List of European cities by population within city limits

The largest cities in Europe have official populations of over one million inhabitants within their city boundaries. These rankings are based on populations contained within city administrative boundaries, as opposed to urban areas or metropolitan areas, which necessarily have larger populations than the cities at their core.

The limits of a city proper can differ greatly from the size of the city's urban area, so the figures in this list may not give an accurate view of the comparative population of different cities and should be treated with caution. For example, the Paris metropolitan area is the second most populous in Europe, but the strict definition of the administrative limits of the City of Paris results in a far lower population.

Largest cities
Capital cities are in bold.