In this article, we are going to analyze List of metropolitan areas in Europe and all its relevant aspects in depth. List of metropolitan areas in Europe is a topic of great importance today, since it has a significant impact on society, the economy, culture, and many other areas. Over the years, List of metropolitan areas in Europe has generated constant debate and has sparked growing interest in different sectors. In this regard, it is crucial to fully understand the nature and scope of List of metropolitan areas in Europe, as well as its short- and long-term implications. Therefore, this article aims to offer a comprehensive and detailed view on List of metropolitan areas in Europe, with the aim of enriching knowledge and promoting a constructive debate around this topic of global relevance.
This article is missing information about smaller metropolitan areas defined by OECD and Eurostat.(April 2023) |
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.
List includes metropolitan areas according only studies of ESPON, Eurostat, and OECD. For this reason some metropolitan areas, like the Italian Genoa Metropolitan Area (with a population over 1,510,000 as of 2012 according to "CityRailway" Official Report), are not 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 area name | Country | OECD Metropolitan areas (2020) |
City Population Urban Agglomeration (2024) |
Eurostat Metropolitan region (2019) |
Eurostat Metropolitan region (2018) |
ESPON Functional Urban Area (2006) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aberdeen | United Kingdom | 489,840 | 495,365 | |||
Amsterdam metropolitan area | Netherlands | 2,890,428 | 2,525,000 | 3,269,905 | 3,242,852 | 2,497,000 |
Antwerp | Belgium | 1,146,565 | 1,240,000 | 985,332 | 1,047,030 | 1,406,000 |
Athens metropolitan area | Greece | 3,526,887 | 3,575,000 | 3,561,750 | 3,576,590 | 3,761,000 |
Barcelona metropolitan area | Spain | 5,105,991 | 4,850,000 | 5,575,204 | 5,514,881 | 4,082,000 |
Belfast | United Kingdom | 794,824 | 780,817 | |||
Belgrade | Serbia | — | 1,430,000 | — | — | — |
Berlin metropolitan area | Germany | 5,342,958 | 4,775,000 | 5,303,846 | 5,259,363 | 4,016,000 |
Bilbao | Spain | 1,014,366 | <1,000,000 | 1,137,191 | 1,134,848 | 947,000 |
Birmingham (West Midlands) | United Kingdom | 3,122,915 | 3,250,000 | 3,558,916 | 2,545,475 | 4,483,000 |
Blackpool | United Kingdom | 332,659 | 678,995 | |||
Bordeaux | France | 1,290,068 | 1,140,000 | — | — | |
Bremen | Germany | 1,274,429 | 1,000,000 | 1,277,609 | 1,274,611 | 1,077,000 |
Brighton and Hove | United Kingdom | 459,450 | 292,169 | |||
Bristol | United Kingdom | 969,256 | <1,000,000 | 1,157,937 | 1,147,017 | 1,041,000 |
Bournemouth | United Kingdom | 396,986 | 348,309 | |||
Brussels metropolitan area | Belgium | 2,500,251 | 2,750,000 | 2,548,941 | 2,528,996 | 2,639,000 |
Bucharest metropolitan area | Romania | 2,219,341 | 2,200,000 | 2,315,173 | 2,301,255 | 2,064,000 |
Budapest metropolitan area | Hungary | 3,012,001 | 2,500,000 | 3,031,160 | 3,011,598 | 2,523,000 |
Cardiff | United Kingdom | 928,101 | <1,000,000 | 1,140,165 | 1,135,795 | 1,097,000 |
Cambridge | United Kingdom | 376,139 | 653,412 | |||
Copenhagen metropolitan area | Denmark | 1,945,157 | 1,770,000 | 2,045,259 | 2,030,718 | 2,350,000 |
Donetsk | Ukraine | — | 1,410,000 | — | — | — |
Dnipro | Ukraine | — | 1,330,000 | — | — | — |
Dresden | Germany | 1,343,747 | — | — | — | — |
Dublin Metropolitan Area | Ireland | 2,110,459 | 1,530,000 | 2,107,749 | 2,069,386 | 1,477,000 |
Edinburgh | United Kingdom | 912,490 | 901,455 | |||
Exeter | United Kingdom | 499,742 | 795,012 | |||
Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Region | Germany | 2,729,936 | 3,300,000 | 2,710,127 | 2,693,115 | 2,764,000 |
Gdańsk (Tricity) | Poland | 1,170,990 | <1,000,000 | — | 1,317,517 | 993,000 |
Gothenburg | Sweden | 1,051,345 | <1,000,000 | 1,021,831 | 1,015,974 | 759,000 |
Graz | Austria | 662,531 | 637,532 | |||
Greater Glasgow | United Kingdom | 1,847,200 | 1,700,000 | 1,861,315 | 1,854,866 | 1,395,000 |
The Hague | Netherlands | 1,116,798 | 3,400,000 | 1,103,368 | 1,093,212 | 1,404,000 |
Hamburg Metropolitan Region | Germany | 3,328,679 | 2,925,000 | 3,327,940 | 3,309,215 | 2,983,000 |
Hannover | Germany | 1,316,006 | 1,150,000 | — | — | — |
Helsinki Metropolitan Area | Finland | 1,526,778 | 1,530,000 | 1,671,024 | 1,655,624 | 1,285,000 |
Hull | United Kingdom | 602,327 | 600,774 | |||
Innsbruck | Austria | 353,941 | 312,414 | |||
Istanbul | Turkey | 13,719,061 | 15,900,000 | — | — | — |
Katowice metropolitan area | Poland | 2,486,510 | 2,225,000 | 2,695,148 | 2,705,106 | 3,029,000 |
Kazan metropolitan area | Russia | — | 1,590,000 | — | — | — |
Kharkiv | Ukraine | — | 1,600,000 | — | — | — |
Kryvyi Rih metropolitan area | Ukraine | — | — | 1,170,953 | — | — |
Kyiv metropolitan area | Ukraine | — | 3,475,000 | — | — | — |
Kraków metropolitan area | Poland | 1,423,235 | <1,000,000 | 1,491,811 | 1,480,803 | 1,236,000 |
Leicester | United Kingdom | 910,918 | ||||
Leipzig | Germany | 1,049,342 | — | — | — | — |
Lille | France | 1,505,093 | 1,320,000 | 2,594,456 | 2,597,774 | 1,379,000 |
Linz | Austria | 655,268 | 801,085 | |||
Lisbon metropolitan area | Portugal | 3,035,487 | 2,500,000 | 2,846,332 | 2,833,679 | 2,591,000 |
Liverpool/Birkenhead | United Kingdom | 1,548,752 | 1,890,000 | 1,784,475 | 2,042,955 | 2,241,000 |
Łódź metropolitan area | Poland | 903,719 | <1,000,000 | 1,070,544 | 1,074,374 | 1,165,000 |
London metropolitan area | United Kingdom | 12,451,423 | 14,900,000 | 14,372,596 | 14,257,962 | 11,203,000 |
Lyon | France | 2,129,101 | 2,025,000 | 1,865,534 | 1,867,275 | 1,669,000 |
Madrid metropolitan area | Spain | 7,005,286 | 6,650,000 | 6,641,649 | 6,549,520 | 5,263,000 |
Greater Manchester | United Kingdom | 3,399,018 | 3,150,000 | 3,712,997 | 3,695,071 | 2,556,000 |
Mannheim-Ludwigshafen | Germany | 1,191,766 | 1,590,000 | — | — | — |
Marseille | France | 1,278,124 | 1,700,000 | 3,100,329 | 3,100,110 | 1,530,000 |
Middlesbrough / Tees Valley | United Kingdom | 569,768 | 567,986 | |||
Milan metropolitan area | Italy | 4,985,668 | 6,100,000 | 4,354,448 | 4,336,121 | 7,636,000 |
Minsk metropolitan area | Belarus | — | 2,100,000 | — | — | — |
Moscow metropolitan area | Russia | — | 19,100,000 | — | — | — |
Munich | Germany | 2,926,802 | 2,300,000 | 2,908,664 | 2,883,373 | 2,665,000 |
Nantes | France | 1,003,395 | — | — | — | — |
Naples metropolitan area | Italy | 3,349,233 | 4,050,000 | 3,084,890 | 3,101,002 | 3,714,000 |
Nice | France | 1,020,879 | <1,000,000 | 1,080,815 | 1,082,139 | 1,082,000 |
Nizhny Novgorod | Russia | — | 1,660,000 | — | — | — |
Norwich | United Kingdom | 417,174 | 370,822 | |||
Nottingham-Derby | United Kingdom | 935,049 | 1,380,000 | 331,297 | 329,448 | 1,534,000 |
Nuremberg Metropolitan Region | Germany | 1,352,002 | 1,210,000 | 1,349,848 | 1,340,886 | 1,443,000 |
Odesa | Ukraine | — | 1,100,000 | — | — | — |
Greater Oslo | Norway | 1,420,926 | 1,260,000 | 1,305,122 | 1,287,495 | 1,037,000 |
Paris metropolitan area | France | 12,997,058 | 11,000,000 | 12,244,807 | 12,183,893 | 11,175,000 |
Perm | Russia | — | 1,090,000 | — | — | — |
Plymouth | United Kingdom | 406,924 | 264,135 | |||
Porto Metropolitan Area | Portugal | 1,785,248 | 1,550,000 | 1,722,374 | 1,719,702 | 1,245,000 |
Portsmouth-Southampton | United Kingdom | 695,204 | 1,150,000 | 806,001 | 802,162 | 1,547,000 |
Poznań metropolitan area | Poland | 993,656 | <1,000,000 | — | 1,186,164 | 919,000 |
Prague metropolitan area | Czech Republic | 2,267,817 | 1,470,000 | 2,677,964 | 2,647,308 | 1,669,000 |
Rhein-Nord (Düsseldorf - Neuss) | Germany | 1,557,269 | See Rhein-Sud | 1,555,985 | 1,552,097 | 3,073,000 |
Rhein-Süd (Cologne - Bonn) | Germany | 2,004,984 | 5,000,000 | 2,003,046 | 1,994,524 | 3,070,000 |
Riga metropolitan area | Latvia | 927,924 | <1,000,000 | 1,003,203 | 1,005,237 | 1,195,000 |
Rome metropolitan area | Italy | 4,325,591 | 3,425,000 | 4,342,212 | 4,355,725 | 5,190,000 |
Rostov-on-Don | Russia | — | 1,400,000 | — | — | — |
Rotterdam | Netherlands | 1,876,165 | 3,400,000 | 1,846,933 | 1,835,354 | 1,904,000 |
Ruhr | Germany | 5,115,617 | 5,650,000 | 5,111,530 | 5,113,487 | 5,376,000 |
Saarbrücken - Forbach | Germany/ France |
797,110 | — | — | 802,664 | 1,102,000 |
Saint Petersburg metropolitan area | Russia | — | 6,500,000 | — | — | — |
Salzburg | Austria | 378,171 | 366,866 | |||
Samara | Russia | — | 1,370,000 | — | — | — |
Saratov | Russia | — | 1,210,000 | — | — | — |
Seville | Spain | 1,558,006 | 1,300,000 | 1,949,640 | 1,945,236 | 1,180,000 |
Sofia | Bulgaria | 1,551,056 | 1,240,000 | 1,678,041 | 1,679,413 | 1,174,000 |
Metropolitan Stockholm | Sweden | 2,377,081 | 2,275,000 | 2,344,124 | 2,308,143 | 2,171,000 |
South Yorkshire (Sheffield) | United Kingdom | 1,204,485 | 1,540,000 | 584,028 | 580,108 | 1,869,000 |
Stoke | United Kingdom | 484,659 | ||||
Stuttgart Metropolitan Region | Germany | 2,794,283 | 2,400,000 | 2,787,724 | 2,778,591 | 2,289,000 |
Swansea | United Kingdom | 390,949 | 532,489 | |||
Thessaloniki metropolitan area | Greece | 1,049,937 | <1,000,000 | 1,104,690 | 1,105,663 | 1,052,000 |
Toulouse | France | 1,445,789 | 1,130,000 | — | — | — |
Turin metropolitan area | Italy | 1,728,714 | 1,580,000 | 2,259,523 | 2,269,120 | 1,601,000 |
Newcastle-Sunderland | United Kingdom | 1,192,598 | 1,470,000 | 1,177,704 | 1,172,580 | 1,599,000 |
Ufa | Russia | — | 1,230,000 | — | — | — |
Valencia | Spain | 1,768,205 | 2,075,000 | 2,540,588 | 2,531,187 | 1,398,000 |
Vienna | Austria | 3,004,660 | 2,350,000 | 2,853,903 | 2,838,558 | 2,584,000 |
Volgograd | Russia | — | 1,090,000 | — | — | — |
Warsaw metropolitan area | Poland | 3,209,784 | 2,500,000 | 3,053,104 | 3,025,034 | 2,785,000 |
West Yorkshire (Leeds - Bradford) | United Kingdom | 2,655,815 | 2,225,000 | 1,750,276 | 1,741,298 | 2,302,000 |
Wrocław metropolitan area | Poland | 883,468 | <1,000,000 | 638,659 | 636,050 | 861,000 |
Zagreb metropolitan area | Croatia | 1,219,858 | <1,000,000 | 1,240,433 | 1,240,310 | — |
Zürich metropolitan area | Switzerland | 1,401,783 | 1,490,000 | 1,520,968 | 1,504,346 | 1,615,000 |
Rank | Area | State | Population |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region | Germany | 12,190,000 |
2 | Randstad | Netherlands | 8,219,380 |
3 | Upper Silesian-Moravian metropolitan area | Poland/ Czech Republic | 5,294,000 |
4 | Flemish Diamond | Belgium | 5,103,000 |
5 | Vienna-Bratislava metropolitan region | Austria/ Slovakia | 4,600,000 |