European Population Density

A new interactive map made by 23Degrees.io visualizes Europe's population as 3D mountains. The Population Density in Europe interactive map uses height and color to show where people live in Europe. The result is an interactive map which shows Europe's most densely populated areas as population mountains or towers.

The red population mountains on the map reveal the most densely populated areas of Europe. You can click on different regions on this map to view the number of inhabitants living in an area per square kilometer. It is possible to zoom in and out on the map and to change the angle of inclination. This is useful if you want to explore a densely populated city in close detail (tip - if you want to see behind a large 3D tower use you right-mouse button to change the angle of inclination or to rotate the map).


You can view a more finely detailed view of European population density on the EU Population 2011 by 1km Grid interactive map. Dan Cookson has mapped out the population in the European Union at the 1km square level. The EU Population 2011 by 1km Grid visualizes the number of people living in each square kilometer of the whole EU.

You can hover over individual 1km squares on the map to view the total number of people living in that square. If you zoom in on individual cities the map reveals the most densely populated areas and also the outlying satellite commuting towns and suburbs.


Berlin, Paris & London

Berlin, Paris & London all share a similar pattern of population density, with densely populated centers surrounded by ever less densely populated suburbs. In Berlin the population snakes out of the city along the S-Bahn rapid transit rail lines. You can see similar lines snaking out of Paris and London along popular public transit commuting routes.

A good accompaniment to Dan's EU population density map is Alasdair Rae's article on The Most Densely Populated Square Kilometre in 39 European Countries. In this post Alasdair uses the same 2011 data to reveal the most densely populated kilometer square in each country.

You might also be interested in this 3D Global Human Settlement visualization of European population density. This map provides another 3D view of Europe's most densely populated areas as population mountains. If you want to view population density outside of Europe then I recommend the SEDAC Population Estimator (GPWv4). This interactive map uses NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) data to show where the world's population lives.

The SEDAC Population Estimator map includes a tool to draw an area on the map to see an estimate of the population that lives there. You can therefore draw a square kilometer on the map to make your own comparisons with Alasdair's most densely populated square kilometers in Europe.