De Wolden: population and statistics
De Wolden has a population of 24,819 (2026) across 224.3 km², or 111 people per km². It ranks 235 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +4.6% between 2016 and 2026.
- 24,819 residents
- 224.3 km²
- 111 people/km²
- 7 m
Key points
Among the 12 municipalities in Drenthe, De Wolden ranks No. 11 by population.
Average natural gas use per dwelling: 1,100 m³ in De Wolden, compared with an average of 961 m³ in Drenthe and 793 m³ nationally.
Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water): 5.2% in De Wolden, compared with an average of 14.3% in Drenthe and 34.3% nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 16.5% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,016 kWh a year here.
De Wolden in numbers
Where is De Wolden?
Population of De Wolden over time
De Wolden had 23,722 residents in 2016 and 24,819 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 24,374 |
| 2022 | 24,511 |
| 2023 | 24,602 |
| 2024 | 24,580 |
| 2025 | 24,672 |
| 2026 | 24,819 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Drenthe for “Average household size”.
- Number 1 in Drenthe for “Average electricity supplied per dwelling”.
- “Average natural gas use per dwelling”: higher than in 98% of municipalities.
- “Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water)”: lower than in 98% of municipalities.
- “Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants”: higher than in 97% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 31,420 football pitches.
- Its population density is 4.9 times lower than the national average.
All indicators for De Wolden
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 | De Wolden | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 27.1% | 25.6% | 23.6% | ranked 51 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 14.6% | 14.0% | 14.8% | ranked 188 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −3.0 ‰ | −4.0 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 233 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 6.7 ‰ | 8.9 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 159 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | De Wolden | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 10,604 dwellings | 230,306 | 8,274,510 | ranked 241 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 21.1% | 13.5% | 13.1% | ranked 66 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 15.6% | 18.2% | 19.9% | ranked 257 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 86.0% | 80.9% | 79.5% | ranked 67 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 74.9% | 66.8% | 66.7% | ranked 25 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 17.0% | 23.9% | 23.7% | ranked 294 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 451,000 € | 359,206 € | 438,000 € | ranked 153 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 8.9 ‰ | 14.0 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 295 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | De Wolden | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 1,100 m³ | 961 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 8 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 3,200 kWh | 2,818 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 26 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 6% | 6% | 7% | ranked 184 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 60% | 54% | 46% | ranked 15 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 14% | 13% | 12% | ranked 62 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 0 ha | 531 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 159 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) | 1,790 kWh | 1,460 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 18 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 2,011 Wp | 3,582 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 128 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 283.0 ‰ | 268.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 35 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | De Wolden | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 65,200 € | 57,846 € | 63,450 € | ranked 128 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 3,855 | 60,970 | 2,612,530 | ranked 202 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 155.3 ‰ | 120.0 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 68 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | De Wolden | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.3% | 1.6% | 1.5% | ranked 233 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.6% | 3.3% | 2.3% | ranked 296 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | De Wolden | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 594 ‰ | 538 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 9 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 9.6 km | 7.1 km | 4.6 km | ranked 72 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | De Wolden | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.3 persons | 2.2 | 2.2 | ranked 55 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 28.7% | 34.8% | 33.3% | ranked 312 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 18.1 ‰ | 30.1 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 324 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 6.4 ‰ | 11.1 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 288 of 320 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.8 km | 1.5 km | 1.0 km | ranked 24 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | De Wolden | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 701 kg | 560 kg | 468 kg | ranked 12 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 5.2% | 14.3% | 16.8% | ranked 334 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 81.9% | 66.3% | 58.8% | ranked 27 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 11.7% | 15.8% | 11.7% | ranked 169 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | De Wolden | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 2.0 km | 1.6 km | 1.2 km | ranked 19 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | De Wolden | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 28.4% | 26.9% | 28.5% | ranked 174 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 1.2 km | 1.0 km | 0.8 km | ranked 12 of 342 |
De Wolden: 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 93.2% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
2,011 Wp in 2025, compared with 781 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
283.0 ‰ in 2025, compared with 147.4 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
18.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 20.0 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
6.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 7.8 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: De Wolden
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 3.2 |
| February | 37 | 3.5 |
| March | 81 | 5.8 |
| April | 128 | 9.6 |
| May | 155 | 13.4 |
| June | 164 | 16.8 |
| July | 161 | 18.4 |
| August | 136 | 17.8 |
| September | 95 | 15.2 |
| October | 54 | 11.5 |
| November | 26 | 7.0 |
| December | 16 | 4.3 |
Business sectors: De Wolden
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical16.5% ×0.8
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing12.8% ×4.2
- Wholesale and retail trade12.6% ×1.0
- Health and social work10.6% ×1.0
- Construction10.1% ×1.0
- Other service activities6.0% ×1.1
- Administrative and support services5.1% ×0.9
- Education4.9% ×0.8
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of De Wolden?
De Wolden has 24,819 residents (2026), ranking 235 of 342 municipalities.
How big is De Wolden?
De Wolden covers 224.3 km², with a density of 111 people per km².
Is the population of De Wolden growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of De Wolden went from 23,722 to 24,819, a change of +4.6%.
Where is De Wolden?
De Wolden is in Drenthe. It belongs to Zuidwest-Drenthe (COROP region). Latitude 52.667, longitude 6.417.
Average natural gas use per dwelling: what is the figure for De Wolden?
In De Wolden, “Average natural gas use per dwelling” stands at 1,100 m³ (2025), ranking 8 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 900 m³.
Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water): what is the figure for De Wolden?
In De Wolden, “Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water)” stands at 5.2% (2022), ranking 334 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 16.8%.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in De Wolden?
In De Wolden, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,016 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border De Wolden?
The nearest to De Wolden are Hoogeveen (6.5 km), Staphorst (15 km), Meppel (16 km), Westerveld (17 km), Hardenberg (17 km).