This list includes the most up-to-date official Census figures or census estimates with regards to the population of the largest cities in the European Union . It deals exclusively with the areas within City boundaries as opposed to urban areas or Metropolitan Area s.
In some cases, the list of Largest Urban Areas Of The European Union gives figures that better reflect common understanding of the different cities' sizes as the metropolitan areas also include non- Urban and Suburb an areas and administrative borders for cities often cut across the urban areas.
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 exclusively official information from those agencies as well as official information from local government authorities.
National capitals are in .
- – the capital city of both Belgium and the European Union is nowhere near the top 100 list, as the municipality has a total population of only 141,312 (Census estimate 2004). The greater Brussels-Capital Region has a population of almost 1 million, which would place it 14th on this list.
- Bordeaux , France – the city in Aquitaine is not on the list because most people in the Bordeaux Metropolitan Area live in the suburbs, outside of the city limits.
- – the Slovenia n capital has a total population of 258,873 and its population is currently declining.
- - the capital city of Luxembourg has a total population of 77,325 (Census Estimate 2004).
- – the capital of Cyprus has a population of 47,832 (Census 2001). It is the third largest municipality in Cyprus.
- Lille , France – the city in French Flanders is not on the list because most people in the Lille Metropolitan Area live in the suburbs, outside of the city limits.
- Nottingham , United Kingdom, 273,863 (2003 est.) – the famous English city lost over 20,000 of its inhabitants between 1991 and 2001, owing mostly to migration from the inner city to suburbs outside the city limits.
- Porto , Portugal - 263,131 (2001 est.) - the second city in Portugal. One of the biggest metropolitan areas on the European Atlantic coast. Plans of an union with Vila Nova De Gaia could mean the formation of a city with 400,000 inhabitants.
- Strasbourg , France – another important city in terms of the European Union is just short of the list, with a population of 264,115 as of 1999, but the 2004 estimate suggests that it is now closer with a population of 273,100. The area has a total population of around 450,000.
- , Malta – the capital city has a total population of only 7,199 (Census Estimate 2001). The largest city in Malta is Birkirkara , with a population just under 25,000.
- Venice , Italy – the famous Italian city was constantly losing population for over 20 years until 2003 when the influx of Immigrant population gave Venice a net gain of 3417 citizens in comparison to 2002. The city may be back in the top 100 soon. Its current population is 271,663 (Census Estimate 2004-01-01).
- L'Hospitalet De Llobregat , Spain - the EU's biggest Suburb currently has a total population of 250,536 and growing. The Catalan city is likely to enter the top 100 within five years.
- Malmö , Sweden - with a total population of 268,971 (2004) 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 already 103rd on the list and given its healthy gains of population is likely to enter the top 100 in less than two years. Nantes's attractive business climate and low crime rate encourages a further growth of the city.
- Santa Cruz De Tenerife , Spain - this city in the Canary Islands had a net gain of population of over 7 000 people between 2001 and 2005 according to Spanish Census estimates. This gain is due to a large influx of population from other EU countries. As of 2005 the city had a total population of 221,567 and with such growth the city is likely to crack the top 100 within the next decade.
- Utrecht , the Netherlands. Utrecht has a population of 276,000 at this moment and is about to get a new area (Leidsche Rijn), in which around 80,000 people can live in.
- Bari and Catania , Italy - massive population losses for all Italian cities are especially large in the cities of southern part of Italy like these two.
- Belfast , United Kingdom - contrary to popular perceptions, Northern Ireland's migration rate has shown a net increase since 1995 - but this is countered by population movement from Belfast into the suburbs outside the city boundary. However, the planned reorganization of local government boundaries in Northern Ireland in 2009 should see the city limits extended and take the population back above 300,000, and back into the top 100.
- Bochum and Wuppertal , Germany - these two industrial cities in the Ruhr Area have had a declining population for many years, and looking at the current Demographic tendency it is all but certain that all of them will disappear from the top 100 list in the near future as did another Ruhr area city Gelsenkirchen which was included in the top 100 until 2004 .
- Katowice , Poland - this industrial city is losing its population quickly. In three years the city is unlikely to figure among the 100 largest EU cities.
Bulgaria and Romania are scheduled to become members of the European Union in 2007 . The cities that would currently make the top 100 from these countries are:
- 1,208,930 (Census 2003 data) {Link without Title}
- Plovdiv 340,638
- Varna 314,539
Unlike Romania, major Bulgarian cities tend to register little change with regards to their population. Between 2002 and 1999 Sofia and Plovdiv lost and Varna gained a couple of thousand residents.
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