How many counties are there in the United Kingdom?

Answer 1

81 in England (outside of Gtr.London)
31 in Scotland
13 in Wales
6 in N.Ireland


On 1 April 1974 the Local Government Act 1972 came into force. This abolished the existing local government structure in England and Wales (except in Greater London), replacing it with a new entirely two-tier system. It abolished the previously existing administrative counties and county boroughs (but not the previous non-administrative 'counties') and created a new set of 46 'counties' in England, 6 of which were metropolitan and 40 of which were non-metropolitan.
Some of the counties established by the Act were entirely new, such as Avon, Cleveland, Cumbria, Hereford and Worcester, and Humberside, along with the new metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire. The counties of Cumberland, Herefordshire, Rutland, Westmorland and Worcestershire vanished from the administrative map, as did the county boroughs.
The abolition of county boroughs resulted in the distinction made between the Lieutenancy counties and the administrative ones becoming unnecessary. Section 216 of the Act adopted the new counties for ceremonial and judicial purposes.
A further local government reform in the 1990s grouped the counties into regions, created many small unitary authorities possessing county level status (re-establishing in effect if not in name the old county boroughs), and restored Herefordshire, Rutland and Worcestershire as administrative entities.
There are now 81 county level entities outside Greater London. Of these, 34 are so-called 'shire counties' with both county councils and district councils, and 40 are unitary authorities. Six are metropolitan counties. The remaining one is Berkshire, whose county council has been abolished and its districts have become unitary authorities.

The thirteen historic counties of Wales were fixed by statute in 1535 (although counties such as Pembrokeshire date from 1138). The administrative counties of Wales created in 1889 were based on these. In 1974 a new system was created using vastly different entities. These were abolished in 1996 and since then Wales has been entirely divided into a system of unitary authorities.

The areas of Wales that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant are the preserved counties of Wales; based on the counties constituted in 1974.

The six historic counties of Northern Ireland are no longer strictly in use for administrative purposes. Combined with the burroughs of Belfast and Derry, the counties do serve for organisational purposes within government, and often with private businesses and sporting clubs.
The counties of Northern Ireland are all fully contained within the historic province of Ulster. One county has changed its name from that of County Coleraine to County Londonderry.

Answer 2

Until the 1920s, there were five, now there are four, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales, Ireland would have bene the fifth, but they went indepenent in 1924.

Answer 3

I cannot add to the sensible, full explanations already given, but despair at the number who cannot read the difference between 'country' and 'county'.

Answer 4

England, Scotland, Wales, and (for now) Northern Ireland.

Answer 5

There are 86 in total, presently.