Eurostat's urban population statistics

The list below provides the most accurate comparison of urban demographics in the European Union as it benefits from the harmonized Eurostat definitions^[1]. These definitions were agreed between Eurostat and the National Statistics Offices of the different countries of the European Union at the occasion of the European Commission's urban audit of 2004^[2]. The Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) is the statistical arm of the European Commission, producing data for the European Union and promoting harmonisation of statistical methods across the member states. ... The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ...

Eurostat's urban definitions

The below list shows the population sizes by two spatial definitions: Larger Urban Zone and City. Eurostat typically defines the City Level by using political boundaries in order to make this definition directly relevant to policy makers and politicians. In many countries these boundaries are clearly established and well-known. As a result, for most cities the boundary used in the Urban Audit corresponds to the general perception of that city. However, for some cities such as for instance Paris it was necessary to develop another definition (see below). The Larger Urban Zone represents a harmonized definition of the metropolitan area. Eurostat's objective was to have an area from a significant share of the resident commute into the city, a concept known as the “functional urban region”. To ensure a good data availability, Eurostat works with administrative boundaries that approximate the functional urban region. A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large city and its adjacent zone of influence, or of several neighboring cities or towns and adjoining areas, with one or more large cities serving as its hub or hubs. ...

Ranking methodology

The list below contains all cities in the European Union of which the population is one million or more for Eurostat's spatial definition of City. For those cities selected, the population for Eurostat's spatial definitions of City and Larger Urban Zone is shown. This approach avoids the list containing Larger Urban Zones that are commonly not regarded as true cities, eg Randstad. The cities are ranked by the size of the population of the Larger Urban Zone. Obviously, other lists can be created by using different selection criteria and by ranking on a different value. Yet whatever the selection or ranking methodology, the figures in the Eurostat database are harmonized for all of the European Union, making comparisons accurate. The data used is from the 2004 urban audit, which uses information collected for 2001, without any grossing up, in order to maintain full accuracy. The main municipalities of the Randstad; note that the marked areas are not just the built-up areas but the whole municipalities The Randstad is an agglomeration in the Netherlands. ...

European Union cities by population, in millions

Rank	City name	Country	Larger Urban Zone	City Level Definition
1	London	United Kingdom	13.5 (18.2 in the greater London region)	7.2
2	Paris	France	11.0	6.2
3	Madrid	Spain	5.4	3.0
4	Berlin	Germany	4.9	3.4
5	Barcelona	Spain	4.8	1.5
6	Milan	Italy	3.9	1.3
7	Rome	Italy	3.7	2.5
8	Hamburg	Germany	3.1	1.7
9	Naples	Italy	3.1	1.0
10	Stuttgart	Germany	2.7	<1.0
11	Warsaw	Poland	2.6	1.6
12	Budapest	Hungary	2.5	1.8
13	Munich	Germany	2.4	1.2
14	Birmingham	United Kingdom	2.3	1.0
15	Vienna	Austria	2.1	1.6
16	Bucharest	Romania	2.1	1.9
17	Prague	Czech Republic	1.9	1.3
18	Cologne	Germany	1.9	1.0
19	Brussels	Belgium	1.8	1.0
20	Lyon	France	1.6	1.2
21	Dublin	Ireland	1.67	1.1
22	Sofia	Bulgaria	1.3	1.1
23	Lille	France	1.2	1.1
24	Marseille	France	1.0	1.0

London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ...   City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région ÃŽle-de-France Département Paris (75) Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Mayor Bertrand Delanoë  (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land area... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... Location Location of Madrid in Europe Coordinates : 40° 23’N , 3°43′0″W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Villa de Madrid (Spanish) Spanish name Villa de Madrid Founded 9th century Postal code 28001-28080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 91 (Villa de... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... Berlin is the capital city and a state of Germany. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Nickname Ciutat Comtal Postal code 08001-08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... Country Italy Region Lombardy Province Milan (MI) Mayor Letizia Moratti Elevation 120 m Area 182 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 1,308,311  - Density 6,988/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Milanesi Dialing code 02 Postal code 20100 Patron St. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 8th century BC Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 km²  (496. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Hamburgs motto: May the posterity endeavour with dignity to conserve the freedom, which the forefathers acquired. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Country Italy Region Campania Province Naples (NA) Mayor Rosa Russo Jervolino Elevation 17 m Area 117 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 1,000,470  - Density 8,457/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Napoletani Dialing code 081 Postal code 80100 Patron Saint Januarius  - Day September... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Stuttgart [], a city located in southern Germany, is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg with a population of approximately 590,000 (as of September 2005) in the city and around 3 million in the metropolitan area. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Warsaw (Polish: , , in full The Capital City of Warsaw, Polish: Miasto StoÅ‚eczne Warszawa) is the capital of Poland and its largest city. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Poland_(bordered). ... Nickname: Paris of the East, Pearl of the Danubeor Queen of the Danube Location of Budapest in Hungary Country Hungary County Pest Mayor Gábor Demszky (SZDSZ) Area    - City 525,16 km²  - Land n/a km²  - Water n/a km² Population    - City (2006) 1,695,000  - Density 3570/km... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hungary. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München, (pronounced listen) is the capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria (German: Freistaat Bayern). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... The city from above Centenary Square. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Inhabitants according to official census figures: 1800 to 2005 Vienna in 1858 UN complex in Vienna, with the non-affiliated Austria Center Vienna in front - picture taken from Danube Tower in nearby Danube Park. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Austria. ... Status Capital of Romania Mayor Adriean Videanu, Democratic Party, since 2005 Area 228 km² Population (2003) 1,921,751[1] Density 9131. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Romania. ... Prague (Czech: Praha (IPA: ), see also other names) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic_(bordered). ... Köln redirects here. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 797 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area    - City 162 (Region) km²  (62. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belgium_(civil). ...   City flag City coat of arms Motto: (Arpitan: Forward, forward, Lyon the best) Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région Rhône-Alpes Département Rhône (69) Subdivisions 9 arrondissements Intercommunality Urban Community of Lyon Mayor Gérard Collomb  (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ireland_(bordered). ... Position of Sofia in Bulgaria Coordinates: Country Bulgaria Province Sofia-City Mayor Boyko Borisov Area    - City 1,310 km²  - Land (?) km²  - Water (?) km² Elevation 550 m Population    - City (12 June 2006) 1,203,680  - Density 907/km²  - Metro 1,326,377 Time zone EET (UTC+2) EEST (UTC+3) Website... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bulgaria_(bordered). ... t* Autoroute A22 : Lille - Antwerp - Netherlands A sixth oher ejt weoitjh w newr0tipew roj40=9 dfiojg b o4it orpitre royieoy i53 -y035 3[49430ne — the proposed A24 — will link Amiens to Lille if built, but there is opposition to its route. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... City flag Coat of arms Motto: By her great deeds, Marseille shines in the world Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur Département Bouches-du-Rhône (13) Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin (UMP) (since 1995) Subdivisions 16 arrondissements (in... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ...

Comparison between London and Paris

Not only have such comparisons always proven difficult because of different definitions employed, in many cases they have also been controversial because of the old rivalry between these two capital cities. Eurostat finished this debate by creating three harmonized definitions^[3]. In terms of geographic area, Eurostat uses a larger surface area for the Kernel and City of London than for Paris and a larger surface area for the Larger Urban Zone of Paris than for London. Eurostat has also published maps to clearly demonstrate the difference^[4]. The table below shows the 2001 figures used in the latest Urban Audit by the European Commission.

The London LUZ contains following authorities: Greater London, Basildon, Tonbridge and Malling, Epping Forest, St. Albans, Bracknell Forest, Broxbourne, Castle Point, Medway, Epsom and Ewell, Mole Valley, Southend-on-Sea, Hertsmere, Uttlesford, Surrey Heath, Dartford, Chiltern, Dacorum, Elmbridge, Welwyn Hatfield, Guildford, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Stevenage, Spelthorne, Woking, Harlow, Tandridge, Reigate and Banstead, Three Rivers, Rochford, Sevenoaks, Slough, Watford, Windsor and Maidenhead, South Bucks, Runnymede, Thurrock, Maldon, Maidstone, East Hertfordshire, Gravesham and Tunbridge Wells.

UK authorities sometimes use broader definitions for the London metropolitan area, the Eurostat definition of London's LUZ for instance does not include Reading. This is why some UK definitions will result in a metropolitan population of 13 - 14 mio versus the 11.6 as defined by Eurostat (2001).

The harmonization of the city definitions also allows to compare GDP numbers for the first time. For 2003 these were €454.9 billion for LUZ Paris and €494.3 billion for LUZ London.

Urban Audit

Eurostat's Urban Audit is about much more than demographics. In order for it to be useful as a policy tool to the European Commission and other authorities it contains data for over 250 indicators across the following domains^[5]:

• Demography
• Social Aspects
• Economic Aspects
• Civic Involvement
• Training and Education
• Environment
• Travel and Transport
• Information Society
• Culture and Recreation

References

1. ^ "Urban Audit Methodological Handbook", Eurostat, 2004.
2. ^ "The shift of Eurostat to Urban Statistics", Berthold Feldman, Eurostat, 2006-03-14.
3. ^ "Towards a common standard - Comparing European and American Cities", GLA Economics, July 2005.
4. ^ "The Urban Audit - An Introduction and The First Results", Elisabeth Helander, Eurostat, 2004.
5. ^ "Urban Audit", European Commission, 2006.