kids encyclopedia robot

List of urban areas in the United Kingdom facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

A list of the biggest urban areas in the United Kingdom, based on the official count from the 2011 census. These areas are defined by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

What is a Built-up Area?

The ONS uses the term "built-up area" to describe places where lots of buildings are close together. It's like saying "urban area," but with a clearer rule.

Think of it as a "bricks and mortar" rule. This means an area is counted as built-up if it has:

  • A minimum size of 20 hectares (that's about 20 football fields).
  • Settlements (like towns or villages) that are less than 200 metres apart are connected and counted as one area.
  • Even small parts of a larger city are looked at closely to get detailed information.

So, a built-up area includes all the permanent buildings and the land they sit on. It also includes roads, railways, and canals if they have buildings on their sides or connect built-up places that are close. Things like airports, train yards, and car parks are also part of it. However, open spaces like playing fields or golf courses are usually not included, unless they are completely surrounded by buildings.

Most Populous Areas

This list shows the most populated built-up areas in the United Kingdom from the 2011 census. It includes all areas with more than 100,000 people.

# Area Population
(2011)		 Area (km2) Density (People/km2) Main Parts Changes from 2001 to 2011
1 Greater London 9,787,426 1,737.9 5,630 London boroughs, Hemel Hempstead, Watford, Woking, Harlow, St Albans, Bracknell Guildford, Harlow, Bracknell and St Albans were added.
2 Greater Manchester 2,553,379 630.3 4,051 Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale, Bury, Atherton, Leigh, Trafford, Tameside Golborne, Glossop and Newton-le-Willows were added.
3 West Midlands 2,440,986 598.9 4,076 Birmingham, Wolverhampton, West Bromwich, Dudley, Walsall, Solihull
4 West Yorkshire 1,777,934 487.8 3,645 Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Keighley, Halifax Halifax was added.
5 Greater Glasgow 957,620 368.5 3,390 Glasgow, Paisley, Clydebank, Rutherglen, Newton Mearns, Bearsden, Cambuslang, Clarkston, Bishopbriggs
6 Liverpool 864,122 199.6 4,329 Liverpool, Bootle, Litherland, Crosby, Prescot, St. Helens, Ashton-in-Makerfield Ashton-in-Makerfield was added.
7 South Hampshire 855,569 192.0 4,455 Portsmouth, Southampton, Eastleigh, Gosport, Fareham, Havant Portsmouth Urban Area and Southampton Urban Area were combined. Hedge End, Locks Heath, Bursledon and Whiteley were added. Stubbington and Lee-on-the-Solent were removed.
8 Tyneside 774,891 180.5 4,292 Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside Washington, Chester-le-Street, Hetton-le-Hole, Houghton-le-Spring were removed.
9 Nottingham 729,977 176.4 4,139 Nottingham, Beeston, Carlton, West Bridgford, Ilkeston, Hucknall
10 Sheffield 685,368 167.5 4,092 Sheffield, Rotherham, Rawmarsh
11 Bristol 617,280 144.4 4,274 Bristol, Filton, Pill, Frampton Cotterell, Kingswood, Warmley, Mangotsfield, Winterbourne
12 Belfast 595,879 960 620 Belfast, Castlereagh, Greenisland, Holywood, Lisburn, Newtownabbey
13 Leicester 508,916 109.4 4,653 Leicester, Wigston, Oadby, Syston, Blaby, Birstall, Narborough, Enderby Ratby was removed and Narborough and Enderby were added.
14 Edinburgh 482,270 125 4,172 Edinburgh, Musselburgh, Wallyford
15 Brighton and Hove 474,485 89.4 5,304 Brighton and Hove, Worthing, Littlehampton, Shoreham-by-Sea Rottingdean, Saltdean and Findon were removed.
16 Bournemouth/ Poole 466,266 131.0 3,559 Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Ferndown, New Milton, Wimborne Minster Ferndown and Wimborne Minster were added.
17 Cardiff 447,287 102.3 4,370 Cardiff, Caerphilly, Penarth, Pontypridd Caerphilly and Pontypridd were added.
18 Teesside 376,633 108.2 3,482 Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Billingham, Redcar Eston & Southbank were added to the Middlesbrough sub-division.
19 Stoke-on-Trent 372,775 103.9 3,588 Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Kidsgrove
20 Coventry 359,262 81.3 4,420 Coventry, Bedworth
21 Sunderland 335,415 137.5 4,018 Sunderland, Washington, Chester-Le-Street, Hetton-le-Hole, Houghton-le-Spring Washington, Chester-Le-Street, Hetton-le-Hole and Houghton-le-Spring were added.
22 Birkenhead 325,264 88.2 3,687 Birkenhead, Wallasey, Ellesmere Port, Bebington
23 Reading 318,014 83.7 3,800 Reading, Wokingham, Woodley, Crowthorne Bracknell was removed.
24 Kingston upon Hull 314,018 82.6 3,802 Kingston upon Hull, Cottingham, Hessle
25 Preston 313,322 82.4 3,802 Preston, Bamber Bridge, Chorley, Fulwood, Leyland Longton and Adlington were added.
26 Newport 306,844 84.2 3,643 Newport, Pontypool, Cwmbran, Blackwood, Risca, Ystrad Mynach Pontypool, Cwmbran and Blackwood were added.
27 Swansea 300,352 87.6 3,431 Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot, Ystradgynlais, Pontardawe Ystradgynlais was added.
28 Southend-on-Sea 295,310 71.8 4,111 Southend-on-Sea, Hullbridge, Rayleigh, Rochford Hullbridge was added.
29 Derby 270,468 64.1 4,219 Derby, Borrowash, Duffield
30 Plymouth 260,203 59.7 4,356 Plymouth
31 Luton 258,018 50.7 5,088 Luton, Dunstable, Houghton Regis
32 Farnborough/ Aldershot 252,397 78.5 3,217 Farnborough, Aldershot, Camberley, Farnham, Frimley, Sandhurst, Yateley
33 Medway Towns 243,931 52.2 4,677 Gillingham, Chatham, Rochester
34 Blackpool 239,409 61.3 3,908 Blackpool, Lytham St Annes, Poulton-le-Fylde, Thornton, Cleveleys Fleetwood was removed.
35 Milton Keynes 229,941 62.5 3,678 "Milton Keynes", Bletchley, Newport Pagnell, Woburn Sands Woburn Sands was added.
36 Barnsley/ Dearne Valley 223,281 59.7 3,739 Barnsley, Wath upon Dearne, Wombwell, Hoyland
37 Northampton 215,963 57.9 3,731 Northampton, Collingtree
38 Norwich 213,166 61.9 3,444 Norwich, Taverham, Costessey, Cringleford, Colney, Horsham St Faith, Queens Hills, Thorpe End, Trowse with Newton
39 Aberdeen 208,190 69.5 3,050 Aberdeen
40 Swindon 185,609 47.1 3,945 Swindon, Haydon Wick, Stratton St. Margaret, Broad Blunsdon, Blunsdon St Andrew, Wroughton
41 Crawley 180,508 58.1 3,107 Crawley, Horley, East Grinstead, Copthorne, Crawley Down East Grinstead, Copthorne and Crawley Down were added. Reigate and Redhill were removed.
42 Ipswich 178,835 49.1 3,639 Ipswich, Kesgrave, Woodbridge Woodbridge was added.
43 Wigan 175,405 43.8 4,009 Wigan, Skelmersdale, Standish, Ince-in-Makerfield
44 Mansfield 171,958 48.4 3,556 Mansfield, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Mansfield Woodhouse
45 Oxford 171,380 37.4 4,585 Oxford, Kennington, Wheatley Kennington and Wheatley were added.
46 Warrington 165,456 44.9 3,686 Warrington
47 Slough 163,777 34.1 4,797 Slough, Stoke Poges, Poyle
48 Peterborough 163,379 44.2 3,693 Peterborough, Farcet
49 Cambridge 158,434 42.1 3,760 Cambridge, Fen Ditton, Girton, Histon Histon and Fen Ditton were added.
50 Doncaster 158,141 43.5 3,634 Doncaster, Bentley, Armthorpe, Sprotbrough Bessacarr was added.
51 Dundee 157,550 49.9 3,180 Dundee, Monifieth, Invergowrie
52 York 153,717 34.0 4,518 York, Earswick
53 Gloucester 150,053 40.4 3,718 Gloucester, Innsworth
54 Burnley 149,422 35.7 4,183 Burnley, Padiham, Brierfield, Colne, Barrowford, Nelson
55 Telford 147,980 47.7 3,103 Telford, Broseley
56 Blackburn 146,521 35.6 4,115 Blackburn, Darwen
57 Basildon 144,859 37.1 3,902 Basildon, Wickford, Ramsden Heath, North Benfleet Wickford was added.
58 Grimsby 134,160 35.3 3,804 Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Waltham New Waltham was removed.
59 Hastings 133,422 33.2 4,019 Hastings, Bexhill
60 High Wycombe 133,204 39.2 3,398 High Wycombe, Cookham, Hughenden Valley
61 Thanet 125,370 27.9 4,495 Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs
62 Accrington/ Rossendale 125,059 30.0 4,168 Accrington, Rawtenstall, Bacup, Great Harwood, Haslingden, Oswaldtwistle, Church Accrington and Rossendale areas were combined.
63 Motherwell 124,540 45.1 2,765 Motherwell, Wishaw, Bellshill, Viewpark, Newmains, Holytown
64 Burton-upon-Trent 122,199 35.0 3,487 Burton-upon-Trent, Swadlincote Swadlincote, Stapenhill and Winshill were added.
65 Colchester 121,859 32.7 3,732 Colchester, Marks Tey
66 Eastbourne 118,219 25.1 4,705 Eastbourne, Polegate
67 Exeter 117,763 28.5 4,133 Exeter, Topsham
68 Cheltenham 116,447 28.9 4,034 Cheltenham
69 Paignton/ Torquay 115,410 31.5 3,667 Paignton, Torquay, Marldon
70 Lincoln 114,879 32.7 3,518 Lincoln, North Hykeham
71 Chesterfield 113,057 34.6 3,263 Chesterfield, Staveley, Wingerworth, Holymoorside Wingerworth was added.
72 Chelmsford 111,511 26.2 4,259 Chelmsford, Little Waltham
73 Basingstoke 107,642 29.4 3,662 Basingstoke
74 Maidstone 107,627 25.4 4,229 Maidstone
75 Bedford 106,940 24.8 4,309 Bedford, Kempston
76 Worcester 101,659 24.7 4,121 Worcester, Norton

Map of Major Built-up Areas

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anexo:Ciudades del Reino Unido por población para niños

  • City region (United Kingdom)
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
List of urban areas in the United Kingdom Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.