Midden-Drenthe: population and statistics
Midden-Drenthe has a population of 34,402 (2026) across 340.6 km², or 101 people per km². It ranks 162 of 342 municipalities by population. Its population is growing: +2.8% between 2016 and 2026.
- 34,402 residents
- 340.6 km²
- 101 people/km²
- 11 m
Key points
Among the 12 municipalities in Drenthe, Midden-Drenthe ranks No. 7 by population.
Average distance to the nearest GP practice: 2.6 km in Midden-Drenthe, compared with an average of 1.6 km in Drenthe and 1.1 km nationally.
Dwellings with solar power: 61% in Midden-Drenthe, compared with an average of 54% in Drenthe and 38% nationally.
Largest business sector: Professional, scientific and technical, with 17.1% of the area's business sites.
A 1 kWp solar panel tilted at 40° generates about 1,008 kWh a year here.
Midden-Drenthe in numbers
Where is Midden-Drenthe?
Population of Midden-Drenthe over time
Midden-Drenthe had 33,450 residents in 2016 and 34,402 in 2026.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 33,381 |
| 2022 | 33,689 |
| 2023 | 33,987 |
| 2024 | 34,092 |
| 2025 | 34,021 |
| 2026 | 34,402 |
Did you know?
- Number 1 in Drenthe for “Average distance to the nearest GP practice”.
- “Average distance to the nearest GP practice”: higher than in 99% of municipalities.
- “Dwellings with solar power”: higher than in 98% of municipalities.
- “Average distance to a large supermarket”: higher than in 97% of municipalities.
- Its area is roughly equal to 47,707 football pitches.
- Its population density is 5.3 times lower than the national average.
- The nearest more populous municipality is Hoogeveen (56,781 residents), 15 km away.
All indicators for Midden-Drenthe
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 | Midden-Drenthe | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of residents aged 65 and over (2026) | 26.7% | 25.6% | 23.6% | ranked 61 of 342 | |
| Share of residents under 15 (2026) | 13.7% | 14.0% | 14.8% | ranked 258 of 342 | |
| Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants (2024) | −4.9 ‰ | −4.0 ‰ | −1.3 ‰ | ranked 294 of 342 | |
| Net migration per 1,000 inhabitants (domestic and international) (2024) | 2.8 ‰ | 8.9 ‰ | 6.5 ‰ | ranked 260 of 342 |
Housing
| Indicator | Midden-Drenthe | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing stock (2025) | 14,849 dwellings | 230,306 | 8,274,510 | ranked 172 of 342 | |
| Dwellings built before 1946 (2024) | 16.4% | 13.5% | 13.1% | ranked 126 of 338 | |
| Dwellings built since 2000 (2024) | 18.0% | 18.2% | 19.9% | ranked 206 of 338 | |
| Single-family dwellings (2024) | 88.1% | 80.9% | 79.5% | ranked 31 of 342 | |
| Owner-occupied dwellings (2024) | 71.0% | 66.8% | 66.7% | ranked 89 of 342 | |
| Housing association dwellings (2024) | 22.2% | 23.9% | 23.7% | ranked 200 of 340 | |
| Average official property value (WOZ) of dwellings (2026) | 383,000 € | 359,206 € | 438,000 € | ranked 258 of 342 | |
| New dwellings in the last five years per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 18.9 ‰ | 14.0 ‰ | 17.4 ‰ | ranked 143 of 341 |
Energy
| Indicator | Midden-Drenthe | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average natural gas use per dwelling (2025) | 1,000 m³ | 961 m³ | 900 m³ | ranked 47 of 342 | |
| Average electricity supplied per dwelling (2025) | 3,030 kWh | 2,818 kWh | 2,810 kWh | ranked 80 of 342 | |
| Dwellings without natural gas (2025) | 6% | 6% | 7% | ranked 184 of 342 | |
| Dwellings with solar power (2025) | 61% | 54% | 46% | ranked 5 of 342 | |
| Dwellings mainly heated by electricity (2025) | 16% | 13% | 12% | ranked 25 of 342 | |
| Area of solar parks (2022) | 27 ha | 531 ha | 3,475 ha | ranked 39 of 341 | |
| Dwellings with an individual central heating boiler (2022) | 92.5% | 90.8% | 90.3% | ranked 55 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) | 1,710 kWh | 1,460 kWh | 1,245 kWh | ranked 30 of 342 | |
| Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant (2025) | 4,069 Wp | 3,582 Wp | 1,707 Wp | ranked 25 of 342 | |
| Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 298.4 ‰ | 268.2 ‰ | 222.7 ‰ | ranked 12 of 342 |
Economy
| Indicator | Midden-Drenthe | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average disposable income per household (2024) | 59,900 € | 57,846 € | 63,450 € | ranked 228 of 336 | |
| Business establishments (2026) | 4,440 | 60,970 | 2,612,530 | ranked 175 of 342 | |
| Business establishments per 1,000 inhabitants (2026) | 129.1 ‰ | 120.0 ‰ | 135.6 ‰ | ranked 222 of 342 |
Employment
| Indicator | Midden-Drenthe | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment benefits (WW), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 1.4% | 1.6% | 1.5% | ranked 185 of 342 | |
| Social assistance (below pension age), % of residents 15–65 (2026) | 2.3% | 3.3% | 2.3% | ranked 164 of 342 |
Transport
| Indicator | Midden-Drenthe | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privately owned passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 573 ‰ | 538 ‰ | 508 ‰ | ranked 31 of 342 | |
| Average distance to the nearest railway station (2025) | 6.6 km | 7.1 km | 4.6 km | ranked 124 of 342 |
Society
| Indicator | Midden-Drenthe | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average household size (2025) | 2.2 persons | 2.2 | 2.2 | ranked 134 of 342 | |
| Single-person households (2025) | 30.9% | 34.8% | 33.3% | ranked 249 of 342 | |
| Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 19.9 ‰ | 30.1 ‰ | 30.9 ‰ | ranked 310 of 338 | |
| Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants (2025) | 6.5 ‰ | 11.1 ‰ | 11.7 ‰ | ranked 285 of 320 | |
| Average distance to a large supermarket (2025) | 2.2 km | 1.5 km | 1.0 km | ranked 8 of 342 |
Environment
| Indicator | Midden-Drenthe | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste per inhabitant (2024) | 592 kg | 560 kg | 468 kg | ranked 44 of 340 | |
| Share of built-up and paved land (excluding water) (2022) | 7.1% | 14.3% | 16.8% | ranked 308 of 341 | |
| Share of agricultural land (excluding water) (2022) | 73.2% | 66.3% | 58.8% | ranked 93 of 341 | |
| Share of natural land, including forest (excluding water) (2022) | 18.1% | 15.8% | 11.7% | ranked 117 of 341 |
Health
| Indicator | Midden-Drenthe | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance to the nearest GP practice (2025) | 2.6 km | 1.6 km | 1.2 km | ranked 2 of 342 |
Education
| Indicator | Midden-Drenthe | Drenthe | National | Position? | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents with a higher professional or university degree (2024) | 26.9% | 26.9% | 28.5% | ranked 212 of 341 | |
| Average distance to the nearest school (2025) | 1.2 km | 1.0 km | 0.8 km | ranked 12 of 342 |
Midden-Drenthe: 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
92.5% in 2022, compared with 96.6% in 2017
Dwellings with district heating
0.0% in 2022, compared with 0.0% in 2017
Installed solar panel capacity per inhabitant
4,069 Wp in 2025, compared with 782 Wp in 2019
Solar power installations per 1,000 inhabitants
298.4 ‰ in 2025, compared with 142.0 ‰ in 2019
Registered offences per 1,000 inhabitants
19.9 ‰ in 2025, compared with 26.2 ‰ in 2019
Theft, embezzlement and burglary per 1,000 inhabitants
6.5 ‰ in 2025, compared with 8.7 ‰ in 2019
Sunshine and temperatures: Midden-Drenthe
| Month | Sunshine | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 3.1 |
| February | 36 | 3.3 |
| March | 80 | 5.6 |
| April | 127 | 9.4 |
| May | 154 | 13.1 |
| June | 163 | 16.5 |
| July | 160 | 18.2 |
| August | 135 | 17.6 |
| September | 94 | 15.0 |
| October | 54 | 11.4 |
| November | 25 | 6.8 |
| December | 16 | 4.2 |
Business sectors: Midden-Drenthe
Share of each sector in total business sites; “×1.5” means the sector is 1.5 times more common than nationally.
- Professional, scientific and technical17.1% ×0.8
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing13.7% ×4.5
- Wholesale and retail trade13.7% ×1.1
- Health and social work10.1% ×1.0
- Construction9.7% ×0.9
- Other service activities6.3% ×1.2
- Education4.9% ×0.8
- Arts, entertainment and recreation4.3% ×0.8
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Midden-Drenthe?
Midden-Drenthe has 34,402 residents (2026), ranking 162 of 342 municipalities.
How big is Midden-Drenthe?
Midden-Drenthe covers 340.6 km², with a density of 101 people per km².
Is the population of Midden-Drenthe growing?
Between 2016 and 2026, the population of Midden-Drenthe went from 33,450 to 34,402, a change of +2.8%.
Where is Midden-Drenthe?
Midden-Drenthe is in Drenthe. It belongs to Noord-Drenthe (COROP region). Latitude 52.850, longitude 6.500.
Average distance to the nearest GP practice: what is the figure for Midden-Drenthe?
In Midden-Drenthe, “Average distance to the nearest GP practice” stands at 2.6 km (2025), ranking 2 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 1.2 km.
Dwellings with solar power: what is the figure for Midden-Drenthe?
In Midden-Drenthe, “Dwellings with solar power” stands at 61% (2025), ranking 5 of 342 municipalities; the national median is 46%.
How much electricity does a solar panel produce in Midden-Drenthe?
In Midden-Drenthe, a 1 kWp south-facing system tilted at 40° produces about 1,008 kWh a year.
Which municipalities border Midden-Drenthe?
The nearest to Midden-Drenthe are Hoogeveen (15 km), Assen (17 km), Westerveld (20 km), Ooststellingwerf (21 km), De Wolden (21 km).