# Biggest and smallest places in Wales by population (2025)

Cardiff was the most populated of Wales’s 22 councils in 2025 (population estimate 381,516).

Merthyr Tydfil was the least populated (58,362). The middle council, Vale of Glamorgan, had 135,362.

| Rank | Area | Population estimate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Cardiff](https://openindex.co.uk/cardiff) | 381,516 |
| 2 | [Swansea](https://openindex.co.uk/swansea) | 249,429 |
| 3 | [Rhondda Cynon Taf](https://openindex.co.uk/rhondda-cynon-taf) | 241,015 |
| 4 | [Carmarthenshire](https://openindex.co.uk/carmarthenshire) | 190,037 |
| 5 | [Caerphilly](https://openindex.co.uk/caerphilly) | 176,078 |
| 6 | [Newport](https://openindex.co.uk/newport) | 168,584 |
| 7 | [Flintshire](https://openindex.co.uk/flintshire) | 155,954 |
| 8 | [Bridgend](https://openindex.co.uk/bridgend) | 146,986 |
| 9 | [Neath Port Talbot](https://openindex.co.uk/neath-port-talbot) | 142,028 |
| 10 | [Wrexham](https://openindex.co.uk/wrexham) | 137,977 |
| 11 | [Vale of Glamorgan](https://openindex.co.uk/vale-of-glamorgan) | 135,362 |
| 12 | [Powys](https://openindex.co.uk/powys) | 134,843 |
| 13 | [Pembrokeshire](https://openindex.co.uk/pembrokeshire) | 125,849 |
| 14 | [Gwynedd](https://openindex.co.uk/gwynedd) | 120,295 |
| 15 | [Conwy](https://openindex.co.uk/conwy) | 114,421 |
| 16 | [Denbighshire](https://openindex.co.uk/denbighshire) | 98,247 |
| 17 | [Monmouthshire](https://openindex.co.uk/monmouthshire) | 95,329 |
| 18 | [Torfaen](https://openindex.co.uk/torfaen) | 93,973 |
| 19 | [Ceredigion](https://openindex.co.uk/ceredigion) | 72,696 |
| 20 | [Isle of Anglesey](https://openindex.co.uk/isle-of-anglesey) | 68,607 |
| 21 | [Blaenau Gwent](https://openindex.co.uk/blaenau-gwent) | 67,593 |
| 22 | [Merthyr Tydfil](https://openindex.co.uk/merthyr-tydfil) | 58,362 |

Source: Mid-year population estimates, ONS population estimates. Period: 2025. Period: 2025.

## Other rankings of this measure

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

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

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/population-estimate/wales.

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-estimate/wales