 2,849,393 |
Naples metropolitan area | Italy | 4,225,000 | 3,084,890 | 3,101,002 | 3,714,000[7] | 3,418,061 |
Nice | France | <1,000,000 | 1,080,815 | 1,082,139 | 1,082,000 | 818,110 |
Nizhny Novgorod | Russia | 1,730,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Nottingham-Derby | United Kingdom | 1,380,000 | 331,297 | 329,448[l] | 1,534,000 | 908 434 |
Nuremberg Metropolitan Region | Germany | 1,200,000 | 1,349,848 | 1,340,886 | 1,443,000 | 1,323,620 |
Odessa | Ukraine | 1,110,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Greater Oslo | Norway | 1,190,000 | 1,305,122 | 1,287,495 | 1,037,000 | 1,344,368 |
Paris metropolitan area | France | 11,400,000 | 12,244,807 | 12,183,893 | 11,175,000 | 12,006,868 |
Perm | Russia | 1,110,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Porto Metropolitan Area | Portugal | 1,540,000 | 1,722,374 | 1,719,702 | 1,245,000[m] | 1,272,104 |
Portsmouth-Southampton | United Kingdom | 1,160,000 | 806,001 | 802,162 | 1,547,000 | 538,536 |
Poznań | Poland | <1,000,000 | 1,186,164 | 919,000 | 983,006 | |
Prague | Czech Republic | 1,440,000 | 2,677,964 | 2,647,308 | 1,669,000 | 2,177,527 |
Rhein-Nord[n] (Düsseldorf - Neuss) | Germany | See Rhein-Sud | 1,555,985 | 1,552,097 | 3,073,000[o] | Not listed |
Rhein-Süd[n] (Cologne - Bonn) | Germany | 5,000,000 | 2,003,046 | 1,994,524 | 3,070,000[o] | 1,975,018 |
Riga | Latvia | <1,000,000 | 1,003,203 | 1,005,237 | 1,195,000 | 937,546 |
Rome metropolitan area | Italy | 3,575,000 | 4,342,212 | 4,355,725 | 5,190,000 | 4,414,288 |
Rostov-on-Don | Russia | 1,300,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Rotterdam | Netherlands | 3,250,000 [p] | 1,846,933 | 1,835,354 | 1,904,000[a] | 1,680,466 |
Ruhr area | Germany | 5,700,000 | 5,111,530 | 5,113,487 | 5,376,000[o] | 5,102,104 |
Saarbrücken - Forbach | Germany/ France |
No data | 802,664 | 1,102,000 | 801,525 | |
Saint Petersburg | Russia | 5,650,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Samara | Russia | 1,300,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Saratov | Russia | 1,090,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Seville | Spain | 1,290,000 | 1,949,640 | 1,945,236 | 1,180,000[q] | 1,532,587 |
Sofia | Bulgaria | 1,300,000 | 1,678,041 | 1,679,413 | 1,174,000 | no data |
Metropolitan Stockholm | Sweden | 2,225,000 | 2,344,124 | 2,308,143 | 2,171,000 | 2,269,060 |
South Yorkshire (Sheffield) | United Kingdom | 1,570,000 | 584,028 | 580,108 | 1,869,000 | 1,178,489 |
Stuttgart Metropolitan Region | Germany | 2,400,000 | 2,787,724 | 2,778,591 | 2,289,000 | 2,736,450 |
Thessaloniki metropolitan area | Greece | <1,000,000 | 1,104,690 | 1,105,663 | 1,052,000 | 1,054,673 |
Turin metropolitan area | Italy | 1,640,000 | 2,259,523 | 2,269,120 | 1,601,000[r] | 1,769,475 |
Newcastle-Sunderland | United Kingdom | 1,480,000 | 1,177,704 | 1,172,580 | 1,599,000 | 1,166,554 |
Ufa | Russia | 1,130,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Valencia | Spain | 2,000,000 | 2,540,588 | 2,531,187 | 1,398,000[s] | 1,708,826 |
Vienna | Austria | 2,250,000 | 2,853,903 | 2,838,558 | 2,584,000 | 2,793,510 |
Volgograd | Russia | 1,410,000 | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Warsaw metropolitan area | Poland | 2,375,000 | 3,053,104 | 3,025,034 | 2,785,000 | 3,132,671 |
Zagreb | Croatia | <1,000,000 | 1,240,433 | 1,240,310 | No data | No data |
Zürich metropolitan area | Switzerland | 1,430,000 | 1,520,968 | 1,504,346 | 1,615,000 | 1,337,344 |
Polycentric metropolitan areas in the European Union[]
Rank | Area | State | Population[8] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Rhine-Ruhr | Germany | 12,190,000 |
2 | Randstad | Netherlands | 8,219,380 |
3 | Upper Silesian metropolitan area | Poland/ Czech Republic | 5,294,000 |
4 | Flemish Diamond | Belgium | 5,103,000 |
5 | Austria/ Slovakia | 4,600,000 |
See also[]
- List of cities in Europe by population within city limits
- List of urban areas in Europe
- List of European city regions
- Lists of cities in Europe
- List of largest cities in the European Union by population within city limits
- List of urban areas in the European Union
- List of European Union cities proper by population density
- List of metropolitan areas by population for the world
- World's largest cities
Regional and country-specific lists[]
- Largest metropolitan areas in the Nordic countries
- List of metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom
- List of metropolitan areas in Belgium
- List of metropolitan areas in France
- List of metropolitan areas in Germany
- List of metropolitan areas in Italy
- List of metropolitan areas in Spain
- List of metropolitan areas in Sweden
- List of metropolitan areas in Poland
Notes[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Part of the Randstad polycentric urban region consisting of the metropolitan areas of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht (982,000). The total population of the region is 7,100,000.
- ^ Jump up to: a b The Flemish Diamond metropolitan region, which consists of the metropolitan areas of Brussels, Antwerp, Gent, and Leuven, has a total population of 5,103,000.
- ^ Total population is 4,251,000 if the metropolitan area of Mataro (169,000) is included.
- ^ Part of the wider Öresund region, which includes the Swedish metropolitan area of Malmö (961,000). The total regional population is 2,842,000.
- ^ Part of the Rhein-Main metropolitan region with a total population of 4,149,000, which additionally includes the metropolitan areas of Darmstadt (501,000), Wiesbaden (453,000), and Mainz (431,000).
- ^ Including Rotterdam
- ^ 65% of the population lives on the European part
- ^ Part of the polycentric Upper Silesian urban region with a total population of 5,294,000. The region additionally includes the metropolitan areas of Ostrava (1,046,000), Bielsko-Biala (584,000) and Rybnik (526,000).
- ^ Part of the wider Lille- region with a total population of 3,115,000.
- ^ Part of a wider polycentric urban region with a population of 8,311,000.
- ^ When combined with the Augsburg metropolitan area (606,000), the region has a total population of 3,271,000.
- ^ just Nottingham (Derby 257,101)
- ^ Part of a wider polycentric urban region with a population of 1,778,000.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Polycentric metropolitan area
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Part of the polycentric urban region of Rhein-Ruhr, which has a total population of 12,190,000.
- ^ Including The Hague
- ^ Total population is 1,262,000 if the metropolitan area of Utrera (82,000) is included.
- ^ Total population is 1,716,000 if the metropolitan of Pinerolo is included.
- ^ Total population is 1,499,000 if the metropolitan area of Sagunto is included.
References[]
- ^ "Major Agglomerations of The World". citypopulation.de. 1 January 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Database". ec.europa.eu. Eurostat. Retrieved 20 Jun 2020. click General and regional statistics / Regional statistics by typology / Metropolitan regions / Demography statistics by metropolitan regions / Population on 1 January by broad age group, sex and metropolitan regions (met_pjanaggr3)
- ^ "Study on Urban Functions (Project 1.4.3)]" (PDF). European Spatial Planning Observation Network. March 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015., Final Report, Chapter 3
- ^ Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, [1], Metropolitan areas, (OECD Publishing, 2017), Table 1.1
- ^ OECD: Territorial Review Copenhagen, 2009, p. 34, ISBN 9789264060029
- ^ also obtainable through
- ^ "Principal Agglomerations of the World". Citypopulation. January 2017.
- ^ European Spatial Planning Observation Network, Study on Urban Functions (Project 1.4.3) Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine, Final Report, Chapter 3, (ESPON, 2007) page 241-243
External links[]
- Geopolis: research group, university of Paris-Diderot, France - Population of urban areas of 10,000 or more
- Lists of cities in Europe
- Geography of Europe
- Lists of metropolitan areas in Europe
- Lists of cities by population