Highland tops the ranking, with 9 people per square kilometre, ahead of Na h-Eileanan an Iar and Argyll and Bute. The full ranking is below, each entry linked to its page.

# County People / km²
1 Highland 9
2 Na h-Eileanan an Iar 9
3 Argyll and Bute 12
4 Shetland Islands 16
5 Orkney Islands 22
6 Dumfries and Galloway 23
7 Powys 25
8 Scottish Borders 25
9 Perth and Kinross 28
10 Ceredigion 40
11 Aberdeenshire 41
12 Stirling 41
13 Moray 42
14 Gwynedd 47
15 Angus 51
16 Northumberland 64
17 Cumbria 74
18 Pembrokeshire 77
19 Carmarthenshire 79
20 Herefordshire 87
21 South Ayrshire 93
22 East Ayrshire 94
23 Isle of Anglesey 97
24 Conwy 102
25 Monmouthshire 108
26 Rutland 113
27 Denbighshire 116
28 North Yorkshire 133
29 Shropshire 145
30 North Ayrshire 153
31 Lincolnshire 156
32 Cornwall 162
33 East Lothian 168
34 Norfolk 171
35 Devon 183
36 South Lanarkshire 187
37 Suffolk 201
38 Wiltshire 214
39 Somerset 237
40 East Riding of Yorkshire 244
41 Cambridgeshire 267
42 Wrexham 267
43 Midlothian 274
44 Oxfordshire 280
45 Fife 284
46 Dorset 294
47 Gloucestershire 299
48 Warwickshire 304
49 Clackmannanshire 323
50 Neath Port Talbot 327
51 Northamptonshire 334
52 County Durham 338
53 Worcestershire 352
54 Flintshire 362
55 Isle of Wight 373
56 The Vale of Glamorgan 400
57 Derbyshire 405
58 Staffordshire 422
59 West Lothian 424
60 West Sussex 447
61 Buckinghamshire 456
62 East Sussex 463
63 Cheshire 471
64 Inverclyde 485
65 Hampshire 498
66 Kent 499
67 West Dunbartonshire 502
68 Lancashire 503
69 Leicestershire 506
70 Essex 515
71 Merthyr Tydfil 529
72 Nottinghamshire 535
73 Falkirk 536
74 Rhondda Cynon Taf 556
75 East Renfrewshire 559
76 Bedfordshire 576
77 Bridgend 593
78 Blaenau Gwent 604
79 East Dunbartonshire 619
80 Swansea 637
81 Caerphilly 649
82 Renfrewshire 715
83 Surrey 722
84 Hertfordshire 725
85 North Lanarkshire 736
86 Torfaen 736
87 Berkshire 754
88 Newport 850
89 South Yorkshire 894
90 West Yorkshire 1,156
91 Aberdeen City 1,256
92 City of Edinburgh 1,970
93 Tyne and Wear 2,112
94 Merseyside 2,220
95 Greater Manchester 2,263
96 Dundee City 2,561
97 Cardiff 2,597
98 West Midlands 3,259
99 Glasgow City 3,567
100 Bristol 4,364
101 Greater London 5,641

Source: ONS Census 2021 and Ordnance Survey boundaries. Compiled by Postcodes UK.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the least densely populated county in the UK?

Highland tops the list, with 9 people per square kilometre, followed by Na h-Eileanan an Iar and Argyll and Bute.

How is this ranking measured?

This ranking is based on ONS Census 2021 and Ordnance Survey boundaries. It covers the ceremonial counties of England and the council and principal areas of Scotland and Wales.