Dublin will be Europe’s most crowded city by 2100, according to a new study, which projects that the capital will have 65,398 people per square kilometre by the end of the century.
The study, from travel company Deluxe Holiday Homes, analysed over 100 European cities to identify those that will be most densely populated by the year 2100, using each city’s current population, density, and population growth rate to determine future population and density.
Dublin’s population is estimated to reach over 7.5 million by the end of the century, with a note that while it is currently the second smallest city in the list, it is predicted to grow faster than most cities in the ranking.
The Spanish city of Barcelona comes second in the ranking, with an estimated 44,230 people per square kilometre in 2100. Despite Barcelona currently having approximately triple the population of Dublin city, by 2100 the city is expected to house 4.5 million people over 102 square kilometres.
Paris rounds out the top three, with a density of 40,475 people per square kilometer, despite being the largest city in the top 10, population-wise, with over 2.2 million people. By 2100, it is expected to double both in population and density.
France stands out in the rankings, with two cities making the list of the most densely populated cities in the future – the other being the city of Lyon, which comes tenth, with a population density of 20,204 people per square kilometre by 2100.
Other cities to feature in the top spots include the Scandinavian cities of Stockholm, which ranks fourth (35,645 people per square kilometre by 2100) and Copenhagen (28,338 people per square kilometre); the neighbouring capitals of Amsterdam (27,129 people per square kilometre) and Brussels (27,003 people per square kilometre); and the southernly and northernly extremes of Athens (26,601 people per square kilometre) and Helsinki (20,965 people per square kilometre).