Assen: population and statistics
Assen has a population of 70,769 (2026) across 81.8 km², or 865 people per km². It ranks 57 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +5.5% between 2016 and 2026.
- 70,769 residents
- 81.8 km²
- 865 people/km²
- 14 m
Key points
Among the 12 municipalities in Drenthe, Assen ranks No. 2 by population.
Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants: 102.1 ‰ in Assen, compared with an average of 120.0 ‰ in Drenthe and 144.1 ‰ nationally.
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants: 5.9 ‰ in Assen, compared with an average of 4.6 ‰ in Drenthe and 4.4 ‰ nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 18.5% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 39° generates about 993 kWh a year here.
Assen in numbers
Where is Assen?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Tynaarlo10 km · 35,116
- Aa en Hunze13 km · 26,062
- Midden-Drenthe17 km · 34,402
- Ooststellingwerf18 km · 25,898
- Noordenveld18 km · 31,737
- Midden-Groningen21 km · 61,346
- Veendam24 km · 27,825
- Borger-Odoorn24 km · 26,162
All municipalities in Noord-Drenthe (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Assen over time
Assen had 67,061 residents in 2016 and 70,769 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 68,836 |
| 2022 | 68,979 |
| 2023 | 69,414 |
| 2024 | 69,701 |
| 2025 | 70,392 |
| 2026 | 70,769 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Drenthe for “Population density”.
- Number 1 in Drenthe for “Single-person households”.
- “Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants”: lower than in 97% of municipalities.
- “Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants”: higher than in 97% of municipalities.
- “Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings”: lower than in 93% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 11,461 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Tynaarlo, 10.1 km away.
All indicators for Assen
Value for the municipality, then the regional average and the national median (for counts: regional and national totals). The gauge places the municipality between the lowest and highest value in the country.
Population
| Indicator | Assen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 22.4% | 25.6% | 23.6% | ranked 229 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 14.5% | 14.0% | 14.8% | ranked 197 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −2.5 ‰ | −4.0 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 219 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 12.5 ‰ | 8.9 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 46 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Assen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 33,401 dwellings | 230,306 | 8,274,510 | ranked 56 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 7.8% | 13.5% | 13.1% | ranked 278 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 26.4% | 18.2% | 19.9% | ranked 40 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 69.5% | 80.9% | 79.5% | ranked 260 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 59.0% | 66.8% | 66.7% | ranked 274 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 27.1% | 23.9% | 23.7% | ranked 113 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 325,000 € | 359,206 € | 438,000 € | ranked 317 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 16.2 ‰ | 14.0 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 197 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Assen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 810 m³ | 961 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 249 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,410 kWh | 2,818 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 304 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 6% | 6% | 7% | ranked 184 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 47% | 54% | 46% | ranked 158 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 12% | 13% | 12% | ranked 140 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 4 ha | 531 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 117 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 90.7% | 90.8% | 90.3% | ranked 151 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.1% | ranked 191 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,110 kWh | 1,460 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 212 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 1,440 Wp | 3,582 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 214 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 244.1 ‰ | 268.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 103 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Assen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 54,300 € | 57,846 € | 63,450 € | ranked 304 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 7,225 | 60,970 | 2,612,530 | ranked 91 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 102.1 ‰ | 120.0 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 331 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Assen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.5% | ranked 91 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 4.5% | 3.3% | 2.3% | ranked 23 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Assen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 472 ‰ | 538 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 243 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 3.3 km | 7.1 km | 4.6 km | ranked 210 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Assen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.1 persons | 2.2 | 2.2 | ranked 235 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 40.7% | 34.8% | 33.3% | ranked 47 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 43.7 ‰ | 30.1 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 63 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 16.8 ‰ | 11.1 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 72 of 320 | |
| Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 5.9 ‰ | 4.6 ‰ | 3.8 ‰ | ranked 5 of 171 | |
| Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 4.9 ‰ | 5.0 ‰ | 3.9 ‰ | ranked 51 of 178 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.0 km | 1.5 km | 1.0 km | ranked 161 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Assen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 485 kg | 560 kg | 468 kg | ranked 145 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 27.3% | 14.3% | 16.8% | ranked 107 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 44.6% | 66.3% | 58.8% | ranked 236 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 18.3% | 15.8% | 11.7% | ranked 114 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Assen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 1.1 km | 1.6 km | 1.2 km | ranked 173 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Assen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 30.2% | 26.9% | 28.5% | ranked 141 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.8 km | 1.0 km | 0.8 km | ranked 124 of 342 |
Assen: indicators over time
Indicators available for several years. Hover over or tap a chart to read the value for each year.
Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler
90.7% in 2022, compared with 93.8% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
1,440 Wp in 2025, compared with 519 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
244.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 100.6 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
43.7 ‰ in 2025, compared with 52.7 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
16.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 24.2 ‰ in 2019
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants
5.9 ‰ in 2025, compared with 6.0 ‰ in 2019
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants
4.9 ‰ in 2025, compared with 5.5 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Assen
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 3.1 |
| February | 36 | 3.3 |
| March | 78 | 5.5 |
| April | 126 | 9.3 |
| May | 153 | 13.0 |
| June | 161 | 16.3 |
| July | 157 | 18.0 |
| August | 134 | 17.5 |
| September | 93 | 15.0 |
| October | 53 | 11.3 |
| November | 25 | 6.8 |
| December | 16 | 4.2 |
Business sectors: Assen
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical18.5% ×0.9
- Wholesale and retail trade16.6% ×1.3
- Health and social work13.4% ×1.3
- Construction7.6% ×0.7
- Other service activities7.3% ×1.4
- Education6.6% ×1.1
- Information and communication5.5% ×1.0
- Administrative and support services5.4% ×1.0
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Assen?
Assen has 70,769 residents (2026), ranking 57 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Assen?
Assen covers 81.8 km², with a density of 865 people per km².
Is the population of Assen growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Assen went from 67,061 to 70,769, a change of +5.5%.
Where is Assen?
Assen is in Drenthe. It belongs to Noord-Drenthe (COROP region). Latitude 52.995, longitude 6.561.
Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants: what is the figure for Assen?
In Assen, “Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants” stands at 102.1 ‰ (2026), ranking 331 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 135.6 ‰.
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants: what is the figure for Assen?
In Assen, “Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants” stands at 5.9 ‰ (2025), ranking 5 of 171 municipalities; the national median is 3.8 ‰.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Assen?
In Assen, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 39° produces about 993 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Assen?
The nearest to Assen are Tynaarlo (10 km), Aa en Hunze (13 km), Midden-Drenthe (17 km), Ooststellingwerf (18 km), Noordenveld (18 km).