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Population in Wales is concentrated in South Wales and the northeast; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated
This is a list of the 22 principal areas of Wales[1][2] giving their most recent date of creation and the style by which they are known.
The population and density are from the Office for National Statistics 2022 estimates.[3]
Principal area
Created
Population
Density (/km2)
Area km2
Type
Cardiff
1996 a
372,089
2,641
140
County (also a city)
Swansea
1996 a
241,282
639
378
County (also a city)
Rhondda Cynon Taf
1996
239,018
564
424
County borough
Carmarthenshire
1996 a
189,117
80
2,370[4]
County
Caerphilly
1996
176,130
635
278
County borough
Newport
1996 a
161,506
848
190
County borough (also a city)
Flintshire
1996 ab
155,319
353
438
County
Bridgend
1996
146,136
583
246
County borough
Neath Port Talbot †
1996
142,158
322
442
County borough
Wrexham
1996
135,394
269
498
County borough (also a city)
Vale of Glamorgan
1996
133,492
403
335
County borough
Powys
1974
133,891
26
5,180[5]
County
Pembrokeshire
1996 a
124,367
77
1,590
County
Gwynedd *
1974 b
117,591
46
2,535[6]
County
Conwy ‡
1996
114,290
102
1,126
County borough
Denbighshire
1996 ab
96,558
115
844
County
Monmouthshire
1996 ab
93,886
111
850
County
Torfaen
1996
92,860
739
126
County borough
Ceredigion §
1996
71,610
40
1,795
County
Isle of Anglesey
1996 a
69,049
97
711
County
Blaenau Gwent
1996
67,014
616
109
County borough
Merthyr Tydfil
1996 a
58,883
528
111
County borough
* = Named as 'Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire' in legislation. Name changed by the council.
† = Named as 'Neath and Port Talbot' in legislation. Name changed by the council.
‡ = Named as 'Aberconwy and Colwyn' in legislation. Name changed by the council.
§ = Named as 'Cardiganshire' in legislation. Name changed by the council.
a = re-instated as a principal administrative authority after a gap
b = boundaries significantly altered in 1996 from its previous incarnation
^"Welsh Local Authority Links - WLGA". www.wlga.wales. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
^"Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 - Schedule 1: The New Principal Areas". Legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. 5 July 1994. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
^"Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
^"Carmarthenshire - Population Density (QS102EW)". UKCensusdata.com. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
^"Powys - Population Density (QS102EW)". UKCensusdata.com. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
^"Gwynedd - Population Density (QS102EW)". UKCensusdata.com. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
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