List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits
This list includes the most up-to-date official census or census estimates data with regards to the population of the largest cities in the European Union.
The European Union statistics agency Eurostat, does not gather information with regards to the population of cities within the member states, it is rather the task of national statistical agencies that gather such information every 5 to 10 years and that often make official estimates on the population of the cities. This list includes only official information from those agencies.
| Rank | Name of the city, Country | Population | Official source of information/year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 File:Reinounido.jpg | London, United Kingdom | 7,172,091 | Census 2001 |
| 2 File:Alemania.jpg | Berlin, Germany | 3,388,477 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 3 File:Espana.jpg | Madrid, Spain | 3,092,759 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 4 File:Italia.jpg | Rome, Italy | 2,540,829 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 5 File:Francia.jpg | Paris, France | 2,125,246 | Census 1999 |
| 6 | Budapest, Hungary | 1,775,203 | Census 2001 |
| 7 File:Alemania.jpg | Hamburg, Germany | 1,734,083 | Census Estimate 2003 |
8 
|
Warsaw, Poland | 1 687,628 | Census Estimate 2005 |
| 9 File:Espana.jpg | Barcelona, Spain | 1,582,738 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 10 | Vienna, Austria | 1,550,123 | Census 2001 |
| 11 File:Alemania.jpg | Munich, Germany | 1,247,873 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 12 File:Italia.jpg | Milan, Italy | 1 247,052 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 13 | Prague, Czech Republic | 1,165,581 | Census Estimate 2004 |
| 14 File:Italia.jpg | Naples, Italy | 1,008,419 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 15 File:Reinounido.jpg | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 970,892 | Census 2001 |
| 16 File:Alemania.jpg | Cologne, Germany | 965,954 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 17 File:Italia.jpg | Torino, Italy | 861,644 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 18 File:Francia.jpg | Marseille, France | 798,430 | Census 1999 |
| 19 File:Espana.jpg | Valencia, Spain | 780,653 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 20
|
Lodz, Poland | 768,901 | Census Estimate 2005 |
| 21
|
Krakow, Poland | 760,343 | Census Estimate 2005 |
22 
|
Stockholm, Sweden | 758,148 | Census Estimate 2002 |
23 
|
Riga, Latvia | 747,157 | Census Estimate 2002 |
| 24 | Athens, Greece | 745,514 | Census 2001 |
| 25 File:Holanda.jpg | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 735,080 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 26 File:Espana.jpg | Sevilla, Spain | 709,975 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 27 File:Italia.jpg | Palermo, Italy | 682,901 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 28 File:Alemania.jpg | Frankfurt, Germany | 643,432 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 29
|
Wroclaw, Poland | 637,162 | Census Estimate 2005 |
| 30 File:Reinounido.jpg | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 629,501 | Census 2001 |
| 31 File:Espana.jpg | Zaragoza, Spain | 626,081 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 32 File:Alemania.jpg | Genoa, Italy | 604,732 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 33 File:Holanda.jpg | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 599,472 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 34 File:Alemania.jpg | Dortmund, Germany | 589,661 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 35 File:Alemania.jpg | Essen, Germany | 589,499 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 36 File:Alemania.jpg | Stuttgart, Germany | 589,161 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 37
|
Poznan, Poland | 573,039 | Census Estimate 2005 |
| 38 File:Alemania.jpg | Düsseldorf, Germany | 572,511 | Census Estimate 2003 |
39 
|
Lisbon, Portugal | 564,657 | Census 2001 |
| 40 | Helsinki, Finland | 559,330 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 41 | Vilnius, Lithuania | 553,283 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 42 File:Espana.jpg | Malaga, Spain | 547,105 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 43 File:Alemania.jpg | Bremen, Germany | 544,853 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 44 File:Alemania.jpg | Hannover, Germany | 516,160 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 45 File:Alemania.jpg | Duisburg, Germany | 506,496 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 46 | Copenhagen, Denmark | 501,285 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 47 File:Alemania.jpg | Leipzig, Germany | 497,531 | Census Estimate 2003 |
48 
|
Dublin, Ireland | 495,781 | Census 2002 |
| 49 File:Alemania.jpg | Nurnberg, Germany | 493,553 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 50 File:Alemania.jpg | Dresden, Germany | 483,632 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 51
|
Göteborg , Sweden | 474,921 | Census Estimate 2002 |
| 52 File:Reinounido.jpg | Liverpool, United Kingdom | 469,017 | Census 2001 |
| 53 File:Holanda.jpg | The Hague, Netherlands | 463,841 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 54
|
Gdansk, Poland | 461,334 | Census 2002 |
| 55 | Antwerp, Belgium | 455,148 | Census Estimate 2004 |
| 56 File:Francia.jpg | Lyon , France | 445,452 | Census 1999 |
| 57 File:Reinounido.jpg | Leeds, United Kingdom | 443,247 | Census 2001 |
| 58 File:Reinounido.jpg | Sheffield, United Kingdom | 439,866 | Census 2001 |
| 59 File:Reinounido.jpg | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | 430,082 | Census 2001 |
| 60 | Bratislava, Slovakia | 428,672 | Census 2001 |
| 61 File:Reinounido.jpg | Bristol, United Kingdom | 420,556 | Census 2001 |
| 62
|
Szczecin, Poland | 415,399 | Census 2002 |
| 63 | Tallinn, Estonia | 400,378 | Census 2000 |
| 64 File:Reinounido.jpg | Manchester, United Kingdom | 394,269 | Census 2001 |
| 65 File:Espana.jpg | Murcia, Spain | 391,146 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 66 File:Francia.jpg | Toulouse , France | 390,350 | Census 1999 |
| 67 File:Espana.jpg | Las Palmas, Spain | 377,600 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 68
|
Bydgoszcz , Poland | 373,804 | Census 2002 |
| 69 | Kaunas, Lithuania | 373,669 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 70 File:Italia.jpg | Bologna, Italy | 371,217 | Census 2001 |
| 71 | Brno, Czech Republic | 369,559 | Census Estimate 2004 |
| 72 File:Espana.jpg | Palma de Mallorca, Spain | 367,277 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 73 | Thessaloniki, Greece | 363,987 | Census 2001 |
| 74 File:Alemania.jpg | Wuppertal, Germany | 362,137 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 75
|
Lublin, Poland | 357,110 | Census 2002 |
| 76 File:Italia.jpg | Firenze, Italy | 356,118 | Census 2001 |
| 77 File:Espana.jpg | Bilbao, Spain | 353,567 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 78 File:Francia.jpg | Nice, France | 342,738 | Census 1999 |
| 79 File:Reinounido.jpg | Leicester, United Kindgom | 330,574 | Census 2001 |
| 80 File:Alemania.jpg | Bielefeld, Germany | 328,452 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 81
|
Katowice, Poland | 327,222 | Census 2002 |
| 82 File:Espana.jpg | Valladolid, Spain | 321,143 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 83 File:Espana.jpg | Córdoba, Spain | 318,628 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 84 File:Italia.jpg | Bari, Italy | 316,532 | Census 2002 |
| 85 File:Italia.jpg | Catania, Italy | 313,110 | Census 2002 |
| 86 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 313,088 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 87 File:Alemania.jpg | Bonn, Germany | 311,052 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 88 File:Alemania.jpg | Mannheim, Germany | 308,353 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 89 File:Espana.jpg | Alicante, Spain | 305,911 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 90 File:Reinounido.jpg | Coventry, United Kingdom | 303,475 | Census 2001 |
| 91 File:Reinounido.jpg | Kingston upon Hull, United Kingdom | 301,416 | Census 2001 |
| 92 File:Reinounido.jpg | Bradford, United Kingdom | 293,717 | Census 2001 |
| 93 File:Espana.jpg | Vigo, Spain | 292,566 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 94 File:Reinounido.jpg | Cardiff, United Kindgom | 292,150 | Census 2002 |
| 95
|
Bialystok, Poland | 291,383 | Census 2002 |
| 96 | Arhus, Denmmark | 291,258 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 97 File:Alemania.jpg | Karlsruhe, Germany | 282,595 | Census Estimate 2003 |
| 98 File:Reinounido.jpg | Belfast, United Kindgom | 277,391 | Census 2001 |
| 99 File:Alemania.jpg | Gelsenkirchen, Germany | 272,445 | Census Estimate 2001 |
| 100 File:Alemania.jpg | Wiesbaden, Germany | 271,995 | Census Estimate 2003 |
Large and/or famous cities not on the list
- Brussels, Belgium, the capital city of the European Union is nowhere near the top 199 list. The
municipality has a total population of only 141,312 ( Census estimate 2004 ).
- Bordeaux, France, is not on the list given athe fact that the large majority of people in Bordeaux Metropolitan Area live in the suburbs, outside of the city limits of Bordeaux.
- Ljubljana, Slovenia, the Slovenian capital has a total population of 258,873 and its population is currently declining.
- Nottingham, United Kindgom, the famous English city lost over 20 000 of its inhabitants between 1991 and 2001.
- Venice, Italy is 101st largest city in the E.U. it's been consianttly losing population for over 20 years.
Cities likely to enter the top 100 in the near future
- L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain. The E.U.'s biggest suburb currently has a total population of 246,415 and growing. The Catalan city is likely to enter the top 100 within five years.
- Malmö, Sweden, with the total population of 265,481 ( 2002 ) and a fast and steady growth the 3rd largest Swedish city is virtually assured to be on the top 100 list within one year.
- Nantes, France, this city is alreay 103rd on the list and given its healthy gains of population is likely to enter the top 100 in less than two years. Nantes attractive business climate and low crime rate encourages a further growth of the city.
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, this city on the Canary Islands had a net gain of population of 31,545 between 2001 and 2003 according to Spanish Census estimates. This gain is due to a large influx of populaton from other EU countries. Currently the city has a total population of 220,022 but with such growth the city is likely to to crack the top 100 within five years.
- Utrecht, Netherlands, is on its way to become of the 100 largest cities of the E.U. With the total population of 265,107 and a steady growth Utrecht is assured to make the list within two years.