How Many Counties in the UK
The total number of counties in the UK depends on the type of county included.
In summary, England has a total of 48 ceremonial counties, 39 historic counties, and 83 metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties.
Scotland is composed of 33 local government counties, whereas Wales has 22 unitary county and county borough councils.
As for Northern Ireland, it comprises only six counties. If you were to only add the 48 ceremonial counties of England, 33 local government counties of Scotland, 22 unitary county and county borough councils of Wales, and six counties of Northern Island, the total number of UK counties is 109.
Counties of England
Ceremonial counties are also known as lieutenancy areas of England where Lords-lieutenants are selected under the Lieutenancies Act 1997.
As for Historic counties, these are counties in the past used by the seven kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England. It is also referred to as traditional or ancient counties.
Historic counties are used for several purposes, including law enforcement and local government units.
Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties serve as a local government outside Greater London and the Isles of Scilly that is created by the Local Government Act 1972.
This is not to be confused with London Boroughs that form the administrative regions of Greater London.
Table of Ceremonial Counties of England
| Ceremonial Counties | |||
| County | Population | Region | District |
| Bedfordshire | 669,338 | East |
|
| Berkshire | 911,403 | South East |
|
| Bristol | 463,405 | South West | Bristol |
| Buckinghamshire | 808,666 | South East |
|
| Cambridgeshire | 852,523 | East |
|
| Cheshire | 1,059,271 | North West |
|
| City of London | 8,706 | London | City of London |
| Cornwall | 568,210 | South West |
|
| Cumbria | 498,888 | North West |
|
| Derbyshire | 1,053,316 | East Midlands |
|
| Devon | 1,194,166 | South West |
|
| Dorset | 772,268 | South West |
|
| Durham | 866,846 | North East |
|
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 600,259 | Yorkshire and the Humber |
|
| East Sussex | 844,985 | South East |
|
| Essex | 1,832,752 | East |
|
| Gloucestershire | 916,202 | South West |
|
| Greater London | 8,899,375 | London |
|
| Greater Manchester | 2,812,569 | North West |
|
| Hampshire | 1,844,245 | South East |
|
| Herefordshire | 192,107 | East | Herefordshire |
| Hertfordshire | 1,184,365 | West Midlands |
|
| Isle of Wight | 141,538 | South East | Isle of Wight |
| Kent | 1,846,478 | South East |
|
| Lancashire | 1,498,300 | North West |
|
| Leicestershire | 1,053,486 | East Midlands |
|
| Lincolnshire | 1,087,659 | East Midlands
Yorkshire and the Humber |
|
| Merseyside | 1,423,065 | North West |
|
| Norfolk | 903,680 | East |
|
| North Yorkshire | 1,158,816 | Yorkshire and the Humber
North East |
|
| Northamptonshire | 747,622 | East Midlands |
|
| Northumberland | 320,274 | North East | Northumberland |
| Nottinghamshire | 1,154,195 | East Midlands |
|
| Oxfordshire | 687,524 | South East |
|
| Rutland | 39,697 | East Midlands | Rutland |
| Shropshire | 498,073 | West Midlands |
|
| Somerset | 965,424 | South West |
|
| South Yorkshire | 1,402,918 | Yorkshire and the Humber |
|
| Staffordshire | 1,131,052 | West Midlands |
|
| Suffolk | 758,556 | East |
|
| Surrey | 1,189,934 | South East |
|
| Tyne and Wear | 1,136,371 | North East |
|
| Warwickshire | 571,010 | West Midlands |
|
| West Midlands | 2,916,458 | West Midlands |
|
| West Sussex | 858,852 | South East |
|
| West Yorkshire | 2,320,214 | Yorkshire and the Humber |
|
| Wiltshire | 720,060 | South West |
|
| Worcestershire | 592,057 | West Midlands |
|
Table of Historic Counties of England
| Historic Counties | ||
| County | County Name | County Town (Capital) |
| Bedfordshire | County of Bedford | Bedford |
| Berkshire | County of Berks | Reading |
| Buckinghamshire | County of Buckingham | Aylesbury |
| Cambridgeshire | County of Cambridge | Cambridge |
| Cheshire | County of Chester | Chester |
| Cornwall | – | Truro |
| Cumberland | – | Carlisle |
| Derbyshire | County of Derby | Matlock |
| Devon | Devonshire | Exeter |
| Dorset | Dorsetshire | Dorchester |
| County Durham | County of Durham | Durham |
| Essex | – | Chelmsford |
| Gloucestershire | County of Gloucester | Gloucester |
| Hampshire | County of Southampton, Southamptonshire | Southampton |
| Herefordshire | County of Hereford | Hereford |
| Hertfordshire | County of Hertford | Hertford |
| Huntingdonshire | County of Huntingdon | Huntingdon |
| Kent | – | Maidstone |
| Lancashire | County of Lancaster | Lancaster |
| Leicestershire | County of Leicester | Leicester |
| Lincolnshire | County of Lincoln | Lincoln |
| Middlesex | – | Brentford |
| Norfolk | – | Norwich |
| Northamptonshire | County of Northampton | Alnwick |
| Northumberland | – | Northampton |
| Nottinghamshire | County of Nottingham | Nottingham |
| Oxfordshire | County of Oxford | Oxford |
| Rutland | Rutlandshire | Oakham |
| Shropshire | County of Salop | Shrewsbury |
| Somerset | Somersetshire | Somerton |
| Staffordshire | County of Stafford | Stafford |
| Suffolk | – | Ipswich |
| Surrey | – | Guildford |
| Sussex | – | Chichester |
| Warwickshire | County of Warwick | Warwick |
| Westmorland | – | Appleby |
| Wiltshire | County of Wilts | Trowbridge |
| Worcestershire | County of Worcester | Worcester |
| Yorkshire | County of York | York |
Table of Metropolitan and Non-metropolitan Counties of England
| Metropolitan and Non-metropolitan Counties | |||
| Non-metropolitan county with county council | Non-metropolitan county with no county council | Non-metropolitan county that is also a unitary authority | Metropolitan county |
|
|
|
|
Counties of Scotland
The 33 local government counties of Scotland are also known as Scottish councils.
The counties are responsible for several functions such as regional planning, social work, and education.
To function, it gets funds from the Scottish Government and Council Taxes.
Table of Local Government Counties of Scotland
| County | County Town | Area (sq km) |
| Aberdeenshire | Aberdeen | 5,050 |
| Angus | Forfar | 2,182 |
| Argyll | Inveraray | 8,055 |
| Ayrshire | Ayr | 2,924 |
| Banffshire | Banff | 1,660 |
| Berwickshire | Berwick (historical)
Greenlaw (1596–1890) Duns (modern) |
1,184 |
| Buteshire | Rothesay | 583 |
| Caithness | Wick | 1,601 |
| Clackmannanshire | Alloa
Clackmannan (historic) |
159.0 |
| Dumfriesshire | Dumfries | 2,753 |
| Dunbartonshire | Dumbarton | 624 |
| East Lothian | Haddington | 679.2 |
| Fife | Glenrothes | 1,325 |
| Inverness-shire | Inverness | 10,906 |
| Kincardineshire | Stonehaven | 984 |
| Kinross-shire | Kinross | 189 |
| Kirkcudbrightshire | Kirkcudbright | 2,328 |
| Lanarkshire | Lanark (historic)
Hamilton (modern) |
2,277 |
| Midlothian | Dalkeith | 353.7 |
| Moray | Elgin | 1,233 |
| Nairnshire | Nairn | 518 |
| Orkney | The Mainland | 990 |
| Peeblesshire | Peebles | 1,419 |
| Perthshire | Perth | 6,550 |
| Renfrewshire | Renfrew | 634 |
| Ross and Cromarty | Dingwall | 8,019 |
| Roxburghshire | Jedburgh | 1,725 |
| Selkirkshire | Selkirk | 692 |
| Shetland | Lerwick | 1,466 |
| Stirlingshire | Stirling | 1,158 |
| Sutherland | Dornoch | 5,252 |
| West Lothian | Livingston | 427.7 |
| Wigtownshire | Wigtown | 1,261 |
Counties of Wales
The 22 unitary counties of Wales handle the local government operations of towns and cities.
It is also referred to as the principal or sub-national areas controlling the lowest tier of local government.
The counties are broken down into 11 counties and 11 county boroughs.
Table of Unitary Counties of Wales
| County | Population | Area (sq km) |
| Anglesey | 68,900 | 714 |
| Brecknockshire | 43,376 | 1,899.11 |
| Caernarfonshire | 121,767 | 1,498.44 |
| Cardiganshire | 71,500 | 1,783 |
| Carmarthenshire | 187,900 | 2,395 |
| Clwyd | 491,100 | 2,910 |
| Denbighshire | 95,800 | 844 |
| Dyfed | 375,200 | 5765.75 |
| Flintshire | 60,012 | 748.28 |
| Glamorgan | 1,229,728 | 2,117.53 |
| Gwent | 560,500 | 1,553 |
| Gwynedd | 117,400 | 2,535 |
| Merionethshire | 35,315 | 1,559.22 |
| Mid Glamorgan | 423,200 | 781 |
| Monmouthshire | 503,917 | 1,403.19 |
| Montgomeryshire | 63,779 | 2,170 |
| Pembrokeshire | 123,400 | 1,590 |
| Powys | 133,200 | 5,200 |
| Radnorshire | 25,821 | 1,218.77 |
| South Glamorgan | 445,000 | 475 |
| West Glamorgan | 365,500 | 820 |
| Wrexham | 135,100 | 499 |
Historic Counties
- Anglesey
- Brecknockshire
- Caernarfonshire
- Cardiganshire
- Carmarthenshire
- Denbighshire
- Flintshire
- Glamorganshire
- Merionethshire
- Monmouthshire
- Montgomeryshire
- Pembrokeshire
- Radnorshire
Counties of Northern Ireland
In the past, the six counties of Northern Ireland functioned for administrative purposes and served as postal counties by the Royal Mail.
Today, the six counties are mainly used for cultural and organizational purposes.
Moreover, it is used as lieutenancy areas with appointed Lord-Lieutenants.
Table of Counties of Northern Ireland
| County | Population | County Town |
| Antrim | 618,108 | Antrim |
| Armagh | 174,792 | Armagh |
| Down | 531,665 | Downpatrick |
| Fermanagh | 61,805 | Enniskillen |
| Londonderry | 247,132 | Coleraine |
| Tyrone | 177,986 | Omagh |
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Biggest County in UK by Area?
The largest county in the UK by area is Yorkshire, with a total area of 2,941,247 acres or 11,903 sq km.
What Is the Biggest County in England by Population?
The Ceremonial county in England with the largest population is Greater London, with a population of 8,899,375.
What Is the Smallest County in England?
The City of London is the smallest Ceremonial county by area in England with a total area of 2.90 sq km.