Counties of the UK

What is a “county”?

Across the UK, each nation is divided into smaller geographic areas commonly known as counties. These divisions long pre-date the United Kingdom itself and grew out of older territorial units—such as shires in England and Scotland and provinces in Ireland.

Historically, counties administered justice, collected taxes and raised militia when required by the Crown. By the seventeenth century, they had also become a framework for local government and for organising parliamentary elections.

Names and boundaries have shifted over time with political change and population growth. Even so, the historic counties retain cultural importance: people often identify with their county’s customs, traditions and dialects, and many sports—especially cricket—are still contested between county teams.

Different uses of the word “county”

Today the term county is used in several ways, and the numbers, names and boundaries are not always the same across these uses.

Historic counties

Long-standing territorial areas established centuries ago (often formalised after the Norman period). They remain a cultural reference point and, in some cases, appear in legal, mapping or heritage contexts.

Ceremonial counties, preserved counties and lieutenancy areas

These areas correspond to the jurisdictions of the Crown’s representatives, the Lord-Lieutenants. While historically linked to defence and judicial matters, today Lord-Lieutenants carry out ceremonial duties, support civic life and engage with the armed forces and the judiciary. In England they are called ceremonial counties; in Wales, preserved counties; and in Scotland and Northern Ireland, lieutenancy areas. Their names and boundaries broadly reflect the historic counties, though there are differences.

Administrative counties (local government)

Modern public services such as education, social care, housing, and waste are delivered by local authorities. The UK no longer has a single, unified county system for administration; each nation has its own structure. In parts of England and Wales, some areas still use county councils, while many others are unitary authorities. Boundaries change from time to time, especially around growing metropolitan areas.

How many counties are there?

It depends on which type you mean. The table below are typical UK-wide counts:

The table below shows the county counts by type and by UK nation. (Note: ^* this figure includes Isles of Scilly but does not count Greater London.)

What are the counties of the UK?

Detailed lists of the historic counties, ceremonial/preserved/lieutenancy areas, and current administrative areas are provided in the table below.

Select a counties type : (not specify) Administrative Ceremonial Historical OR nation : (not specify) England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales to filter the data table.