List of non-metropolitan counties of England by population

This is a list of non-metropolitan counties of England by population.

It includes those non-metropolitan counties (also known as shire counties) with a two-tier county council structure and does not include metropolitan counties or unitary authorities.

In cases where a unitary authority has been detached from a shire county the population of the unitary authority is excluded. For example, Luton is excluded from the population figure for Bedfordshire.

The figures are mid-year estimates for 2004 from the Office for National Statistics[1].

Rank	County	Population	Area (in km2)	Density (people/km2)
1	Kent	1,359,300	3,545	383
2	Essex	1,330,300	3,472	383
3	Hampshire	1,253,300	3,679	341
4	Lancashire	1,152,000	2,904	397
5	Surrey	1,067,200	1,670	639
6	Hertfordshire	1,041,300	1,643	634
7	Norfolk	816,500	5,372	152
8	Staffordshire	812,500	2,623	310
9	West Sussex	762,000	1,991	383
10	Nottinghamshire	759,600	2,085	364
11	Derbyshire	745,600	2,551	292
12	Devon	724,700	6,567	110
13	Suffolk	683,800	3,802	180
14	Cheshire	680,000	2,083	326
15	Lincolnshire	673,500	5,921	114
16	Northamptonshire	646,800	2,367	273
17	Leicestershire	623,900	2,084	299
18	Oxfordshire	619,700	2,606	238
19	North Yorkshire	579,900	8,040	72
20	Cambridgeshire	578,800	3,053	190
21	Gloucestershire	572,800	2,653	216
22	Worcestershire	552,000	1,741	317
23	Warwickshire	525,500	1,978	266
24	Cornwall	515,300	3,549	145
25	Somerset	512,500	3,452	148
26	County Durham	497,000	2,232	223
27	East Sussex	496,700	1,713	290
28	Cumbria	494,800	6,823	73
29	Buckinghamshire	478,600	1,565	306
30	Wiltshire	444,600	3,255	137
31	Dorset	400,000	2,542	157
32	Bedfordshire	392,200	1,192	329
33	Northumberland	310,800	5,026	62
34	Shropshire	288,000	3,197	90

By population density

Rank	County	Population	Area (in km2)	Density (people/km2)
1	Surrey	1,067,200	1,670	639
2	Hertfordshire	1,041,300	1,643	634
3	Lancashire	1,152,000	2,904	397
4	Kent	1,359,300	3,545	383
5	Essex	1,330,300	3,472	383
6	West Sussex	762,000	1,991	383
7	Nottinghamshire	759,600	2,085	364
8	Hampshire	1,253,300	3,679	341
9	Bedfordshire	392,200	1,192	329
10	Cheshire	680,000	2,083	326
11	Worcestershire	552,000	1,741	317
12	Staffordshire	812,500	2,623	310
13	Buckinghamshire	478,600	1,565	306
14	Leicestershire	623,900	2,084	299
15	Derbyshire	745,600	2,551	292
16	East Sussex	496,700	1,713	290
17	Northamptonshire	646,800	2,367	273
18	Warwickshire	525,500	1,978	266
19	Oxfordshire	619,700	2,606	238
20	County Durham	497,000	2,232	223
21	Gloucestershire	572,800	2,653	216
22	Cambridgeshire	578,800	3,053	190
23	Suffolk	683,800	3,802	180
24	Dorset	400,000	2,542	157
25	Norfolk	816,500	5,372	152
26	Somerset	512,500	3,452	148
27	Cornwall	515,300	3,549	145
28	Wiltshire	444,600	3,255	137
29	Lincolnshire	673,500	5,921	114
30	Devon	724,700	6,567	110
31	Shropshire	288,000	3,197	90
32	Cumbria	494,800	6,823	73
33	North Yorkshire	579,900	8,040	72
34	Northumberland	310,800	5,026	62

See also