List of smallest cities in the United Kingdom

The table displays the 31 smallest of the cities in the United Kingdom across three measures. Most of these appear in all three of the following categories:

Area (body): This default sort ranks the physically smallest 23 local government areas (parish/community, district, county) and if missing, a built-up locality that has city status Area (locale): 24 cities with the smallest same-name built-up area (many cities have much countryside and multiple settlements within their boundaries) Census population: 27 cities around 100,000 residents and fewer since the 2001 census

Lichfield, Hereford and Salisbury, in addition to being some of the smallest cities in England, are among the most populous civil parishes.

Smallest overseas British cities

The least populous cities on all of British territory are Jamestown in St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (pop. 629) and Hamilton in Bermuda (pop. 854).

List of smallest UK cities CityCounty/council area (Scotland/Wales)Area (body/locale)BodyArea (locale)Locale/body %Census populationCountryRanksq mi (km2)Ranksq mi (km2)Rank(2021)202120112001City of LondonCity of London1County3——38,5837,3757,185Census 2001 : City of LondonEnglandWellsSomerset2Parish463.99%411,14510,53610,406Census 2001 : MendipEnglandSt AsaphDenbighshire3Community220.19%23,4853,3553,491WalesBangorGwynedd4Community559.20%515,06016,35813,725Census 2001 : Gwynedd WalesRiponNorth Yorkshire5Parish751.36%716,59016,70215,922Census 2001 : HarrogateEnglandArmaghCounty Armagh6—None11—616,31014,74914,590Northern IrelandChichesterWest Sussex7Parish980.77%1129,40726,79523,731Census 2001 : ChichesterEnglandTruroCornwall8Parish868.25%921,04618,76617,431Census 2001 : CarrickEnglandLichfieldStaffordshire9Parish1061.84%1232,58032,21927,900Census 2001 : LichfieldEnglandNewryCounty Armagh/Down10—None16—1028,53026,96727,433Northern IrelandPerthPerth & Kinross11—None19— 1447,35046,97043,450ScotlandSalisburyWiltshire12Parish1261.04%1341,55240,30239,726Census 2001 : Salisbury (Former Local Authority)Census 2001 : SalisburyEnglandLisburnCounty Antrim/Down13—None20—1651,44745,37071,465Northern IrelandBangorCounty Down14—None21— 1964,59661,01158,388Northern IrelandHerefordHerefordshire15Parish1783.82%1753,11358,89650,154Census 2001 : HerefordshireEnglandStirlingStirling16—None23—1549,95045,75045,115ScotlandCity of WestminsterGreater London17District24———204,236219,396181,286EnglandInvernessHighland18—None——1863,73061,23571,000ScotlandCarlisleCumbria19Trustee2274.75%26110,024107,524100,739EnglandDunfermlineFife20—None—— 2076,21068,42639,320ScotlandWorcesterWorcestershire21District—74.12%25103,87298,76893,353Census 2001 : WorcesterEnglandDerryCounty Londonderry22—None——2185,27985,01683,652Northern IrelandLincolnLincolnshire23District—91.48%24103,81393,54185,595Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Key Statistics : City of Lincoln Retrieved 2009-11-22EnglandSt DavidsPembrokeshire—Community11.29%11,7511,8411,797Census 2001 : PembrokeshireWalesElyCambridgeshire—Parish68.04%820,57420,25615,102Census 2001 : East CambridgeshireEnglandCity of BathSomerset—Trustee——2297,06688,85983,992Bathnes.gov.uk , Bath and North East Somerset District Council: Population StatisticsEnglandCity of CanterburyKent—District154.27%—157,432151,145135,278EnglandCity of DurhamCounty Durham—Trustee14—23101,37294,37587,709Census 2001 : DurhamEnglandWrexhamWrexham—District183.45%—135,117134,884128,476WalesCity of WinchesterHampshire—District131.86%27127,444116,595107,222EnglandCity of ChesterCheshire—Trustee———138,87379,64577,040England

See also

Notes

Statistics in italics have been added for completion of the table. These are in numerical but non-ranking order. English cities prefixed 'City of...' are districts so named to distinguish them from a namesake settlement area which does not have city status, with the City of London having additional county status. All of these except London have several communities and suburbs within their boundaries, with most containing large swathes of countryside, extra settlements and sometimes parishes/communities.

References

England and Wales area figures are taken from the ONS Geography Linked Data, DEFRA, AND NOMIS sites. Scotland cities post-2000 area and population figures are taken from the Scotland Census site and settlement size used as local government areas there are not required to hold the city designation for their full area Northern Ireland (NI) area and population figures taken from the NISRA site.