List of European cities by population within city limits explained

This list ranks European cities by population within city limits. The largest cities in Europe have official populations of over one million inhabitants within their city boundaries. These rankings are based on populations contained within city administrative boundaries, as opposed to urban areas or metropolitan areas, which necessarily have larger populations than the cities at their core.

The limits of a city proper can differ greatly from the size of the city's urban area, so the figures in this list may not give an accurate view of the comparative population of different cities and should be treated with caution. For example, the Paris metropolitan area is the second most populous in Europe, but the strict definition of the administrative limits of the City of Paris results in a far lower population.

Largest cities

City	Country	Official population	Date	Ref.
Istanbul				^[1]
Moscow				^[2]
London				^[3]
Saint Petersburg
Berlin				^[4]
Madrid				^[5]
Kyiv				^[6]
Rome				^[7]
Baku				^[8]
Paris				^[9]
Vienna				^[10]
Minsk				^[11]
Hamburg
Warsaw				^[12]
Bucharest				^[13]
Belgrade				^[14]
Budapest				^[15]
Barcelona
Munich
Kharkiv
Prague				^[16]
Milan
Kazan
Sofia				^[17]
Tbilisi				^[18]
Nizhny Novgorod
Ufa
Samara
Birmingham
Rostov-on-Don
Krasnodar
Yerevan				^[19]
Cologne
Voronezh
Perm
Volgograd
Odesa

See also

• List of urban areas in Europe
• List of metropolitan areas in Europe
• List of urban areas in the European Union

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Results of Address Based Population Registration System, 2023. Turkish Statistical Institute. 2024-02-06. 2024-02-06.
2. Web site: Численность постоянного населения Российской Федерации по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2024 года. ru. Russian Federal State Statistics Service. 2024-04-29.
3. Web site: Estimates of the population for the UK, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Office for National Statistics. 2024-03-26. 2024-07-01.
4. Web site: Städte (Alle Gemeinden mit Stadtrecht) nach Fläche, Bevölkerung und Bevölkerungsdichte am 31.12.2022. Federal Statistical Office of Germany. de. 2023-09-21. 2023-10-24.
5. Web site: Municipal breakdown. Instituto Nacional de Estadística. 2024-01-26.
6. Web site: Number of Present Population of Ukraine, as of January 1. State Statistics Service of Ukraine. 35–47. 2022. 2023-04-10.
7. Web site: Resident population on 1st January. Italian National Institute of Statistics. 2024-05-17.
8. Web site: Population: Administrative – territorial divisions, number and structure of population. State Statistics Committee. 2023-11-28. 2024-03-23.
9. Web site: Estimation de la population au 1^er janvier 2024. Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques. fr. 2024-01-16. 2024-06-06.
10. Web site: Population at beginning of year/quarter. Statistics Austria. 2024-04-14.
11. Web site: Численность населения на 1 января 2024 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2023 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа. National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus. ru. 2024-03-28. 2024-04-13.
12. Web site: Population. Size and structure and vital statistics in Poland by territorial division in 2022. As of 30 June (Table III). Statistics Poland. 2023-10-16. 2023-10-24.
13. Web site: POP105A - Populația rezidentă la 1 Ianuarie pe grupe de vârste, sexe și medii de rezidență, macroregiuni, regiuni de dezvoltare și județe. National Institute of Statistics. ro. 2023-09-05. 2023-09-23.
14. Web site: Estimates of population: Estimated population, 2023. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. 2024-08-06.
15. Web site: Population by type of settlement, 1 January. Hungarian Central Statistical Office. 2023-10-24.
16. Web site: Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024. Czech Statistical Office. 2024-05-17.
17. Web site: Population by districts, municipalities, place of residence and sex. National Statistical Institute. 2024-04-29. 2024-07-01.
18. Web site: Population: Population by cities and boroughs, as of 1 January. National Statistics Office of Georgia. 2024-01-02.
19. Web site: Number of De Jure Population of the Republic of Armenia as of July 1, 2024. Statistical Committee of Armenia. 4. en, hy. 2024-08-06.