The table displays the 31 smallest official cities in the United Kingdom across three measures. Most of these appear in all three of the following categories:
For the list of all 76 cities, and with additional information, see List of cities in the United Kingdom.
Lichfield, Hereford and Salisbury, in addition to being some of the smallest cities in England, are among the most populous civil parishes.
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).
City | Area (body/locale) 1 | Body 1 | Area (locale) 2 | Locale/ body % |
Census population 3 | Country | County/ | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | sq mi (km2) | Rank | sq mi (km2) | Rank (2011) |
2021 | 2011 | 2001 | |||||
City of London | 1 | 1.12 (2.90) | County | 3 | — | — | 2 | 8,583 | 7,375 | 7,185 [1] | England | City of London |
Wells | 2 | 2.11 (5.46) | Parish | 4 | 1.35 (3.50) | 63.99% | 3 | 11,145 | 10,536 | 10,406 [2] | England | Somerset |
St Asaph | 3 | 2.49 (6.45) | Community | 2 | 0.50 (1.29) | 20.19% | — | 3,485 | 3,355* | 3,491* | Wales | Denbighshire |
Bangor | 4 | 2.79 (7.23) | Community | 5 | 1.65 (4.27) | 59.20% | 5 | 15,060 | 16,358 [3] | 13,725 [4] | Wales | Gwynedd |
Ripon | 5 | 3.83 (9.92) | Parish | 7 | 1.97 (5.10) | 51.36% | 6 | 16,590 | 16,702 [5] | 15,922 [6] | England | North Yorkshire |
Armagh | 6 | — | None | 11 | 3.97 (10.28) | — | 4 | TBC | 14,749 | 14,590 | Northern Ireland | County Armagh |
Chichester | 7 | 4.12 (10.67) | Parish | 9 | 3.32 (8.60) | 80.77% | 9 | 29,407 | 26,795 | 23,731 [7] | England | West Sussex |
Truro | 8 | 4.15 (10.75) | Parish | 8 | 2.83 (7.33) | 68.25% | 7 | 21,046 | 18,766 | 17,431 [8] | England | Cornwall |
Lichfield | 9 | 5.41 (14.01) | Parish | 10 | 3.35 (8.68) | 61.84% | 11 | 32,580 | 32,219 | 27,900 [9] | England | Staffordshire |
Newry | 10 | — | None | 16 | 5.43 (14.06) | — | 10 | TBC | 26,967 | 27,433* | Northern Ireland | County Armagh/ Down |
Perth | 11 | — | None | 19 | 6.71 (17.38) | — | — | TBC | 46,970* [10] | 43,450* | Scotland | Perth & Kinross |
Salisbury | 12 | 7.14 (18.49) | Parish | 12 | 4.36 (11.29) | 61.04% | 12 | 41,552 | 40,302 | 39,726 |
England | Wiltshire |
Lisburn | 13 | — | None | 20 | 7.53 (19.50) | — | 13 | TBC | 45,370 [13] | 71,465* | Northern Ireland |
County Antrim |
Bangor | 14 | — | None | 21 | 7.55 (19.55) | — | — | TBC* | 61,011* | 58,388* | Northern Ireland | County |
Hereford | 15 | 7.85 (20.33) | Parish | 17 | 6.58 (17.04) | 83.82% | 15 | 53,113 | 58,896 [14] | 50,154 [15] | England | Herefordshire |
Stirling | 16 | — | None | 23 | 7.91 (20.49) | — | 14 | TBC | 45,750 | 45,115* | Scotland | Stirling |
City of Westminster | 17 | 8.29 (21.47) | District | 24 | — | — | — | 204,236 | 219,396 | 181,286 | England | Greater London |
Inverness | 18 | — | None | — | 10.28 (26.63) | — | 16 | TBC | 61,235 |
71,000 | Scotland | Highland |
City of Carlisle | 19 | 10.38 (26.88) 5 | Trustee | 22 | 7.76 (20.10) | 74.75% | 23 | 74,428 | 107,524 | 100,739 | England | Cumbria |
Dunfermline | 20 | — | None | — | 10.85 (28.10) | — | — | TBC* | 68,426* [18] | 39,320* [19] | Scotland | Fife |
Worcester | 21 | 12.85 (33.28) | District | — | 9.52 (24.66) | 74.12% | 22 | 103,872 | 98,768 | 93,353 [20] | England | Worcestershire |
Derry | 22 | — | None | — | 13.10 (33.93) | — | 18 | TBC | 85,016 | 83,652 | Northern Ireland |
County |
Lincoln | 23 | 13.78 (35.69) | District | — | 12.61 (32.66) | 91.48% | 20 | 103,813 | 93,541 | 85,595 [21] | England | Lincolnshire |
St Davids | — | 17.88 (46.31) | Community | 1 | 0.23 (0.596) | 1.29% | 1 | 1,751 | 1,841 | 1,797 [22] | Wales | Pembrokeshire |
Ely | — | 22.86 (59.21) | Parish | 6 | 1.84 (4.77) | 8.04% | 8 | 20,574 | 20,256 | 15,102 [23] | England | Cambridgeshire |
City of Bath | — | 28.68 (74.28) 5 | Trustee | — | 11.07 (28.67) | — | 19 | 97,066 | 88,859 | 83,992 [24] | England | Somerset |
City of Canterbury | — | 119.25 (308.86) | District | 15 | 5.09 (13.18) | 4.27% | — | 157,432 | 151,145 | 135,278 | England | Kent |
City of Durham | — | 186.68 (483.50) 5 | Trustee | 14 | 4.96 (12.85) | — | 21 | 101,372 | 94,375 | 87,709 [25] | England | County Durham |
Wrexham | — | 194.51 (503.78) | District | 18 | 6.70 (17.35) | 3.45% | — | 135,117* | 134,884* | 128,476* | Wales | Wrexham |
City of Winchester | — | 255.20 (660.96) | District | 13 | 4.76 (12.33) | 1.86% | 24 | 127,444 | 116,595 | 107,222 | England | Hampshire |
City of Chester | — | 448.04 (1,160.42) 5 | Trustee | — | 9.85 (25.51) | — | 17 | TBC | 79,645 [26] | 77,040 [27] | England | Cheshire |
Applications can only be made in respect of the whole of the local authority area, except in Scotland, where the award of city status operates differently because of differences in the legislation underpinning local government.
The table displays the 31 smallest official cities in the United Kingdom across three measures. Most of these appear in all three of the following categories:
For the list of all 76 cities, and with additional information, see List of cities in the United Kingdom.
Lichfield, Hereford and Salisbury, in addition to being some of the smallest cities in England, are among the most populous civil parishes.
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).
City | Area (body/locale) 1 | Body 1 | Area (locale) 2 | Locale/ body % |
Census population 3 | Country | County/ | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | sq mi (km2) | Rank | sq mi (km2) | Rank (2011) |
2021 | 2011 | 2001 | |||||
City of London | 1 | 1.12 (2.90) | County | 3 | — | — | 2 | 8,583 | 7,375 | 7,185 [1] | England | City of London |
Wells | 2 | 2.11 (5.46) | Parish | 4 | 1.35 (3.50) | 63.99% | 3 | 11,145 | 10,536 | 10,406 [2] | England | Somerset |
St Asaph | 3 | 2.49 (6.45) | Community | 2 | 0.50 (1.29) | 20.19% | — | 3,485 | 3,355* | 3,491* | Wales | Denbighshire |
Bangor | 4 | 2.79 (7.23) | Community | 5 | 1.65 (4.27) | 59.20% | 5 | 15,060 | 16,358 [3] | 13,725 [4] | Wales | Gwynedd |
Ripon | 5 | 3.83 (9.92) | Parish | 7 | 1.97 (5.10) | 51.36% | 6 | 16,590 | 16,702 [5] | 15,922 [6] | England | North Yorkshire |
Armagh | 6 | — | None | 11 | 3.97 (10.28) | — | 4 | TBC | 14,749 | 14,590 | Northern Ireland | County Armagh |
Chichester | 7 | 4.12 (10.67) | Parish | 9 | 3.32 (8.60) | 80.77% | 9 | 29,407 | 26,795 | 23,731 [7] | England | West Sussex |
Truro | 8 | 4.15 (10.75) | Parish | 8 | 2.83 (7.33) | 68.25% | 7 | 21,046 | 18,766 | 17,431 [8] | England | Cornwall |
Lichfield | 9 | 5.41 (14.01) | Parish | 10 | 3.35 (8.68) | 61.84% | 11 | 32,580 | 32,219 | 27,900 [9] | England | Staffordshire |
Newry | 10 | — | None | 16 | 5.43 (14.06) | — | 10 | TBC | 26,967 | 27,433* | Northern Ireland | County Armagh/ Down |
Perth | 11 | — | None | 19 | 6.71 (17.38) | — | — | TBC | 46,970* [10] | 43,450* | Scotland | Perth & Kinross |
Salisbury | 12 | 7.14 (18.49) | Parish | 12 | 4.36 (11.29) | 61.04% | 12 | 41,552 | 40,302 | 39,726 |
England | Wiltshire |
Lisburn | 13 | — | None | 20 | 7.53 (19.50) | — | 13 | TBC | 45,370 [13] | 71,465* | Northern Ireland |
County Antrim |
Bangor | 14 | — | None | 21 | 7.55 (19.55) | — | — | TBC* | 61,011* | 58,388* | Northern Ireland | County |
Hereford | 15 | 7.85 (20.33) | Parish | 17 | 6.58 (17.04) | 83.82% | 15 | 53,113 | 58,896 [14] | 50,154 [15] | England | Herefordshire |
Stirling | 16 | — | None | 23 | 7.91 (20.49) | — | 14 | TBC | 45,750 | 45,115* | Scotland | Stirling |
City of Westminster | 17 | 8.29 (21.47) | District | 24 | — | — | — | 204,236 | 219,396 | 181,286 | England | Greater London |
Inverness | 18 | — | None | — | 10.28 (26.63) | — | 16 | TBC | 61,235 |
71,000 | Scotland | Highland |
City of Carlisle | 19 | 10.38 (26.88) 5 | Trustee | 22 | 7.76 (20.10) | 74.75% | 23 | 74,428 | 107,524 | 100,739 | England | Cumbria |
Dunfermline | 20 | — | None | — | 10.85 (28.10) | — | — | TBC* | 68,426* [18] | 39,320* [19] | Scotland | Fife |
Worcester | 21 | 12.85 (33.28) | District | — | 9.52 (24.66) | 74.12% | 22 | 103,872 | 98,768 | 93,353 [20] | England | Worcestershire |
Derry | 22 | — | None | — | 13.10 (33.93) | — | 18 | TBC | 85,016 | 83,652 | Northern Ireland |
County |
Lincoln | 23 | 13.78 (35.69) | District | — | 12.61 (32.66) | 91.48% | 20 | 103,813 | 93,541 | 85,595 [21] | England | Lincolnshire |
St Davids | — | 17.88 (46.31) | Community | 1 | 0.23 (0.596) | 1.29% | 1 | 1,751 | 1,841 | 1,797 [22] | Wales | Pembrokeshire |
Ely | — | 22.86 (59.21) | Parish | 6 | 1.84 (4.77) | 8.04% | 8 | 20,574 | 20,256 | 15,102 [23] | England | Cambridgeshire |
City of Bath | — | 28.68 (74.28) 5 | Trustee | — | 11.07 (28.67) | — | 19 | 97,066 | 88,859 | 83,992 [24] | England | Somerset |
City of Canterbury | — | 119.25 (308.86) | District | 15 | 5.09 (13.18) | 4.27% | — | 157,432 | 151,145 | 135,278 | England | Kent |
City of Durham | — | 186.68 (483.50) 5 | Trustee | 14 | 4.96 (12.85) | — | 21 | 101,372 | 94,375 | 87,709 [25] | England | County Durham |
Wrexham | — | 194.51 (503.78) | District | 18 | 6.70 (17.35) | 3.45% | — | 135,117* | 134,884* | 128,476* | Wales | Wrexham |
City of Winchester | — | 255.20 (660.96) | District | 13 | 4.76 (12.33) | 1.86% | 24 | 127,444 | 116,595 | 107,222 | England | Hampshire |
City of Chester | — | 448.04 (1,160.42) 5 | Trustee | — | 9.85 (25.51) | — | 17 | TBC | 79,645 [26] | 77,040 [27] | England | Cheshire |
Applications can only be made in respect of the whole of the local authority area, except in Scotland, where the award of city status operates differently because of differences in the legislation underpinning local government.