In 2022, the population density in the European Union remained nearly unchanged at around 112.02 inhabitants per square kilometer. Still, the population density reached its highest value in the observed period in 2022. Population density refers to the number of people living in a certain country or area, given as an average per square kilometer. It is calculated by dividing the total midyear population by the total land area.

Ratio between the annual average population and the land area. The land area concept (excluding inland waters, such as lakes, wide rivers, estuaries) should be used wherever available; if not available, then the total area (including inland waters) is used.

Monaco led the ranking for countries with the highest population density in 2024, with nearly 26,000 residents per square kilometer. The Special Administrative Region of Macao came in second, followed by Singapore. The world’s second smallest country Monaco is the world’s second-smallest country, with an area of about two square kilometers and a population of only around 40,000. It is a constitutional monarchy located by the Mediterranean Sea, and while Monaco is not part of the European Union, it does participate in some EU policies. The country is perhaps most famous for the Monte Carlo casino and for hosting the Monaco Grand Prix, the world's most prestigious Formula One race. The global population Globally, the population density per square kilometer is about 60 inhabitants, and Asia is the most densely populated region in the world. The global population is increasing rapidly, so population density is only expected to increase. In 1950, for example, the global population stood at about 2.54 billion people, and it reached over eight billion during 2023.

Our Population Density Grid Dataset for Western Europe offers detailed, grid-based insights into the distribution of population across cities, towns, and rural areas. Free to explore and visualize, this dataset provides an invaluable resource for businesses and researchers looking to understand demographic patterns and optimize their location-based strategies.

By creating an account, you gain access to advanced tools for leveraging this data in geomarketing applications. Perfect for OOH advertising, retail planning, and more, our platform allows you to integrate population insights with your business intelligence, enabling you to make data-driven decisions for your marketing and expansion strategies.

Actual value and historical data chart for European Union Population Density People Per Sq Km Of Land Area

This dataset contains the modeling results GIS data (maps) of the study “Sustainable Human Population Density in Western Europe between 560.000 and 360.000 years ago” by Rodríguez et al. (2022). The NPP data (npp.zip) was computed using an empirical formula (the Miami model) from palaeo temperature and palaeo precipitation data aggregated for each timeslice from the Oscillayers dataset (Gamisch, 2019), as defined in Rodríguez et al. (2022, in review). The Population densities file (pop_densities.zip) contains the computed minimum and maximum population densities rasters for each of the defined MIS timeslices. With the population density value Dc in logarithmic form log(Dc). The Species Distribution Model (sdm.7z) includes input data (folder /data), intermediate results (folder /work) and results and figures (folder /results). All modelling steps are included as an R project in the folder /scripts. The R project is subdivided into individual scripts for data preparation (1.x), sampling procedure (2.x), and model computation (3.x). The habitat range estimation (habitat_ranges.zip) includes the potential spatial boundaries of the hominin habitat as binary raster files with 1=presence and 0=absence. The ranges rely on a dichotomic classification of the habitat suitability with a threshold value inferred from the 5% quantile of the presence data. The habitat suitability (habitat_suitability.zip) is the result of the Species Distribution Modelling and describes the environmental suitability for hominin presence based on the sites considered in this study. The values range between 0=low and 1=high suitability. The dataset includes the mean (pred_mean) and standard deviation (pred_std) of multiple model runs.

Each year Eurostat collects demographic data at regional level from EU, EFTA and Candidate countries as part of the Population Statistics data collection. POPSTAT is Eurostat’s main annual demographic data collection and aims to gather information on demography and migration at national and regional levels by various breakdowns (for the full overview see the Eurostat dedicated section). More specifically, POPSTAT collects data at regional levels on:

• population stocks;
• vital events (live births and deaths).

Each country must send the statistics for the reference year (T) to Eurostat by 31 December of the following calendar year (T+1). Eurostat then publishes the data in March of the calendar year after that (T+2).

Demographic data at regional level include statistics on the population at the end of the calendar year and on live births and deaths during that year, according to the official classification for statistics at regional level (NUTS - nomenclature of territorial units for statistics) in force in the year. These data are broken down by NUTS 2 and 3 levels for EU countries. For more information on the NUTS classification and its versions please refer to the Eurostat dedicated pages. For EFTA and Candidate countries the data are collected according to the agreed statistical regions that have been coded in a way that resembles NUTS.

The breakdown of demographic data collected at regional level varies depending on the NUTS/statistical region level. These breakdowns are summarised below, along with the link to the corresponding online table:

NUTS 2 level

• Population by sex, age and region of residence — demo_r_d2jan
• Population on 1 January by age group, sex and region of residence — demo_r_pjangroup
• Live births by mother's age, mother's year of birth and mother's region of residence — demo_r_fagec
• Deaths by sex, age, and region of residence — demo_r_magec

NUTS 3 level

• Population on 1 January by sex, age group and region of residence — demo_r_pjangrp3
• Population on 1 January by broad age group, sex and region of residence — demo_r_pjanaggr3
• Live births (total) by region of residence — demo_r_births
• Live births by five-year age group of the mothers and region of residence — demo_r_fagec3
• Deaths (total) by region of residence — demo_r_deaths
• Deaths by five-year age group, sex and region of residence — demo_r_magec3

This more detailed breakdown (by five-year age group) of the data collected at NUTS 3 level started with the reference year 2013 and is in accordance with the European laws on demographic statistics. In addition to the regional codes set out in the NUTS classification in force, these online tables include few additional codes that are meant to cover data on persons and events that cannot be allocated to any official NUTS region. These codes are denoted as CCX/CCXX/CCXXX (Not regionalised/Unknown level 1/2/3; CC stands for country code) and are available only for France, Hungary, North Macedonia and Albania, reflecting the raw data as transmitted to Eurostat.

For the reference years from 1990 to 2012 all countries sent to Eurostat all the data on a voluntary basis, therefore the completeness of the tables and the length of time series reflect the level of data received from the responsible National Statistical Institutes’ (NSIs) data provider. As a general remark, a lower data breakdown is available at NUTS 3 level as detailed:

• population data are broken down by sex and broad age groups (0-14, 15-64 and 65 or more). The data have this disaggregation since the reference year 2007 for all countries, and even longer for some — demo_r_pjanaggr3
• vital events (live births and deaths) data are available only as totals, without any further breakdown — demo_r_births and demo_r_deaths

Demographic indicators are calculated by Eurostat based on the above raw data using a common methodology for all countries and regions. The regional demographic indicators computed by NUTS level and the corresponding online tables are summarised below:

NUTS 2 level

• Population structure indicators by region of residence (shares of various population age groups, dependency ratios and median age) — demo_r_pjanind2
• Fertility indicators by region of residence — demo_r_find2
• Fertility rates by age and region of residence — demo_r_frate2
• Life table by age, sex and region of residence — demo_r_mlife
• Life expectancy by age, sex and region of residence — demo_r_mlifexp
• Infant mortality rates by region of residence — demo_r_minfind

NUTS 3 level

• Population change - Demographic balance and crude rates at regional level — demo_r_gind3
• Population density by region — demo_r_d3dens
• Population structure indicators by region of residence (shares of various population age groups, dependency ratios and median age) — demo_r_pjanind3
• Fertility indicators by region of residence (total fertility rate, mean age of woman at childbirth and median age of woman at childbirth) — demo_r_find3

Notes:

1) All the indicators are computed for all lower NUTS regions included in the tables (e.g. data included in a table at NUTS 3 level will include also the data for NUTS 2, 1 and country levels).

2) Demographic indicators computed by NUTS 2 and 3 levels are calculated using input data that have different age breakdown. Therefore, minor differences can be noted between the values corresponding to the same indicator of the same region classified as NUTS 2, 1 or country level.

3) Since the reference year 2015, Eurostat has stopped collecting data on area; therefore, the table 'Area by NUTS 3 region (demo_r_d3area)' includes data up to the year 2015 included.

4) Starting with the reference year 2016, the population density indicator is computed using the new data on area 'Area by NUTS 3 region (reg_area3).

Historical dataset showing European Union population density by year from 1961 to 2022.

As of 2025, Asia was the most densely populated region of the world, with nearly 156 inhabitants per square kilometer, whereas Oceania's population density was just over five inhabitants per square kilometer.

• Population density 2015 (inhabitants per km²), Lorraine: 2013

• Territorial entities: arrondissements (Wallonie), zones d'emploi (Lorraine), cantons (Luxembourg), Kreise (Saarland, Rheinland-Pfalz)

• Statistical data sources: INSEE Grand Est; SPF Economie; STATEC; Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz; Statistisches Amt Saarland. Harmonization: IBA / OIE 2016

• Geodata sources: EuroGeographics EuroRegionalMap v3.0 - 2010. Harmonization: SIG-GR / GIS-GR 2016

Link to interactive map: https://map.gis-gr.eu/theme/main?version=3&zoom=8&X=708580&Y=6429642&lang=fr&rotation=0&layers=1732&opacities=1&bgLayer=basemap_2015_global

Link to Geocatalog: https://geocatalogue.gis-gr.eu/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/4f71026c-4ab0-4153-a00d-2a5d34aae307

This dataset is published in the view service (WMS) available at: https://ws.geoportail.lu/wss/service/GR_Pop_density_WMS/guest with layer name(s): -Pop_density_2015

Population density 2024 (inhabitants per km²). Reference date: 01.01.2024 (Luxembourg and Wallonia), 31.12.2023 (Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland), 01.01.2022 (Lorraine) Territorial entities: municipalities (Saarland, Wallonie), cantons (Luxembourg), EPCI (Lorraine), Verbandsgemeinden and verbandsfreie Städte und Gemeinden (Rheinland-Pfalz) Statistical data sources: DATer, INSEE Grand Est, IWEPS, Région Grand Est, STATEC, Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz, Statistisches Landesamt Saarland. Harmonization: SIG-GR / GIS-GR 2025 Geodata sources: GeoBasis-DE / BKG, IGN France, NGI-Belgium, ACT Luxembourg. Harmonization: SIG-GR / GIS-GR 2025 Link to interactive map: https://map.gis-gr.eu/theme/main?version=3&zoom=8&X=708580&Y=6429642&lang=fr&rotation=0&layers=2435&opacities=1&bgLayer=basemap_2015_global Link to Geocatalog: https://geocatalogue.gis-gr.eu/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/93569c33-a975-4885-9896-626cff07cfa0 This dataset is published in the view service (WMS) available at: https://ws.geoportail.lu/wss/service/GR_Pop_density_WMS/guest with layer name(s): -Pop_density_2024_infra

Population density 2024 (inhabitants per km²) per municipality Statistical data sources: INSEE Grand Est, IWEPS, Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz, Statistisches Amt Saarland Geodata sources: ACT Luxembourg 2024, IGN France 2022, GeoBasis-DE / BKG 2024, NGI-Belgium 2024. Harmonization: SIG-GR / GIS-GR 2024 Link to interactive map: https://map.gis-gr.eu/theme/main?version=3&zoom=8&X=708580&Y=6429642&lang=fr&rotation=0&layers=2434&opacities=1&bgLayer=basemap_2015_global Link to Geocatalog: https://geocatalogue.gis-gr.eu/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/4ba433fb-6c1e-459f-89ca-a2914eedfdaa This dataset is published in the view service (WMS) available at: https://ws.geoportail.lu/wss/service/GR_Pop_density_WMS/guest with layer name(s): -Pop_density_2024

Population density 2023 (inhabitants per km²), Lorraine: 2021 Territorial entities: arrondissements (Lorraine, Wallonie), cantons (Luxembourg), Kreise (Saarland, Rheinland-Pfalz) Statistical data sources: Destatis, INSEE, Statbel, STATEC. Harmonization: IBA / OIE 2024 Geodata sources: GeoBasis-DE / BKG, IGN France, NGI-Belgium, ACT Luxembourg. Harmonization: SIG-GR / GIS-GR 2024 Link to interactive map: https://map.gis-gr.eu/theme/main?version=3&zoom=8&X=708580&Y=6429642&lang=fr&rotation=0&layers=2418&opacities=1&bgLayer=basemap_2015_global Link to Geocatalog: https://geocatalogue.gis-gr.eu/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/3ed89eb1-9a37-4b86-b793-126411751345 This dataset is published in the view service (WMS) available at: https://ws.geoportail.lu/wss/service/GR_Pop_density_WMS/guest with layer name(s): -Pop_density_2023

Dataset replaced by: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/data/dataset/5k3SE4aWxZXI8c0GDUerg

Population density [residents/ha] 2019 at the level of the block and block areas of map 1: 5,000 (ISU5, spatial reference environmental atlas 2015).

Mogadishu in Somalia led the ranking of cities with the highest population density in 2025, with ****** residents per square kilometer. When it comes to countries, Monaco is the most densely populated state worldwide.

It shows the evolution of population density by municipalities. The population density is the average number of inhabitants per km2 of area.

Population density [inhabitants/ha] at the level of the block and partial block areas of the map 1 : 5,000 (ISU5, spatial reference environmental atlas 2015).

Population density 2013 (inhabitants per km²) Territorial entities: arrondissements (Wallonie), zones d'emploi (Lorraine), cantons (Luxembourg), Kreise (Saarland, Rheinland-Pfalz) Statistical data sources: INSEE Lorraine; SPF Economie; STATEC; Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz; Statistisches Amt Saarland. Harmonization: IBA / OIE 2014 Geodata sources: EuroGeographics EuroRegionalMap v3.0 - 2010. Harmonization: SIG-GR / GIS-GR 2014 Link to interactive map: https://map.gis-gr.eu/theme/main?version=3&zoom=8&X=708580&Y=6429642&lang=fr&rotation=0&layers=1713&opacities=1&bgLayer=basemap_2015_global Link to Geocatalog: https://geocatalogue.gis-gr.eu/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/747df575-4704-4016-b04f-d19d16d41298 This dataset is published in the view service (WMS) available at: https://ws.geoportail.lu/wss/service/GR_Pop_density_WMS/guest with layer name(s): -Pop_density_2013

The ratio between the annual average population and the land area. The land area concept (excluding inland waters) should be used wherever available; if not available then the total area, including inland waters (area of lakes and rivers) is used,