Selected International Historical Core Municipalities
with Declining Population

This page is under continuous development. Demographia would appreciate any additional information. At the bottom of the table is a revision date.

CAUTIONARY NOTE: The list includes cities as defined as municipalities or local government areas. It does not include urban areas or metropolitan areas. For urban terms definitions see Urban Terms Defined.

		Peak Population		Latest Population
Nation	City	Year	Population	Year	Population	Change from Peak	Annual Rate
Argentina	Buenos Aires	1950	2,981,000	2001	2,769,000	-7.1%	-0.145%
Austria	Vienna	1910	2,031,000	2001	1,550,000	-23.7%	-0.297%
Belgium	Antwerp	1984	488,000	2001	449,000	-8.0%	-0.489%
Belgium	Brussels	1950	183,000	2001	137,000	-25.1%	-0.566%
Bulgaria	Sofia	1990	1,190,000	2001	1,096,000	-7.9%	-0.745%
Canada	Montreal	1971	1,214,000	2001	1,040,000	-14.3%	-0.514%
Canada	Toronto	1971	713,000	1996	653,000	-8.4%	-0.351%
Czech Rep.	Praha	1991	1,212,000	2001	1,162,000	-4.1%	-0.420%
Denmark	Kobenhavn	1950	768,000	2001	501,000	-34.8%	-0.834%
Estonia	Talinn	1990	479,000	2001	400,000	-16.5%	-1.625%
France	Lyon	1950	536,000	1999	422,000	-21.3%	-0.487%
France	Marseilles	1982	901,000	1999	798,000	-11.4%	-0.712%
France	Paris	1921	2,906,000	1999	2,125,000	-26.9%	-0.400%
Germany	Berlin	1939	4,339,000	2001	3,388,000	-21.9%	-0.398%
Germany	Bochum	1990	401,000	2001	390,000	-2.7%	-0.253%
Germany	Bremen	1970	606,000	2001	541,000	-10.7%	-0.365%
Germany	Dortmund	1960	652,000	2001	589,000	-9.7%	-0.248%
Germany	Dresden	1939	630,000	2001	479,000	-24.0%	-0.441%
Germany	Duisburg	1980	592,000	2001	512,000	-13.5%	-0.689%
Germany	Dusseldorf	1960	702,000	2001	571,000	-18.7%	-0.502%
Germany	Essen	1960	729,000	2001	592,000	-18.8%	-0.506%
Germany	Frankfurt	1960	683,000	2001	641,000	-6.1%	-0.155%
Germany	Hamburg	1960	1,855,000	2001	1,726,000	-7.0%	-0.176%
Germany	Hanover	1960	574,000	2001	516,000	-10.1%	-0.259%
Germany	Koln	1980	1,014,000	2001	968,000	-4.5%	-0.221%
Germany	Leipzig	1939	707,000	2001	493,000	-30.3%	-0.580%
Germany	Munchen	1980	1,315,000	2001	1,228,000	-6.6%	-0.325%
Germany	Nurnburg	1980	499,000	2001	491,000	-1.6%	-0.077%
Germany	Stuttgart	1960	649,000	2001	587,000	-9.6%	-0.245%
Germany	Wuppertal	1960	425,000	2001	365,000	-14.1%	-0.371%
Georgia	Tblisi	1989	1,260,000	2001	1,144,000	-9.2%	-0.802%
Greece	Athens	1981	886,000	2001	746,000	-15.8%	-0.856%
Hungary	Budapest	1981	2,060,000	2001	1,775,000	-13.8%	-0.742%
Ireland	Dublin	1969	545,000	2002	495,000	-9.2%	-0.291%
Italy	Bologna	1971	487,000	2001	370,000	-24.0%	-0.912%
Italy	Firenze	1971	456,000	2001	352,000	-22.8%	-0.859%
Italy	Genova	1971	844,000	2001	604,000	-28.4%	-1.109%
Italy	Milano	1971	1,687,000	2001	1,183,000	-29.9%	-1.176%
Italy	Napoli	1971	1,267,000	2001	993,000	-21.6%	-0.809%
Italy	Palermo	1981	702,000	2001	653,000	-7.0%	-0.361%
Italy	Roma	1981	2,831,000	2001	2,460,000	-13.1%	-0.700%
Italy	Torino	1971	1,142,000	2001	857,000	-25.0%	-0.952%
Japan	Kitakyushu	1980	1,065,000	2000	1,011,000	-5.1%	-0.260%
Japan	Osaka	1965	3,156,000	2000	2,599,000	-17.6%	-0.553%
Japan	Tokyo	1965	8,893,000	2000	8,130,000	-8.6%	-0.256%
Latvia	Riga	1990	910,000	2001	757,000	-16.8%	-1.660%
Mexico	Mexico City	1980	8,831,000	2000	8,605,000	-2.6%	-0.130%
Moldova	Chisinau	1991	665,000	2001	662,000	-0.5%	-0.045%
Netherlands	Amsterdam	1961	868,000	2001	735,000	-15.3%	-0.415%
Netherlands	Hague	1960	605,000	2001	464,000	-23.3%	-0.645%
Netherlands	Rotterdam	1961	731,000	2001	599,000	-18.1%	-0.497%
Phillipines	Manila	1995	1,655,000	2000	1,581,000	-4.5%	-0.911%
Poland	Krakow	1989	748,000	2000	742,000	-0.8%	-0.073%
Poland	Lodz	1989	852,000	2000	793,000	-6.9%	-0.650%
Poland	Warsaw	1989	1,655,000	2000	1,610,000	-2.7%	-0.250%
Poland	Wroclaw	1989	642,000	2000	634,000	-1.2%	-0.114%
Portugal	Lisboa	1961	818,000	2001	557,000	-31.9%	-0.956%
Portugal	Porto	1981	330,000	2001	263,000	-20.3%	-1.128%
Romania	Bucharest	1991	2,064,000	2002	1,922,000	-6.9%	-0.646%
Russia	Chelyabinsk	1989	1,107,000	2002	1,078,000	-2.6%	-0.204%
Russia	Nizhni Novgorod	1989	1,403,000	2002	1,311,000	-6.6%	-0.520%
Russia	Perm	1989	1,040,000	2002	1,000,000	-3.8%	-0.301%
Russia	Samara	1989	1,206,000	2002	1,158,000	-4.0%	-0.312%
Slovenia	Ljubjiana	1991	276,000	2002	257,000	-6.9%	-0.646%
Slovenia	Maribor	1991	108,000	2002	92,000	-14.8%	-1.447%
South Korea	Seoul	1990	10,613,000	2000	10,231,000	-3.6%	-0.366%
Spain	Barcelona	1981	1,753,000	2001	1,504,000	-14.2%	-0.763%
Spain	Bilbao	1970	410,000	2001	349,972	-14.6%	-0.509%
Spain	Madrid	1981	3,159,000	2001	2,939,000	-7.0%	-0.360%
Spain	Valencia	1991	753,000	2001	738,000	-2.0%	-0.201%
Sweden	Stockholm	1960	808,000	2002	758,000	-6.2%	-0.152%
Switzerland	Zurich	1960	428,200	2000	364,000	-15.0%	-0.405%
Tajikistan	Dushanbe	1989	595,000	2001	582,000	-2.2%	-0.184%
UK	Belfast	1951	444,000	1991	295,000	-33.6%	-1.017%
UK	Birmingham	1951	1,113,000	2001	977,000	-12.2%	-0.260%
UK	Bristol	1951	444,000	2001	381,000	-14.2%	-0.306%
UK	Cardiff	1981	282,000	1991	273,000	-3.2%	-0.324%
UK	Coventry	1981	337,000	2001	301,000	-10.7%	-0.563%
UK	Edinburgh	1951	475,000	2001	449,000	-5.5%	-0.113%
UK	Glasgow	1931	1,088,000	2001	579,000	-46.8%	-0.897%
UK	Leeds	1961	511,000	1991	424,000	-17.0%	-0.620%
UK	Liverpool	1931	857,000	2001	439,000	-48.8%	-0.951%
UK	London	1939	8,615,000	2001	7,172,000	-16.7%	-0.295%
UK	Manchester	1931	766,000	2001	393,000	-48.7%	-0.949%
UK	Sheffield	1981	558,000	2001	513,000	-8.1%	-0.420%
Ukraine	Donetsk	1991	1,121,000	2001	1,016,000	-9.4%	-0.979%
Ukraine	Kharkov	1991	1,623,000	2001	1,470,000	-9.4%	-0.985%
Ukraine	Kyev	1991	2,635,000	2001	2,611,000	-0.9%	-0.091%
Ukraine	Odessa	1991	1,101,000	2001	1,027,000	-6.7%	-0.693%
US	Baltimore	1950	950,000	2000	651,000	-31.5%	-0.753%
US	Boston	1950	801,000	2000	589,000	-26.5%	-0.613%
US	Buffalo	1950	580,000	2000	293,000	-49.5%	-1.356%
US	Chicago	1950	3,621,000	2000	2,896,000	-20.0%	-0.446%
US	Cincinnati	1950	504,000	2000	331,000	-34.3%	-0.837%
US	Cleveland	1950	915,000	2000	478,000	-47.8%	-1.290%
US	Detroit	1950	1,850,000	2000	951,000	-48.6%	-1.322%
US	Kansas City	1970	507,000	2000	442,000	-12.8%	-0.456%
US	Milwaukee	1960	741,000	2000	597,000	-19.4%	-0.539%
US	Minneapolis	1950	522,000	2000	383,000	-26.6%	-0.617%
US	New Orleans	1960	628,000	2000	485,000	-22.8%	-0.644%
US	Newark	1930	442,000	2000	274,000	-38.0%	-0.681%
US	Philadelphia	1950	2,072,000	2000	1,518,000	-26.7%	-0.620%
US	Pittsburgh	1950	677,000	2000	335,000	-50.5%	-1.397%
US	St. Louis	1950	857,000	2000	348,000	-59.4%	-1.786%
US	Washington	1950	802,000	2000	572,000	-28.7%	-0.674%