Emmen: population and statistics
Emmen has a population of 109,881 (2026) across 336.3 km², or 327 people per km². It ranks 30 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +2.1% between 2016 and 2026.
- 109,881 residents
- 336.3 km²
- 327 people/km²
- 23 m
Key points
Among the 12 municipalities in Drenthe, Emmen ranks No. 1 by population.
Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings: 292,000 € in Emmen, compared with an average of 359,206 € in Drenthe and 440,410 € nationally.
Largest business sector: Wholesale and retail trade, with 18.4% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,005 kWh a year here.
Emmen in numbers
Where is Emmen?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Borger-Odoorn9.9 km · 26,162
- Coevorden16 km · 35,729
- Stadskanaal23 km · 32,110
- Aa en Hunze26 km · 26,062
- Midden-Drenthe28 km · 34,402
- Hoogeveen30 km · 56,781
- Hardenberg31 km · 64,116
- Assen33 km · 70,769
All municipalities in Zuidoost-Drenthe (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Emmen over time
Emmen had 107,584 residents in 2016 and 109,881 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 107,024 |
| 2022 | 107,856 |
| 2023 | 108,765 |
| 2024 | 109,346 |
| 2025 | 109,678 |
| 2026 | 109,881 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Drenthe for “Population”.
- Number 1 in Drenthe for “Housing stock”.
- “Area of solar parks”: higher than in 98% of municipalities.
- “Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings”: lower than in 97% of municipalities.
- “Residents with a higher professional or university degree”: lower than in 97% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 47,099 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Borger-Odoorn, 9.9 km away.
All indicators for Emmen
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 | Emmen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 24.9% | 25.6% | 23.6% | ranked 119 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 13.6% | 14.0% | 14.8% | ranked 266 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −4.2 ‰ | −4.0 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 281 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 7.8 ‰ | 8.9 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 132 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Emmen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 50,708 dwellings | 230,306 | 8,274,510 | ranked 29 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 10.3% | 13.5% | 13.1% | ranked 225 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 16.0% | 18.2% | 19.9% | ranked 250 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 79.2% | 80.9% | 79.5% | ranked 175 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 63.1% | 66.8% | 66.7% | ranked 235 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 27.6% | 23.9% | 23.7% | ranked 101 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 292,000 € | 359,206 € | 438,000 € | ranked 330 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 12.4 ‰ | 14.0 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 253 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Emmen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 950 m³ | 961 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 103 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,790 kWh | 2,818 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 181 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 5% | 6% | 7% | ranked 236 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 53% | 54% | 46% | ranked 72 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 12% | 13% | 12% | ranked 140 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 84 ha | 531 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 9 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 91.0% | 90.8% | 90.3% | ranked 130 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.1% | ranked 143 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,360 kWh | 1,460 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 131 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 2,792 Wp | 3,582 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 61 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 262.6 ‰ | 268.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 61 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Emmen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 53,500 € | 57,846 € | 63,450 € | ranked 310 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 11,690 | 60,970 | 2,612,530 | ranked 42 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 106.4 ‰ | 120.0 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 322 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Emmen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.9% | 1.6% | 1.5% | ranked 14 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 4.4% | 3.3% | 2.3% | ranked 27 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Emmen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 536 ‰ | 538 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 112 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 5.6 km | 7.1 km | 4.6 km | ranked 148 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Emmen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.1 persons | 2.2 | 2.2 | ranked 235 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 36.5% | 34.8% | 33.3% | ranked 96 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 37.6 ‰ | 30.1 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 95 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 15.1 ‰ | 11.1 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 92 of 320 | |
| Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 4.4 ‰ | 4.6 ‰ | 3.8 ‰ | ranked 53 of 171 | |
| Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 5.7 ‰ | 5.0 ‰ | 3.9 ‰ | ranked 28 of 178 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 1.4 km | 1.5 km | 1.0 km | ranked 68 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Emmen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 591 kg | 560 kg | 468 kg | ranked 45 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 15.6% | 14.3% | 16.8% | ranked 179 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 68.7% | 66.3% | 58.8% | ranked 123 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 12.3% | 15.8% | 11.7% | ranked 164 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Emmen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 1.5 km | 1.6 km | 1.2 km | ranked 73 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Emmen | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 19.0% | 26.9% | 28.5% | ranked 330 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 0.9 km | 1.0 km | 0.8 km | ranked 69 of 342 |
Emmen: 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
91.0% in 2022, compared with 93.8% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.2% in 2022, compared with 0.2% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
2,792 Wp in 2025, compared with 1,003 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
262.6 ‰ in 2025, compared with 84.0 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
37.6 ‰ in 2025, compared with 38.8 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
15.1 ‰ in 2025, compared with 15.5 ‰ in 2019
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants
4.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 4.8 ‰ in 2019
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants
5.7 ‰ in 2025, compared with 5.4 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Emmen
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 2.9 |
| February | 36 | 3.3 |
| March | 79 | 5.7 |
| April | 126 | 9.6 |
| May | 153 | 13.4 |
| June | 163 | 16.7 |
| July | 160 | 18.4 |
| August | 135 | 17.8 |
| September | 95 | 15.1 |
| October | 54 | 11.4 |
| November | 26 | 6.7 |
| December | 16 | 4.1 |
Business sectors: Emmen
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Wholesale and retail trade18.4% ×1.4
- Professional, scientific and technical14.4% ×0.7
- Construction12.4% ×1.2
- Health and social work10.2% ×1.0
- Other service activities8.1% ×1.5
- Administrative and support services5.1% ×1.0
- Manufacturing4.4% ×1.2
- Education4.3% ×0.7
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Emmen?
Emmen has 109,881 residents (2026), ranking 30 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Emmen?
Emmen covers 336.3 km², with a density of 327 people per km².
Is the population of Emmen growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Emmen went from 107,584 to 109,881, a change of +2.1%.
Where is Emmen?
Emmen is in Drenthe. It belongs to Zuidoost-Drenthe (COROP region). Latitude 52.783, longitude 6.900.
Area of solar parks: what is the figure for Emmen?
In Emmen, “Area of solar parks” stands at 84 ha (2022), ranking 9 of 341 municipalities; the national median is 0 ha.
Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings: what is the figure for Emmen?
In Emmen, “Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings” stands at 292,000 € (2026), ranking 330 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 438,000 €.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Emmen?
In Emmen, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,005 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Emmen?
The nearest to Emmen are Borger-Odoorn (9.9 km), Coevorden (16 km), Stadskanaal (23 km), Aa en Hunze (26 km), Midden-Drenthe (28 km).