# Most and least densely populated places in South West (2021)

Bristol was the most densely populated of South West’s 27 councils in 2021 (population density 4,315 per km²).

West Devon was the least densely populated (49 per km²). The middle council, Teignbridge, had 200 per km².

Worked out by Open Index from census population counts and the area of each place.

| Rank | Area | Population density | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Bristol](https://openindex.co.uk/bristol) | 4,315 per km² | – |
| 2 | [Plymouth](https://openindex.co.uk/plymouth) | 3,315 per km² | – |
| 3 | [Gloucester](https://openindex.co.uk/gloucester) | 3,265 per km² | – |
| 4 | [Exeter](https://openindex.co.uk/exeter) | 2,779 per km² | – |
| 5 | [Cheltenham](https://openindex.co.uk/cheltenham) | 2,550 per km² | – |
| 6 | [Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole](https://openindex.co.uk/bournemouth-christchurch-and-poole) | 2,469 per km² | – |
| 7 | [Torbay](https://openindex.co.uk/torbay) | 2,216 per km² | – |
| 8 | [Swindon](https://openindex.co.uk/swindon) | 1,015 per km² | – |
| 9 | [South Gloucestershire](https://openindex.co.uk/south-gloucestershire) | 584 per km² | – |
| 10 | [North Somerset](https://openindex.co.uk/north-somerset) | 578 per km² | – |
| 11 | [Bath and North East Somerset](https://openindex.co.uk/bath-and-north-east-somerset) | 551 per km² | – |
| 12 | [Stroud](https://openindex.co.uk/stroud) | 263 per km² | – |
| 13 | [Tewkesbury](https://openindex.co.uk/tewkesbury) | 229 per km² | – |
| 14 | [Teignbridge](https://openindex.co.uk/teignbridge) | 200 per km² | – |
| 15 | [East Devon](https://openindex.co.uk/east-devon) | 185 per km² | – |
| 16 | [Somerset](https://openindex.co.uk/somerset) | 166 per km² | Worked out by Open Index by adding up the census output areas in this area, because the census was published on the boundaries before this council changed. |
| 17 | [Forest of Dean](https://openindex.co.uk/forest-of-dean) | 165 per km² | – |
| 18 | [Cornwall](https://openindex.co.uk/cornwall) | 161 per km² | – |
| 19 | [Wiltshire](https://openindex.co.uk/wiltshire) | 157 per km² | – |
| 20 | [Dorset](https://openindex.co.uk/dorset) | 152 per km² | – |
| 21 | [Isles of Scilly](https://openindex.co.uk/isles-of-scilly) | 126 per km² | – |
| 22 | [South Hams](https://openindex.co.uk/south-hams) | 100 per km² | – |
| =23 | [Mid Devon](https://openindex.co.uk/mid-devon) | 91 per km² | – |
| =23 | [North Devon](https://openindex.co.uk/north-devon) | 91 per km² | – |
| 25 | [Cotswold](https://openindex.co.uk/cotswold) | 78 per km² | – |
| 26 | [Torridge](https://openindex.co.uk/torridge) | 69 per km² | – |
| 27 | [West Devon](https://openindex.co.uk/west-devon) | 49 per km² | – |

Source: Worked out by Open Index from census population counts and the area of each place. Period: 2021. Period: 2021.

## Other rankings of this measure

- [UK](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/uk)
- [England](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/england)
- [Northern Ireland](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/northern-ireland)
- [Scotland](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/scotland)
- [Wales](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/wales)
- [North East](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/north-east)
- [North West](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/north-west)
- [Yorkshire and The Humber](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/yorkshire-and-the-humber)
- [East Midlands](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/east-midlands)
- [West Midlands](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/west-midlands)
- [East of England](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/east-of-england)
- [London](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/london)
- [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/south-east)

- [The map](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population-density)
- [Source and method](https://openindex.co.uk/sources/population-density)

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/south-west.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.9. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-density/south-west