Meppel: population and statistics
Meppel has a population of 36,616 (2026) across 55.5 km², or 660 people per km². It ranks 151 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +11.7% between 2016 and 2026.
- 36,616 residents
- 55.5 km²
- 660 people/km²
- 1 m
Key points
Among the 12 municipalities in Drenthe, Meppel ranks No. 4 by population.
Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65: 1.9% in Meppel, compared with an average of 1.6% in Drenthe and 1.6% nationally.
Average distance to the nearest school: 1.1 km in Meppel, compared with an average of 1.0 km in Drenthe and 0.8 km nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 20.3% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,022 kWh a year here.
Meppel in numbers
Where is Meppel?
Neighbouring municipalities
- Westerveld7.6 km · 20,035
- Staphorst7.8 km · 18,219
- Steenwijkerland10 km · 45,926
- Zwartewaterland15 km · 23,733
- De Wolden16 km · 24,819
- Hoogeveen19 km · 56,781
- Zwolle22 km · 134,147
- Dalfsen23 km · 30,264
All municipalities in Zuidwest-Drenthe (COROP region)
Municipalities of similar size
Population of Meppel over time
Meppel had 32,794 residents in 2016 and 36,616 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 34,386 |
| 2022 | 34,761 |
| 2023 | 35,464 |
| 2024 | 35,810 |
| 2025 | 36,271 |
| 2026 | 36,616 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Drenthe for “Population change over 10 years”.
- Number 1 in Drenthe for “Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants”.
- “Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65”: higher than in 94% of municipalities.
- “Average distance to the nearest school”: higher than in 92% of municipalities.
- “Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international)”: higher than in 91% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 7,772 football pitches.
- The nearest municipality is Westerveld, 7.6 km away.
All indicators for Meppel
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 | Meppel | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 21.3% | 25.6% | 23.6% | ranked 256 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 14.7% | 14.0% | 14.8% | ranked 176 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −1.4 ‰ | −4.0 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 176 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 14.0 ‰ | 8.9 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 31 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Meppel | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 16,783 dwellings | 230,306 | 8,274,510 | ranked 146 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 16.5% | 13.5% | 13.1% | ranked 124 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 24.6% | 18.2% | 19.9% | ranked 61 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 73.1% | 80.9% | 79.5% | ranked 241 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 58.0% | 66.8% | 66.7% | ranked 285 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 30.8% | 23.9% | 23.7% | ranked 47 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 347,000 € | 359,206 € | 438,000 € | ranked 296 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 20.6 ‰ | 14.0 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 115 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Meppel | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 820 m³ | 961 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 240 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 2,500 kWh | 2,818 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 286 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 9% | 6% | 7% | ranked 74 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 42% | 54% | 46% | ranked 222 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 11% | 13% | 12% | ranked 178 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) | 84.9% | 90.8% | 90.3% | ranked 274 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with district heating (2022) | 2.4% | 0.3% | 0.1% | ranked 67 of 341 | |
| Average electricity fed back to the grid per dwelling (2025) | 1,090 kWh | 1,460 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 216 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 1,210 Wp | 3,582 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 254 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 214.4 ‰ | 268.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 198 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Meppel | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 57,600 € | 57,846 € | 63,450 € | ranked 265 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 4,315 | 60,970 | 2,612,530 | ranked 181 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 117.8 ‰ | 120.0 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 292 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Meppel | 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) | 3.1% | 3.3% | 2.3% | ranked 97 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Meppel | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 486 ‰ | 538 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 217 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 2.6 km | 7.1 km | 4.6 km | ranked 254 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Meppel | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.1 persons | 2.2 | 2.2 | ranked 235 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 39.5% | 34.8% | 33.3% | ranked 58 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 33.3 ‰ | 30.1 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 134 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 11.9 ‰ | 11.1 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 155 of 320 | |
| Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 3.3 ‰ | 4.6 ‰ | 3.8 ‰ | ranked 106 of 171 | |
| Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 4.8 ‰ | 5.0 ‰ | 3.9 ‰ | ranked 58 of 178 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 0.9 km | 1.5 km | 1.0 km | ranked 198 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Meppel | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 425 kg | 560 kg | 468 kg | ranked 254 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 23.2% | 14.3% | 16.8% | ranked 122 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 70.7% | 66.3% | 58.8% | ranked 110 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 2.8% | 15.8% | 11.7% | ranked 291 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Meppel | 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 | Meppel | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 29.3% | 26.9% | 28.5% | ranked 156 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 1.1 km | 1.0 km | 0.8 km | ranked 24 of 342 |
Meppel: 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
84.9% in 2022, compared with 89.5% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
2.4% in 2022, compared with 0.6% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
1,210 Wp in 2025, compared with 393 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
214.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 81.9 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
33.3 ‰ in 2025, compared with 33.7 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
11.9 ‰ in 2025, compared with 12.5 ‰ in 2019
Vandalism and damage per 1,000 inhabitants
3.3 ‰ in 2025, compared with 3.6 ‰ in 2019
Violent and sexual offences per 1,000 inhabitants
4.8 ‰ in 2025, compared with 4.1 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Meppel
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 3.3 |
| February | 37 | 3.5 |
| March | 81 | 5.8 |
| April | 128 | 9.5 |
| May | 156 | 13.2 |
| June | 165 | 16.5 |
| July | 161 | 18.2 |
| August | 136 | 17.6 |
| September | 96 | 15.2 |
| October | 55 | 11.5 |
| November | 26 | 7.1 |
| December | 16 | 4.4 |
Business sectors: Meppel
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical20.3% ×1.0
- Wholesale and retail trade16.6% ×1.3
- Health and social work11.9% ×1.1
- Construction7.2% ×0.7
- Education6.5% ×1.1
- Other service activities5.9% ×1.1
- Arts, entertainment and recreation5.3% ×1.0
- Administrative and support services5.1% ×0.9
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Meppel?
Meppel has 36,616 residents (2026), ranking 151 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Meppel?
Meppel covers 55.5 km², with a density of 660 people per km².
Is the population of Meppel growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Meppel went from 32,794 to 36,616, a change of +11.7%.
Where is Meppel?
Meppel is in Drenthe. It belongs to Zuidwest-Drenthe (COROP region). Latitude 52.703, longitude 6.192.
Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65: what is the figure for Meppel?
In Meppel, “Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65” stands at 1.9% (2026), ranking 14 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 1.5%.
Average distance to the nearest school: what is the figure for Meppel?
In Meppel, “Average distance to the nearest school” stands at 1.1 km (2025), ranking 24 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 0.8 km.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Meppel?
In Meppel, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,022 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Meppel?
The nearest to Meppel are Westerveld (7.6 km), Staphorst (7.8 km), Steenwijkerland (10 km), Zwartewaterland (15 km), De Wolden (16 km).